Kill Shakespeare (Backstage Edition) - Conor McCreery, Antholy Del Col, Andy Belanger, and Ian Herring

An epic adventure that will change the way you look at Shakespeare forever. 

In this dark tale, the bard’s most famous heroes embark upon a journey to discover a long-lost soul. Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Romeo and Puck search for a reclusive wizard who may have the ability to assist them in their battle against the evil forces led by the villains Richard III, Lady Macbeth and Iago. That reclusive wizard? William Shakespeare.

A combination of “Fables”, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and “Lord of the Rings”, Kill Shakespeare offers a remixed re-envisioning of the greatest characters of all-time, featuring action, romance, comedy, lust, drama and bloody violence. it is an adventure of shakespearean proportions.

This is a brilliantly dark and unique reimagining of the worlds within Shakespeare's plays, featuring familiar characters as you've never seen them before!

I had the pleasure of meeting one of the creators (Andy Belanger) a number of years back at an American Library Association conference. After chatting about a number of graphic-novel related topics, Andy showed me the first issue of Kill Shakespeare. I had no clue what to think. At first I was assuming it was some bizarre revenge story featuring Shakespeare as some sort of Tony Soprano mob boss that everyone's out to destroy. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story, the characterizations, and the reimagining of so many elements of Shakespeare's plays and historical and magic worlds.


Though it does sound whimsical at first, I assure the tales told within the volume do not shy away from violence, blood, or other delightfully macabre scenarios. There's magic and mystery, witchcraft and intrigue. The illustrations are dynamic and the colours dark. The combination of story and visuals makes for a fascinating, wild ride through these bizarre, but ultimately entertaining, retellings. On the whole, the collection is full of energy and a sense of immediacy.

Add this to your Halloween reading list!

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