Award-winning comic Mash-up Kill Shakespeare Returns to IDW with New Limited Series

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Toronto, Canada: IDW Publishing is proud to announce the return of the acclaimed comic series Kill Shakespeare to comic shelves.

The first issue of the new five-issue limited series, entitled The Tide of Blood, will hit comic shops across North America and Europe in February, 2013.

Series co-creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery returned to pen the five issues and original artist Andy Belanger is back as the series artist (and also adds cover artist duties).  All three are at this week’s New York Comic Con to officially launch the new arc as well as present a special Live Stage Reading based on the first twelve issues of the series that the New York Times called: “gripping, violent, dark, fun.”

The five-issue series – a continuation from the first two books - will follow Hamlet, Juliet, Othello and Romeo as they face their biggest threat – Prospero, a rogue wizard who plans to destroy all of creation.  Hamlet must embark on a perilous journey to a remote island whose inhabitants have gone mad and want the Dane’s blood – if a love-triangle and Cupid’s poisoned bow doesn’t kill Hamlet first.

“It is a dream come true for us to be back at the New York Comic-Con, where we first pitched Kill Shakespeare to IDW almost four years ago,” says Del Col. “We are incredibly happy that our fans and readers have been asking for more and have put together a new story that takes our characters in an exciting new direction.”

To date, Kill Shakespeare has been collected into two trades: A Sea of Troubles and The Blast of War.  Both were nominated for numerous awards and lists and Volume 1 is entering a fifth printing. 

"I had an awesome time working on the first two volumes of Kill Shakespeare," said series editor Tom Waltz.  "Tickling both my literary and action-adventure fancies, Conor, Anthony, and Andy have most definitely given me one of the most satisfying and unique experiences I've had as an editor at IDW Publishing.  And, just as the first go round proved it's hard to kill Shakespeare, well, it's hard to kill a fantastic story concept, too, and I truly believe the best is yet to come from the Kill Shakespeare crew!"

The series has also been brought to the stage with the creation of the Kill Shakespeare: Live Stage Reading theatrical show.  It has been produced in various cities across North America and will be presented at the New York Comic-Con on Saturday October 13^th at 11:00 AM on the Variant Stage. Special Kill Shakespeare and IDW prize packs will be given away to lucky attendees at this free show.

About the series:

Kill Shakespeare is an adventure story that pits all of Shakespeare’s greatest heroes (including Hamlet, Juliet, Falstaff, Othello, Puck) against the Bard’s most menacing villains (including Richard III, Lady Macbeth, Iago, Prospero) in a quest to track down and kill – or save – a reclusive wizard by the name of William Shakespeare. The series was nominated for a 2011 Harvey Award for Best New Comic Series the 2011 and 2012 Joe Shuster Awards for Comic Writing and has been selected to the YALSA and Maverick lists for top graphic novels for teens. The series has been covered by NPR, BBC, The Washington Post, CBC and The New York Times. In October 2011, Kill Shakespeare was chosen by the Sundance Institute as one of six projects for the inaugural New Frontiers Story Lab.

More information about the series can be found at www.killshakespeare.com.