I will then be heading over to Oxford to teach a Shakespeare class and take in some other meetings.

I’m looking forward to revisiting England.  Last year’s trip was amazing  – attending the Bristol and Kapow! shows, visiting Oxford and, of course, Stratford-upon-Avon. And it’ll be great to reconnect with friends from last year’s show – and make new ones.

Check out the video that Conor and I shot at Shakespeare’s Birthplace last year…

We’ll be posting previews of the artwork from the next issue all of this week.  Today we’ll start by posting the cover of the issue.

For this cover we brought in uber-talented Canadian illustrator Nimit Malavia to design a cover of Juliet and Romeo.  It’s a bit of a variation from earlier covers but I think adds a really nice flourish to the series.  For those unfamiliar with Nimit’s work check out his website here and Twitter page here.

And don’t forget to pick up The Tide of Blood #4 in comic book shops next week!

But while Anthony was enjoying the high-life, poor lil’ ol me has been stuck doing AMAZING SHOWS in Chicago and right here in Toronto — TCAF 2013.

I’ve been quite the shutterbug as I learn to play with this new Galaxy Tablet and I even took a bit of video of the Kill Shakespeare stage show that played at C2E2.

I wanted to share some memories of the events and thank all the amazing fans and friends who came out and supported us in both places. I had SUCH a good time talking with all of you.

We’ve said it before, but I don’t believe that any other book has such diverse and interesting fans as K.S. does!

Now let’s see some photos!

Below are a few from the stageplay that went on at C2E2 and was put on by the amazing Strawdog Theatre. I’ve already posted a few on our Facebook account, but these are a few samples that I took of the show. The rest you can find in this album.

"Hey kid, I can make you a star!" K.S. Director Anderson Lawfer greets me at the door of Strawdog Theatre

The cast in action on the Variant Stage at C2E2

"Lusty Ladies! Falstaff is here!"

The whole cast and crew celebrate a succesful show

Of course C2E2 was more than just theatre — we also had fans and cosplay galore. To get a flavour of the delightful madness here are a few shots to whet your appetite. You can see more of C2E2 in this album.

Hey, I don't judge. Some of my best friends are wookies!

When Anthony goes to cons, kids attack him. Me? I try to turn them on each other. It's a bit less chivalrous, but much less painful.

One of these people is the official jester of Milwaukee (no, I'm not even kidding)

Shakespeare! Smash!

This past weekend was TCAF — a more “refined” comics experience. While cos-play isn’t really a “thing” at TCAF it was a great chance to see old friends and to steal a ukele

This is the shunning you get for having not read Kill Shakespeare

Our man Chris gets involved in the dreaded ukele tug-of-war.

For more TCAF click here.

And finally, for those of you who haven’t seen Andy B. for awhile you may not know that he now owns the 1,965th best beard of ALL-TIME. He just passed this guy and is closing hard on these guys.

Andy graciously agreed to pose for a series of photos so we can commerate a time when life was simpler, and all that mattered was a man, his beard, and how many birds could nest within it.

Hey Andy, Rasputin called... he wants the "Mad Monk" back.

For the entire, surely to be award-winning, collection – click here… if you dare!

I was really fortunate to be placed beside some amazingly talented (and really nice) artists – Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing, the upcoming Wonder Woman), Pia Guerra (my favourite series of all time, Y The Last Man) and Ian Boothby (Simpsons Comics) – they were great to chat with and share space with.

And thanks to everyone who came to the show and swung by to chat, learn more about KS, pick up some books/ShakesGeare, etc.  It was great meeting/chatting with all of you!

Here are some photos from the weekend.  You can find more on our Facebook page.

A sketch of Juliet and Romeo by Tom Szyc

Julia and Anthony recite the final lines from Midsummer Night's Dream

Dana bought a book but then discovered she had no cash...

... but she returned on Sunday with cash!

Anthony likes to hit people that dress up like Henry V...

... and kids with swords like to attack Anthony.

Another budding art star!

Anthony with Yanick Paquette

Ian, Anthony and Yanick inspect the work of Pia

Happy 10th Birthday TCAF!

Like many 10 year-olds the Toronto Comic Arts Festival is really precocious.   The show has taken on the personality of its founders Chris and Peter from The Beguiling and has come to represent the best place to go to see the edges of comics culture.

If you’re the sort of person who says they don’t read comics, or likely, given that you’re reading this post, you’re the kind of person who KNOWS someone who says they don’t read comics THIS is the show to attend.

At TCAF you’ll see stories about EVERYTHING under the sun. This year the show will debut a quirky food driven bio (Relish: My Life in the Kitchen), an all-ages book written by Gilbert Hernandez, one half of the amazing team behind Love & Rockets (Marble Season), a comic totally devoid of dialogue (Silent Worlds), a story about facing death at the hands of Cancer (When David Lost His Voice), a love-story set in the World War 1 era Croatia (Black Paths) and a story told from a German Shepherd’s perspective (uh, I ‘m A German Shepherd).

And of course their is plenty of the genre stuff you know and love with Sci-fi, Crime, horror and even superhero stories galore!

It’s also an  amazing show because we get sleep in our own beds (yay!).

So come out this weekend to TCAF and say hello to Conor at his sentry position at the entrance of the RAID room AKA Learning Centre 2.

The show starts at 9 AM on Saturday and runs until 5pm (another reason they love them — ample time for dinner!) and on Sunday the hours are from 11-5.

Click on the map to enlarge. The RAID room is on the right.

I will be at Table #A600 the entire weekend, which is plum in the middle of some of the top artists today – beside Pia Guerra (co-creator of my favourite series of all-time, Y The Last Man) and superstar artist Yanick Paquette (DC’s Swamp Thing relaunch). You can find a floor plan of the show at this link.

I am also conducting a workshop “HOW TO CREATE AND MARKET YOUR OWN COMICS” on Saturday at 2pm in Meeting Room B.  I have put on this workshop at almost a dozen conventions so if you’re at the show and would like to find out how to get your comic off the ground come by and pick up some tricks of the trade.  The workshop description is:

What a great time I had in CowTown!  Another Expo, another great time.  We sold a lot of books, shirts, buttons and had a great time meeting new fans and readers.  Lots of people – perhaps more than most other shows – were already fans of the series and picked up issues of the new Tide of Blood series.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the show – especially the volunteers, who were amazing!  I’d like to single out Doug and Carrie-Ann, especially the latter, who provided sales relief during a good chunk of Saturday.  And Tasha Zimich, who would inch over from her Sky Pirates booth to help out as well.

I look forward to attending next year!

Hannah and Sali came all three days - in different outfits - to express their love for the series!

Anthony wins over a skeptical reader

Running to Get her Copy!

Our top fan of the Expo! Garth brings us a muffin from the green room...

Best Ewok ever!

Fighting for their copy of Kill Shakespeare

Carrie-Ann and Tasha, who helped out at the table

Another day, another shirt to sign...

Also look for my pitching workshop on Saturday at 4:30pm.

We’re quite excited about this issue.  The continuation of the saga of Juliet, Romeo, Hamlet, Miranda and Prospero continues in this issue and not only are we happy with the story but Andy Belanger’s artwork is amazing.  He has a great take on the look of Prospero but also the mad wizard’s setting.

The early reviews are quite positive as well.

Keith Silva from Comics Bulletin writes: “As aesthetics go, Kill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood comes as close to perfection — to some sort of golden ratio of comic books — as any art aspires to achieve. ”

Lyzard from AintitCoolNews.com writes: “What Belanger chooses to do with Prospero’s “study” works as both an homage to the source material and a giant leap from anything put to paper, canvas, stage, or film.”

Samantha Roehrig from Comic Bastards writes: “I love how raw the pictures are in this comic. It draws me into the play and I can’t stop thinking I should drink poison or stab myself with a dagger in order to fit in. I can’t wait for the big fight scene.  I love Shakespeare and I am wondering why it took me so long to pick up this comic. So don’t miss out on this newest installment.”

Page 11 - Miranda and Lady Macbeth enter Prospero's study/library.

First off, I will be attending the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo in Western Canada this weekend.  The show runs on Fri (12 – 8), Sat (10 – 7) and Sun (10 – 5) at the BMO Centre.  The convention is one of the fastest growing conventions in the world – if not the fastest.  I attended two years ago (Conor attended last year) and we sold out of everything by the middle of the day Saturday.

I will be at Table P-10 all weekend.  I will also be hosting a panel “How to Pitch Your Own Comic” will be on Saturday, Apr 27 @ 4:30pm in Palomino FG.  Check it out for pointers on how to get a publishing deal, put together a pitch package, etc.  It’s been standing room only at numerous other conventions so this one should be good.

Whilst I’m in Calgary, Andy and Conor will be attending Chicago’s C2E2 convention this weekend.  I attended last year and it’s another fast-growing event.  The two will be positioned at Table 1037 all weekend.

On top of that, Chicago’s Strawdog Theatre will be doing a free preview/review performance of their acclaimed run of KILL SHAKESPEARE: LIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL at the show this weekend.  It will be held on Fri, Apr 26 @ 3:15pm on the Variant Stage.  If you’re attending the show be sure to check it out