There have been a few different takes on the infamous ill-fated lovers of Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. But this month Gemstone Publishing is releasing Pulitzer Prize-Winning writer Anthony Del Col and artist Stefan Tosheff’s version of the star-crossed lovers in Romeo Vs Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure.
The book marks the return to Del Col’s acclaimed Kill Shakespeare series, mixing fantasy, adventure, and a fresh remix of the tale of forbidden love and feuding families. This installment features letters by Becca Carey and a cover by Richard Isanove.
The Beat chatted with the Del Col and Tosheff about the upcoming graphic novel.
DEANNA DESTITO: How did the Kill Shakespeare world come about?
ANTHONY DEL COL: Many, many moons ago I was brainstorming ideas with Conor McCreery, and we were chatting about the Tarantino film Kill Bill. We started to joke about what it would be like with other Bills (Clinton… Cosby… etc.) and then I said “Bill Shakespeare”, and riffed that it would be an action story in which all of his characters try to hunt him down and kill him. I’ve been fortunate in my life to have had a few moments where a lightbulb suddenly goes off and I realize a great idea has just come to life, and that was one of those moments.
Conor and I then started to do some research and realized that no one had really done this story before. So we determined that WE would be the ones to do it. So we sat down over the course of months (years?) and put together different versions of the story in different formats.
And then in February, 2009 we went to New York Comic-Con to pitch it to publishers, holding in our hands a pitch doc, business cards, and a bit of hope. By the end of the weekend we had three offers and we were off to the races.
And now, over fifteen years later, we’ve released five volumes, a board game, a stage show (that’s played in over 30 cities worldwide) and an audio drama. The project was in limbo for a years (a long story I won’t get into… let’s just say lawyers were involved), but then in 2023 we were able to get all the rights back and started to work with Gemstone Publishing on re-releasing the previous (and out-of-print) volumes alongside new work.
DESTITO: What inspired you to focus on Romeo and Juliet in this installment?
DEL COL: As I mentioned above, Kill Shakespeare was stuck in limbo for a few and during that time I started to think about what story I would like to tell if (when!) we were able to get the rights back. And as I thought about it, an image of Romeo and Juliet squaring off against each other in a high noon-style Western showdown came to me. I mentioned “light bulb moments” above, and this was one of them.
The story then came to me immediately – it would be a “Shakespearean Western” in which Juliet is the “sword-for-hire” tasked with protecting a border town from incoming forces led by Romeo. It would all culminate (like so many of these stories do) with the showdown between the two lovers. I think fleshed out more elements of the story (the nunnery, the magic they’re hiding, which characters (Hamlet, Puck, etc.) that would comprise the “Magnificent Shakespeare Seven”, etc.
As Conor and I wrote Kill Shakespeare, Juliet slowly became the most interesting character on the “hero” side of the spreadsheet, and this story brings her tale to another level. It’s also great in that this story is an “on ramp” for those that have never read any of the earlier Kill Shakespeare stories, and everyone knows Juliet and Romeo’s story.
DESTITO: How is it working with this creative team?
DEL COL: I knew I wanted to work with an artist that could capture the action of the story but more importantly the emotion. I started to look around and my good friend (and incredible art scout) Keith Morris said, “I have the perfect artist for you… and he’s Canadian). Well, I knew I needed to check out his art immediately… and when I saw it, I knew he would be perfect.
STEFAN TOSHEFF: Thanks, Anthony! I was really pleased. At first, the project felt very cryptic — very hush-hush about what it actually was. But when I found out it was a well-loved series being rebooted, I got really excited!
DEL COL: Stefan wound up being the perfect collaborator on this and brought some great ideas to the mix. His action scenes are so dynamic, but what I love most are the quiet moments of emotion, especially as we watch Juliet grappling with her emotions and her past. My favorite art of his is near the very end. I don’t want to spoil anything but in an encounter with Romeo the reaction shots of Juliet and the torrent of emotions washing over her is breathtaking. I’m so glad Stefan is on this project.
(And I would be remiss to not mention that his scene of Othello punching a grizzly bear is… chef’s kiss.)
DESTITO: How did you develop the character designs for the incarnations of these familiar characters?
TOSHEFF: Well, I took a cue from what Anthony suggested. We wanted to bring in elements from Westerns, but also some Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style designs to really broaden the palette we could work with, y’know? Basically, I just tried to make everyone look sexy and cool.
DESTITO: Why would this comic appeal to different fanbases?
DEL COL: I’ve created Romeo vs. Juliet to appeal to anyone that likes romance adventure stories.
For those that are already fans of Kill Shakespeare: I know it’s been a while since our last volume, but… we’re back (and better than ever)! I think this is probably our best complete story and will weave in elements from past stories and bring in some cool, new elements.
For those that are fans of Shakespeare (but haven’t read Kill Shakespeare): This is the ultimate remix of the two star-crossed lovers (and the Bard’s other characters). If Juliet and Romeo survived their teenage ordeal, where would they be seven years later? What happens if they wind up on opposite sides of a battle over the future of a border town nunnery and were both determined to get their way?
For those that aren’t fans of Shakespeare: You’ve heard of Romeo and Juliet. You know their stories. But you’ve never heard of how they turn against each other and become the worst of enemies. How poetic is that?
TOSHEFF: It has a lot of Western elements too, so if you’re into Deadwood or the classics, I think you’ll really enjoy this as well.
DESTITO: Any other plans to do another Kill Shakespeare book?
DEL COL: Conor and I have mapped out the rest of the Kill Shakespeare adventure, if we’re able to do more. We love this world and coming back to it (for me) felt so natural. Kill Shakespeare was the first comic series for the both of us, and I was so happy to get to play in the sandbox again.
TOSHEFF: I would be very happy to have another go at these characters.
DESTITO: What else would you like to put your own spin on?
DEL COL: I’m a HUGE fan of Jane Austen and her works and I would LOVE to create a remix project (akin to Kill Shakespeare) that brings her characters together and tests the relationships established in the original books. I’ve nibbled away at an outline for a while now, but… hey! Why am I sharing this information with people???!!!
I’ve really enjoyed taking established characters (like Hamlet and Juliet, like Nancy Drew, like others) and doing a unique spin on them. I’ve got a few ideas and project kicking that are in this vein, so we’ll see…
TOSHEFF: Someone, anyone — just let me draw X-Men! I’d also love to do a Murder, She Wrote comic… not that there’s a huge market for that… right?
DEL COL: If I’m not allowed to write a Murder, She Wrote comic, I will kill whoever does…!
It took from last year’s FCBD preview until now to put out the first issue??
Geez, how time flies.
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Coat