The New Publishing Initiative Includes The All-New Graphic Novel Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure, New Editions of the First Kill Shakespeare Graphic Novels, and a Free Comic Book Day Release
For the first time in its history Gemstone Publishing, the publisher of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, will publish graphic novels, beginning with Pulitzer Prize-Winning writer Anthony Del Col’s acclaimed series Kill Shakespeare. The publishing program begins on Free Comic Book Day, May 4, 2024 with the release of the first act of Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure. Del Col returns to the world of the Bard in this all-new story featuring the beloved star-crossed lovers which provides the ultimate twist. The story continues November 19, 2024 with the publication of the original graphic novel Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure writtenby Del Col, with art by Stefan Tosheff, letters by Becca Carey, and enveloped in a cover by acclaimed artist Richard Isanove. On September 24, 2024, Gemstone will publish Kill Shakespeare 1st Folio, a new compendium edition of the groundbreaking Kill Shakespeare series, collecting Volumes 1 and 2,by co-writers Del Col and Conor McCreery, artist Andy Belanger and colorist Ian Herring withKill Shakespeare 2nd Folio to follow next spring.
“Hamlet. Juliet. Othello. Lady Macbeth. These are some of the greatest characters ever created,” said Anthony Del Col. “I’m so excited to be back in the world of Kill Shakespeare where they—and many others—all co-exist (and sometimes battle, naturally) and to be working with Gemstone on this.” Del Col continued, “Our new story Romeo Vs. Juliet is a great entry point for everyone—a Shakespearean western in which Juliet Capulet has survived her ordeal with Romeo and has reinvented herself as an independent warrior-for-hire. In order to help protect a small nunnery and border town from her ex-lover, Juliet must reunite with old allies, including Hamlet, Othello, and Puck. And did I mention Juliet’s pregnant? And the father could be either Hamlet… or Romeo? What could be more Shakespearean than that?”
“As we enter into Gemstone’s 30th anniversary year, I’m grateful—and still a bit shocked—that we can launch our new publishing initiative with Kill Shakespeare,” says J.C. Vaughn, President of Gemstone Publishing. “This is an amazing series, one worthy of a wide audience.”
Kill Shakespeare originally launched as a series of award-winning comic books and has expanded to board games, an audio drama, and a live stage show. Launched by IDW Publishing in 2010, the comics were an immediate success, with the first issue receiving acclaim from NPR, The New York Times and CBC. Combining amazing action sequences with a sprawling, emotional, adventure, Kill Shakespeare was nominated for a Harvey Award for Best New Comic Series and Joe Shuster Award for Best Comic Writing.
About the Writer: Anthony Del Col is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer/producer of podcasts and comics. His stories include Kill Shakespeare, Assassin’s Creed, the controversial graphic novel The Death Of Nancy Drew, and the award-winning Insider comic I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp, a first-person exploration of one Muslim Uyghur woman’s imprisonment by the Chinese government (2022 Pulitzer Award for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary).
His 2020 audio drama Assassin’s Creed: Gold, starring Oscar-nominee Riz Ahmed, was Audible’s top-rated release of the year. His first project with Audible, the found-footage thriller Unheard: The Story Of Anna Winslow, hit #1 on Audible and broke download records.
Other projects include the Ringo Award-nominated graphic novel Son Of Hitler (“few war stories are this much fun” – NPR); Luke Cage: Everyman (Marvel), three seasons of Wondery’s hit podcast Against The Odds, over 50 episodes of the Army Matters podcast and a series of acclaimed and award-winning comics for Insider that explore subjects such as anti-Muslim policies in India, filtration camps in Ukraine and migrant workers in Qatar. A proud Canadian, he lives in Brooklyn with his lovely – and patient – wife Lisa, son Dashiell and daughter Siena.
About The Artist: Grandson of the sculptor Almuth Lütkenhaus, Stefan Tosheff is an illustrator and artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. He has worked with Boom! Comics, Titmouse, Chapterhouse Comics, Lev Gleason Comic House, Skybound Studios, and Z2 Comics. He loves guitar riffs, play fighting, singing people’s names to them, and hates being late for anything.
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher