Pulitzer Prize-Winning writer Anthony Del Col returns to the world of the Bard and his acclaimed series Kill Shakespeare with the all-new story Romeo Vs. Juliet: A Kill Shakespeare Adventure, a fantasy adventure that spotlights two of the most famous characters in literature and remixes their story to create something wholly original. Drawn by Stefan Tosheff, lettered by Becca Carey, and enveloped in a cover by acclaimed artist Richard Isanove, the original graphic novel arrives April 22, 2025 just in time for this year’s World Shakespeare Day which is celebrated on April 23. Romeo Vs. Juliet [148 pages / color / $17.99 pbk / ISBN 978-1603606479 / Gemstone Publishing / on sale April 22 everywhere books are sold].
“No matter where someone’s from, or what language they speak, they know Romeo and Juliet as the world’s greatest lovers. Well, Romeo vs. Juliet provides the ultimate twist to that story,” says writer Anthony Del Col. “In our “Shakespearean Western” they find themselves on opposite ends of a cause, forcing them to become rivals and culminating in a high noon-style showdown between the two.”
Told in Five Acts, Romeo Vs. Juliet finds Juliet Capulet has survived her ordeal with Romeo Montague and has reinvented herself as an independent warrior-for-hire. Juliet is also carrying a secret: she is expecting a child but is unsure if the father is Romeo or a past flame, Hamlet. When Juliet unexpectedly finds herself at a small nunnery and learns of its troubles she vows to protect it and the women who live there. To combat the invading forces – which include her ex-lover Romeo – Juliet must reluctantly reunite with old allies, including Othello, Puck… and Hamlet.
Del Col is a storyteller with experience writing pre-existing worlds and characters—Assassin’s Creed, The Death of Nancy Drew, Kill Shakespeare and Son of Hitler. Del Col continued, “I enjoy the process of playing with well-known characters, peeling them and their stories down to their very core and then building upon that.” Whether you’re a Shakespeare scholar or someone who just likes the idea of the two star-crossed lovers battling each other, Romeo Vs. Juliet is a fresh and exciting new vision of the tragedy as a “Magnificent Shakespearean Seven.”
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 Awards for Best Comic Writing.
Gemstone recently published Kill Shakespeare: First 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, with Kill Shakespeare: Second Folio expected Fall 2025.
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 Business 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 most recent Audio Thriller “Don’t Listen to This,” set in the world of esports, stars Sophie Wu (“Kick-Ass”), Thaddea Graham (“Sex Education”), Nikesh Patel (“The Devil’s Hour”, “Starstruck”) and Jonny Weldon (“One Day”). The series aired as part of the Limelight Series on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. His 2020 audio drama “Assassin’s Creed: Gold,” starring Oscar-winner 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 100 episodes of the Army Matters podcast and a series of acclaimed and award-winning comics for Business Insider that explore subjects such as anti-Muslim policies in India, filtration camps in Ukraine and migrant workers in Qatar.
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.