The layers that get added in the eighth issue of the fantastic comic book series Kill Shakespeare adds so much to the already many layered comic book.  This is the quiet before the storm as we learn more about Othello and Iago’s past, the relationship between Hamlet and Juliet blooms and so much more.

As word of the Prodigals’ victory spreads a rebel army masses in Shrewsbury. Against this backdrop Othello and Iago cross swords, Richard and Lady Macbeth lock horns and Hamlet and Juliet’s love blossoms. But will the Dane live long enough to enjoy Cupid’s fruit?  Not if a ghost from Juliet’s past has anything to say about it.

The series continues to make me enjoy Shakespeare like I never have before.  The story is easy to follow for those of us who don’t know the bard’s works, but also has so much more for those fans that know these characters inside and out.

This is a maxi-series and were three fourth’s of the way there, but it’s not too late to hop on and see what all the praise is about.  It’s just fantastic in so many ways.

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The political intrigue ups a bit in Kill Shakespeare #7 and there’s a play within a play (hmmm, wonder where that idea came from) that shows off Andy Belanger‘s art chops.

Written by Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col this issue is a play within a play as a traveling troop heads to town and puts on a show for Hamlet and Juliet after their mini-uprising.

The play’s the thing… it’s Twelfth Night and the Prodigals celebrate their first victory over Richard. The festivities bring music, merriment and a magical carnival—as well as a mysterious ringleader that sheds impossible insight into Hamlet’s past, forcing the Prince to come face-to-face with a shameful secret that may turn Juliet and others against him forever.

The story is great and fits Shakespeare’s habit of stories in the stories a lot, but the visuals Belanger puts together is what really stands out, especially during Hamlet’s breakdown.

I’ve devoured the first seven issues of this series, and can’t wait to see how this twelve issue series wraps up.  I highly recommend it.

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I hated Shakespeare in high school.  I somewhat understood what was going on, but the rhyming, and “cute” wording just didn’t appeal to me.  If you had put Kill Shakespeare in my hands back then, I might have had a different attitude.  Written by Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col, illustrated by Andy Belanger, and published by IDW Publishing this trade paperback collects the first six issues of the series.

The Kill Shakespeare graphic novel, which offers an edgy interpretation of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, brings Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Richard III, Lady Macbeth, Puck and others together for an epic adventure. In the book, readers encounter a banished Hamlet, who embarks on a quest to resurrect his dead father. But to do so, he must kill a reclusive wizard named… William Shakespeare!  The graphic novel features a foreword by award-winning cartoonist Darwyn Cooke (New Frontiers, The Hunter, The Outfit), as well as a brand new five-page story that further explores the mythology of the Kill Shakespeare world.

There’s something really fun about the series.  I know most of the characters, but absolutely am not an expert in things Shakespeare.  With my limited knowledge I enjoyed the series and those with none will like it just for the story.  What I’d imagine is those with a deep understanding and encyclopedic knowledge of the bard’s tales will probably get so much more out of it.

Like The Unwritten, this series seems to work on so many levels.  I simple story, but also one that is so much more rich for those who know the references.

I can’t recommend this enough.  I’ve seen the series on the shelves and like an idiot didn’t take a chance on what’s turned out to be a wonderful series.  Don’t be a fool and pick this one up today.

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