WRITTEN BY: Becky Cloonan

ART BY: Andy Belanger

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: June 24, 2015

In the vastness of outer-space, Alex Braith is starting to feel consumed by the dark and empty hallways of the spaceship, Running away from the dead, Alex finds herself swallowed up by memories of her dead sister. Never knowing which is which, Alex doesn’t know if she’s being given a warning, or if it’s all just a hallucination. Could someone on board the ship be actually trying to kill her?

I love how writer Becky Cloonan  builds the main character’s backstory through flashbacks. Because of sibling rivalry, is Alex trying to redeem herself from what happened in the past? But we’re left to question if the main protagonist is making up a false childhood memory?

Cloonan adds more to Alex’s strong personality as her punkish attitude breaks down bit by bit.  Alex is afraid that her vulnerability will somehow get her killed. As the list of suspects grow, readers will get a chance to pick and choose who might be a red herring.

Artist Andy Belanger captures images on top of images as a visual metaphor for something grand. With Belanger playing around with the panel layouts, are the visuals meant to ask about humanity’s place in the universe? Or is the surreal imagery supposed to represent Alex’s mindset? You can’t go wrong with either interpretation, which is why Belanger is at the top of his game.

When the imagery turns surreal, colorist Lee Loughridge breaks away from the dark pinkish tones and adds a more vibrant scheme. Notice how the panels are brighter and intense as Alex continues to hallucinate.

“Southern Cross” #4 keeps getting better and better. There are two issues left before the first story arc closes.

Reviewed by Jorge Solis

The post [Comic Review] “Southern Cross” #4 Is Cerebrally Awesome appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Becky Cloonan

ART BY: Andy Belanger

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: May 13, 2015

In the vastness of outer space, Alex Braith just witnessed something frightening coming after her. In the dark and empty hallways of the spaceship, Alex is on the run from the dead man lurking in her room. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know if it was actually a warning, or just a hallucination. Space could be playing tricks on her mind. Or someone onboard is actually trying to kill her.

I love how writer Becky Cloonan develops the main character’s backstory by giving her a flashback. Keeping the memory from Alex’s point-of-view, the reader questions if the main protagonist is actually revisiting her childhood. Does Alex wish she had a happy childhood with her sister? Has something traumatized her that she needs to recreate a memory?

I enjoy the scenes where Cloonan gets to express Alex’s strong personality. There is a feistiness to Alex’s punkish attitude, but she’s not afraid to show off her vulnerability. The side characters are also slowly being developed. From the doctor to the chef, they act like blue-collar workers trying to make through the end of the day.

One of my favorite images from Andy Belanger is when Alex finds herself at the center of a circle full of windows. Everywhere she looks, Alex just sees a sea of stars. In another panel, when Alex looks at her reflection,the depiction illustrates the point as to why she is getting some sort of sea-sickness in outer-space.

Highlighting the awfulness of the food, colorist Lee Loughridge’s vividly paints the cafeteria scenes in greenish tones. Capturing the eerie atmosphere, Loughridge switches to a blue shade when Alex is staring at a computer screen in a climatic scene.

“Southern Cross” #3 continues to be an awesome read. When’s the fourth issue going to get here?

The post [Comic Review] “Southern Cross” #3 Is Nail-Biting appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Becky Cloonan

ART BY: Andy Belanger

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: April 8, 2015

In the vastness of outer-space, Alex Braith is consumed with grief over the death of her sister, Amber. To start the mourning process, Alex travels in-between the planets and stars to collect her sister’s remains. But on her journey into the never-ending darkness, someone has gone missing in the colossal spaceship. Where could this missing person be hiding? And why does Alex feel like she is suddenly being watched?

On the second day of her voyage, Alex meets some of the crew members and other passengers in her spaceship. I love how writer Becky Cloonan builds the mystery with numerous suspects and red herrings. Because the narrative is told from Alex’s point-of-view, the reader joins the main protagonist as she questions everyone’s motives. It’s an interesting guessing game because we’re not quite sure who’s supposed to be a friend or foe.

Cloonan emphasizes Alex’s strong personality through her snappy dialogue. There is a feistiness to her punkish attitude, as if she’s unafraid to speak her mind. Alex wants everyone on the ship, especially the other female members, to think she doesn’t care, but she really does. Alex has to deal with the external conflict as well as her internal struggle.

Knocking it out of the park, artist Andy Belanger plays around with size and scope as the panels switch from different angles. In a two-pager, we get to see the exterior of the spaceship in all its glory. In these tight close-ups, Belanger captures the claustrophobic atmosphere Alex feels in her cramped private quarters. Notice how the dripping of the faucet is driving her nuts, like “the tapping on her chamber door.”

With her sleeveless jacket and wool cap, Alex looks like she belongs to a tough biker gang. Colorist Lee Loughridge’s vividly paints the cafeteria scenes in yellow tones, emphasizing the foulness of the food. Then Loughridge switches to a pinkish shade, to highlight Alex’s isolation in the vastness of outer-space.

“Southern Cross” #2 continues to be an great read. I cannot wait to get my hands on the third issue.

The post [Comic Review] “Southern Cross” #2 – Tense And Mysterious appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Becky Cloonan

ART BY: Andy Belanger

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: March 11th, 2015

In the vastness of outer-space, no one could hear what happened to Amber Braith. Mourning for  her deceased sister, Alex has to travel in-between planets and stars to collect her remains. Surrounded by spaceships and 3D screens, Alex is a long way from home, from any outside help as she reaches close to her destination.There is something lurking in the darkness of space waiting to reach out and claim another victim.

I love how writer Becky Cloonan blends aspects of horror, sci-fi, and mystery seamlessly into the narrative. Each page feels fresh with clever ideas as Cloonan introduces readers to our main character, Alex. Realizing she is just an ant inside a bigger world, Alex has to be tough and feisty as she exudes a punkish personality.

Keeping readers inside Alex’s perspective, Cloonan locks in every page with a sense of awe and dread. Though we’re in a big world, Cloonan finds ways to condense size and elbow room. The eerie atmosphere is always thick with danger as Alex finds herself in tight, claustrophobic situations. The well-written story moves along at a fast pace as characters bounce off each other with their snappy dialogue.

One of my favorite comics from 2014 was “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night,” and I knew that artist Andy Belanger was going to do wonders visually here in “Southern Cross.”  What’s amazing here is how Belanger kicks his talents up a notch. The camera always seems to be moving as Alex makes her way from one panel to the next. Like a tracking shot, your eyes will follow from top to bottom of the page as Alex makes the trip to her quarters.

From the spaceships to the tablets, I enjoyed how Belanger uses the little details to make the sci-fi aspects feel grounded. Notice the facial expressions Alex makes as she lugs her heavy bag around. In an impressive two-pager, Lee Loughridge’s vivid colors enhance Belanger’s illustrations by capturing a future that is breathtaking with its technological advancements and frightening in its wide openness.

Arriving in stores on March 11, “Southern Cross” #1 is a fantastic read from start to finish. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second issue.

The post Advance Comic Review: ‘Southern Cross’ #1 – A Cerebral Existentialist Msystery appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Written By: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Art By: Andy Belanger
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99
Release: Oct. 1, 2014

Reviewed By Jorge Solis

In the aftermath of “Vol. 3: Tide of Blood,” Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello were captured on the pirate ship, The Boreas. While being held captive, pirates Cesario and Viola discovered the hard way, there is no honor amongst thieves. With the traitor revealed, Lucius Andronicus arrived to make things worse. Now that he has claimed the pregnant Juliet as his dinner, Andronicus is a hungry cannibal, with a taste for unborn children.

Though Hamlet has been in the background, writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col put this Shakespearean characters out in the forefront as an action star. Wrong about Juliet and Romeo, Hamlet helplessly watched the love of his life being taken by Andronicus’ men. Coming to his senses, Hamlet is ready to make things right, but he needs help from Viola, the true captain of the Boreas. Throughout the story arc, Viola has switched sides, you could never predict her next move.

McCreery and Del Col definitely have a lot of fun with the dialogue between Hamlet and Viola. Attracted to the “bad girl” act, Hamlet seems to be enjoying the dirty talk and dark humor. As if they were on their first date, the deadly duo are slitting throats as they takedown Andronicus’ ship. Notice how Viola is getting frisky after her face is smeared with blood; defining their chemistry.

Andy Belanger’s artwork delivers so much action into every single panel. Using the split-screen as a visual technique, Belanger captures the sword action and blood from every angle. Everything is set in the opening pages, where readers get a taste of how sick and twisted Andronicus really is. Belanger keeps the pace at a fast beat because the story is counting down to Juliet being placed on the dinner table.

The panels jump to close-ups when Hamlet and Viola share the panel together. They are always keeping their eyes locked onto each other. The two are attracted to each other because their kicks come from the thrill of danger. Their attraction is highlighted as a fire starts in the background.
“Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #4 closes its riveting swashbuckling adventure with an action-packed finale. I can’t wait to see how “Kill Shakespeare” continues.

The post [Comic Book Review] “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #4 Is A Twisted Surprise appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

An Interview by Jorge Solis

In the vastness of space, Alex Braith is determined to solve the mystery of sister’s death. Her investigation leads her to a dark and terrible secret that was never meant to be unearthed. Cloonan and Belanger spoke to me about their upcoming title, the look and design of the comic, and why readers will be frightened by this twisted space mission.    

Bloody-Disgusting: How did the premise come about?

Becky Cloonan: It’s funny because Andy has been talking about working on a sci-fi project for a very long time. I stepped into it like, “All right! I’ll write one for you!” [Laughs]

Andy Belanger: Yeah that’s pretty much how it went.  I’m a horror movie fan. I love horror, science fiction movies, like ‘Alien’ and ‘Event Horizon;’ stuff like that. I’ve been dying to work on something like that. I’ve been working on ‘Kill Shakespeare’ for years now, doing sword and medieval stuff for the last bunch of years. I really wanted to do anything that was in space, preferably something that had to do with horror. In many comics, that sort of storytelling is perfect.

BD: How did Image Comics become involved?

BC: I had an idea for a short mystery, but when Andy was talking about working on a sci-fi together, I kept going back to that idea. It kept building and building, and soon we had enough material for an ongoing series.  Image Comics seemed like the right time, the right publisher, so

I sent an email to Eric Stephenson like, “Andy and I have this idea…” He said, “Let’s do it!” No hesitation. I’ve been dying to work with Image for years so this is really cool.

AB: Yeah, I think a lot of stuff that’s happening with Image right now is the place to be and they’re just doing really cool stuff.  Half of the comic book store is pretty much all Image now.  I think even our friends that work at Marvel and DC are all starting books at Image. The cool thing is that we own it too, which t makes it even more special.

BD: Tell me about the plot, which we at Bloody-Disgusting have called, ‘The Shining In Space.’

BC: That’s a pretty fun way of describing it. The story starts off quietly.  We follow Alex Braith, a passenger on board the Southern Cross tanker bound for Saturn’s refinery moon Titan. Her sister Amber was working for Zemi, an oil company that owns the  rigs up there, when she suddenly passed away. Alex is making this trip to recover her sister’s remains and belongings, but as the days go on, she starts unraveling the mystery surrounding her sister’s mysterious death, and taps into a horror much  bigger than she ever imagined. What starts off as an Agatha Christie in space turns weird fiction by the end. A little Lovecraft, a little F. Marion Crawford… but at its core ‘Southern Cross’ is very much a mystery.

BD: Tell me about the cover that also came out with the announcement.

BC: The clothes are actually Andy’s design work. I was just going off with what he designed for the characters.  He had ideas for costumes. He is making this story feel like a well-realized world.

AB: As far as the fashion stuff goes,  the problem that I find when you do science fiction is, especially with comic book artists,  most of our influences come from movies and animation. A lot of that stuff I’m looking at is more from fashion designers and melding that with analog/junkie tech.  Everyone else has a look but you’ve seen it before.  We’ve all seen ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Star Wars,’ and ‘Star Trek.’ I wanted something where it was cool to be different. ‘Southern Cross’ definitely has its own look now that it is pretty unique. Our main character has some cool duds.

BD: In the overall design, the sci-fi is not extreme and more urban. Tell me about this.

AB: Urban is a good word to use for what we are doing. It’s perfect word to describe it. We definitely aiming for stuff you’ve never seen before.

BC: The first story arc is set aboard this ship, and so we focus on the people who work on the oil rig of Titan. The look, the feel of the ship, the clothing, and the design, it all leads to a bigger tapestry that we’re weaving.

AB: I have some crazy ship designs already finished. I’ve designed a bunch of characters. As far as getting into the story, all of the other work I’ve done has been work-for-hire. I’m going to get obsessed with the design for sure. I’m actually really excited about that!

BD: Because you are both artists, do you feel you can communicate with each other better.

BC: I’ve been writing Andy full scripts. Usually I try to make a few notes, but I also trust him.  Andy is an incredibly proficient storyteller and artist. I mean, when I’m writing a script, of course I have an idea how the page should be laid out and I’ll make a note of that, but if Andy has a better idea, I am down for it! Plus, his comics have way more sense of humor than mine do, and I’m trying to play to that. Being so familiar with his storytelling, the beats he uses, I can make this script better for Andy. Plus like, I know I can write crazy things and not have to draw them! [Laughs]

AB: You’re like, “I don’t want to draw this space hanger.” And I’m like, “Space hanger!!”

BC: Andy is going to knock it out of the park. And he’s one of the hardest workers in comics today.  It’s been a lot of fun!

AB: It’s going to be cool! Expect a lot of creepy hallways!

BD: What can you tease about the first issues?

BC: The first six issues as its own story arc. We’ll be establishing these characters, setting the mood, and getting to know the ship. There is a few creepy moments in the first issue as well, that I am psyched to build on in the next few.

AB: A lot of times in science fiction, we think the same thing. When is the alien going to show up? When is the psychopath guy going to show up? We’re really going to do stuff that you haven’t seen before.  We don’t want to say too much. We want it to be a surprise!

BC: I will say this too, there is a level of actual science happening. That’s actually fun to work with, even if I end up embellishing on a lot of these theories. I fell into a pit of science research.

AB: I’m looking forward to how creepy this is going to be. It’s going to be neat! 

BC: The main goal is to make a book that will slowly get under your skin. And hopefully, by the end, you’re going to want to flip back and read it over again.

What other projects are you working on now?

AB: For me, I’m finishing up on the last issue of’ Kill Shakespeare.’ The next couple of years are going to be straight-up ‘Southern Cross.’ I have smaller projects and another big project that I’m developing, but all of that stuff is on the super back-burner, while I’m working on this book for Image.

BC: I’m co-writing ‘Gotham Academy’ with Brendan Fletcher. Karl Kerschl is doing the art for that, it comes out in October from DC comics, which is exciting. Besides doing some cover work, I’m also working on a graphic novel that is unannounced. I can’t say too much more than that!

The post [Interview] Becky Cloonan & Andy Belanger Take ‘The Shining’ To Space With ‘Southern Cross!’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Written By: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col

Art By: Andy Belanger

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Price: $3.99

Release: August 27, 2014

Reviewed By Jorge Solis 

In the aftermath of “Vol. 3: Tide of Blood,” Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello are captured on the pirate ship, The Boreas. Hamlet cannot put his trust in Juliet, because she may be carrying Romeo’s child. Though they are held captive, pirates Cesario and Viola are about to learn there is no honor amongst thieves. Now that the traitor has finally been revealed, Lucius Andronicus is just moments away from making his terrifying arrival.  

Writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col are really at their best when they spotlight the female Shakespearean characters. This reviewer believes there’s more depth to these characters because the writers have steered away from the romanticism.  It’d definitely not a pretty sight when Juliet, who was originally the lovelorn teen, has a heart-to-heart talk with Hamlet. Everything is revealed and wounds are reopened as Juliet is forced to remember she cheated on Hamlet with Romeo.   

McCreery and Del Col  have carried the narrative with suspense hinting at the upcoming arrival of the rival ship Lavinia. Even though we never see Lucius Andronicus, everyone seems to tremble when his name is mentioned. This is the issue where Andronicus shows up and it doesn’t disappoint. I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store with this deadly antagonist.

The highlight of Andy Belanger’s artwork is what his drawings can say so much with silence. Notice how Belanger is able to create so much mood and suspense in the first two pages. The illustrations focus on a flying black bird as the winged creature delivers a message to Viola. And when there’s dialogue, Belanger adds so much creativeness to the panel layouts in an impressive splash page.

In Belanger’s character design, Andronics looks more like a Goth rock star, with his long hair and pale skin. Notice when danger is around, he is always smiling. Belanger adds so much personality in his facial features during his grand entrance. I do like that he has a small crossbow strapped to his wrist.

“Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #3 continues to be a riveting swashbuckling adventure with tons of plot twists. I can’t wait to see the Lavinia and the Boreas do battle in the waters.

The post Review: “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask Of Night” #3 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

So yeah, we’ve got a preview of the incredible next issue!

Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night #3 (of 4)

Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery (w) • Andy Belanger (a & c)

Juliet, Hamlet and Captain Cesario must escape the clutches of mutinous Viola and her pirate crew or else face an even larger threat – the cannibal Lucius.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:

• An excellent companion piece to the new Kill Shakespeare board game released by IDW Games!

The post [Exclusive Preview] “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #3 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Full Press Release from Image:

The post Becky Cloonan & Andy Belanger Bring The Shining to Space with SOUTHERN CROSS #SDCC appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Written By: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Art By: Andy Belanger
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99
Release: July 23, 2014

Reviewed By Jorge Solis

In the aftermath of “Vol. 3: Tide of Blood,” Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello find themselves captured on the pirate ship, The Boreas. Othello is still weak from the sick mind-games and hallucinates about Desdemona. Hamlet cannot put his trust in Juliet, because she may be carrying Romeo’s child. Though they are held captive, pirates Cesario and Viola are about to learn there is no honor amongst thieves. There is no rest for the wicked as a traitor is on board, waiting to strike at the perfect moment.

Writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col have done something spectacular with the female Shakespearean characters. This reviewer believes they have added more complexity to their nature because they have steered away from the romanticism. Juliet, the lovelorn teen, is a hearted broken but strong warrior. In this latest re-imagination “Twelfth Night,” Viola is indeed captain of the ship but needs a male figurehead to pretend to be the fighter, Cesario.

McCreery and Del Col drive the narrative with suspense as Ceasario searches for the traitor within his crew. It’s a clever whodunit tale, with tons of red herrings, that moves at a quick pace. The writers pull a clever Hitchcockian twist in the opening pages. As readers, we know the rope is going to break because it has been cut; we are anxiously waiting for it to happen.

The highlight of Andy Belanger’s artwork is what his illustrations can do with silence. For three pages, the characters stop talking but let their true emotions flow through their facial expressions. In a six panel layout, Belanger is able to say so much through close-ups and medium shot, without any help from thought captions or word balloons. Notice how Viola is getting a kick out of the Hamlet and Juliet’s problems.

In Belanger’s character design, Cesario’s mask has two facial expressions, one smiling and the other angry. This is the only facial expression we’re ever going to get from the captain. Belanger has to rely on body movement and poses to express what the character is thinking. You can tell Cesario is ready for action as he bends his knees forward, like a quarterback.

“Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #2 continues to be a riveting swashbuckling adventure. I can’t wait to see what happens in the third installment.

The post Review: “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” # 2 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We’ve been big fans of Belanger’s art here at the site for a while. So it’s always incredible to offer a sneak peak of his stuff.

From IDW:

Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night #2 (of 4)

Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery (w) • Andy Belanger (a & c)

Mutiny!  With Titus’s deadly battleship in hot pursuit and Hamlet and Juliet’s lives in the balance, Viola must either defend her lover Captain Cesario’s decision to protect their stowaways, or lead a full-stage pirate mutiny against him.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Bullet points:

• An excellent companion piece to the new Kill Shakespeare board game released by IDW Games!

The post [Exclusive Preview] “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #2 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Written By: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col

Art By: Andy Belanger

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Price: $3.99

Release: June 18, 2014

Reviewed by Jorge Solis

In Vol. 3: Tide of Blood, Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello barely got out of the island alive. While on the monster island, Prospero infected Othello and Hamlet with his sick mind-games. Hamlet feels betrayed by Juliet, who may be carrying Romeo’s child. While they were lost at sea, the three were discovered and held captive by the pirates Cesario and Viola.  Will Cesario continue to hold the three wanted fugitives chained-up on his ship, The Boreas? Or will he sell his prisoners to the highest bidder, especially to Titus?

After looking up information on the new characters, I believe writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col have done an interesting re-imagination of Cesario and Viola. In the play, “Twelfth Night,” Viola pretends to be a man named Cesario. McCreery and Del Col split the character into two different people and make it work as a swashbuckling adventure. Viola is indeed captain of the ship but would any man really serve under her command? She needs someone else, a fighter, to pretend to be Cesario.  You’ll notice how Viola is really manipulating the situation through her dialogue.

McCreery and Del Col do something fresh and original with the female Shakespearean characters. Juliet is not a lovelorn teenager; instead she is a fierce warrior who practically went through Hell to save Hamlet. I just loved the scene between Viola’s first confrontation with Juliet. The two may not like each other but they share the same warrior spirit, making them evenly matched.   

Andy Belanger’s artwork is completely amazing. Readers will be thrilled by Cesario’s bloody swordfight in the opening pages. In the two-pager, we see Cesario stab his way through other pirates just to get his bulked-up opponent. To defeat his enemy, Cesario digs his fingers into his bloody guts and rips out his intestines. I swear to you, this scene alone is worth the cover charge.

I really like the little details Belanger has added to Cesario’s helmet-like mask. Shaped into a skull, the mask is divided in half, to represent the theme’s split personality. Remember Viola is in charge, not the man behind the mask. The mask has two facial expressions, one smiling and the other angry. In his character design, Cesario has a braided wig on the back of his head and his wardrobe is composed of brown leather.  

“Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #1 is an impressive start to a riveting swashbuckling adventure. Del Col, McCreery,  and Belanger have turned Shakespeare’s characters into mean and gritty pirates, who you don’t want to mess with.

The post Review: “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #1 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

FROM IDW:

Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night #1 (of 4)—SPOTLIGHT Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery (w) • Andy Belanger (a & c) The award-winning series returns with a high seas tale of pirate battles, vengeance and lost love. Hamlet, Juliet, Othello and Shakespeare become pawns in a deadly game of survival between the legendary masked pirate Captain Cessario, his first mate Viola, and the new terror on the water, Titus Andronicus’ forbidding war ship The Lavinia. FC • 32 pages • $3.99   Bullet points:

• An excellent companion piece to the new Kill Shakespeare board game released by IDW Games!

The post [EXCLUSIVE Preview] “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #1 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

San Diego, CA (March 10, 2014) – In May, Kill Shakespeare will make the leap from comic series to board game to the delight of fans of both mediums. This June, fans will have even more to rejoice about as the award-winning comic series returns with Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night.

The series’ return will be chock-full of pirate battles, vengeance, and lost love (pretty much everything you could ever want!) so don’t miss out on the high seas tales featuring your favorite Shakespearean characters!

The post The Bard Is Back In New ‘Kill Shakespeare’ Series! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

With his heart broken by Juliet and his mind filled with lies by the powerful wizard Prospero, Romeo has no choice but to murder Hamlet. As Hamlet and Othello are held prisoners by Prospero’s island, Juliet has to come to their recue. But, does she have what it takes to drive her sword into Romero’s chest? With the arrival of the god-like wizard Shakespeare on the island, has he fallen into a deadly trap set up by Prospero? Will Shakespeare be able to save his creations and defeat Prospero at the same time, without getting himself killed?

Writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col focus on the love triangle between Hamlet, Juliet, and Romeo. When these three protagonist are in a room together, all hell is about to break loose. Interestingly, McCreery and Del Col have developed Juliet into a fierce anti-heroine, who is desperately trying to keep her own needs alive. Though he hasn’t been in action, Hamlet certainly isn’t the fool because he senses something is amiss with Juliet. He knows she is holding something back from him. At a crossroads, Romeo is trying to save Juliet from the island, while attempting to destroy her relationship with Hamlet.

McCreery and Del Col jam-pack the last pages with lots of action, revelations, and a shocking conclusion. The writers are closing up all subplots, while leaving things open-ended for the next chapter. Though Othello didn’t have much to do in “Tide of Blood,” he mentions something fascinating near the conclusion that opens up new possibilities for the next chapter. I look forward to this new direction the “Kill Shakespeare” series is heading.

Artist Andy Belanger unlocks his imagination with the confrontation between Shakespeare and Prospero. Both protagonists can conjure magical and supernatural beings with the wave of their hands. To mess with Prospero’s mind, Shakespeare has him duel with a shapeless body of words. Notice how the bulk of words fly away as if they were birds. The seemingly-scattered page layouts serve as a creative metaphor for Prospero’s mental breakdown.

The self-destruction of the island represents the inevitable breakup between Hamlet and Juliet. As the caves collapse from within and boulders drop in numbers, Juliet carries the wounded and bleeding Hamlet, who doesn’t want her help. Belanger focuses on Hamlet’s facial expressions as he senses betrayal from the love of his life. In the backgrounds, Belanger captures the waves crashing on the rocks and steam rising through the rifts.

Highly recommended, “Kill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood” #5 is a fantastic conclusion that will leave readers wanting more. Romeo changed from a drunken slacker to a heart-broken womanizer while Juliet has transformed from princess to a warrior. It’s very hard to turn Shakespeare’s characters into rock stars but Del Col, McCreery, and Belanger make it look easy.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

The post Review: ‘Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood’ #5 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.