Graphic Novel Review: Kill Shakespeare

Lauren and I are back with another graphic novel review. This month's title is Kill Shakespeare Vol. 1, which is (not surprisingly) a comic about a fictional world in which all of Shakespeare's characters exist simultaneously. The heroes revere their creator as a god, but the villains have recruited the hapless Hamlet to kill the evil wizard once and for all.

Since this is a new take on the Bard, Lauren and I thought it would be fun to, once again, write two sets of reviews: one for the fans and one for the non-fans.

10 Reasons a Shakespeare Fan Should Read Kill Shakespeare

1. Shakespearean Villains vs. Heroes
2. The Villains want to kill Shakespeare and take his powers and the Heroes think he is a mystical god-like figure that will save them from all evil.
3. Hamlet is the main hero, destined to find and awaken the wizard Shakespeare and his magic pen. If he can ever stop dithering over whether he should be trying to find the wizard.
4. Falstaff gets Hamlet to dress up as a woman of loose morals to escape capture.
5. Lady Macbeth and Richard III both think they can out manipulate the other and the Three Witches just might be pulling their strings.
6. Romeo might be dead and Juliet is a female Robin Hood (or Joan of Arc) with Othello as her Little John.
7. Iago is playing both sides (You're shocked I know).
8. The dialogue is still Shakespearean.
9. Characters stay true to their personalities in the plays.
10. It is as bloody and emotional as a Shakespearean tragedy, but feels more action packed than angsty.

10 Reasons Why a Shakespeare Non-Fan Should Read Kill Shakespeare

1. You don’t have to know Shakespeare to follow the story. It’s a heroic quest in the midst of a good vs. evil battle, just populated by characters that were written by someone else first. (Kind of like superhero comics!)
2. It gives you all sorts of insider knowledge about Shakespeare, without having to read the plays. I’ve never read Hamlet, but now I know who Rosencranz and Guildenstern are. Woo!
3. If you hate Shakespeare, that’s okay! So do Richard III and Lady MacBeth. And there’s a chance he might get killed off, which I know some non-fans have wished for sincerely in freshman English.
4. Even though dialogue uses Elizabethan English, it’s easy to follow, partly because it’s in the familiar format of speech bubbles and partly because you get visual context from the illustrations.
5. Bloody battles worthy of any action comic.
6. Intrigue! Scandal! Secrets! Everyone is manipulating everyone else and threats of betrayal are everywhere.
7. Juicy romantic entanglements. For starters, Juliet doesn’t seem to be in love with Romeo any more...
8. There are also ghosts!
9. And promises of revenge.
10. Basically, it’s a great story that takes Shakespearean drama and transforms it into something new and innovative.

Basically, we think everyone should read it post-haste!