Staff Picks (December 12): Kill Shakespeare — Tide Of Blood

If you haven’t picked up Kill Shakespeare, you’re missing out on an extremely cool and deliciously nerdy book. Writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col pit the Bard’s most conflicted heroes against his rottenest scoundrels in an epic power struggle with more backstabbing, romance, and sorcery than you can shake a quill at, while artist Andy Bellanger’s expressive style brings swordfights and witchcraft to the page with equal gusto.

Yet, you don’t need to be a Shakespearean scholar or a Renn Faire regular to enjoy this series. Much like Fables, Kill Shakespeare uses characters’ back stories to create new and interesting conflict. “Tide of Blood,” for example, finds Romeo on the far distant corner of a love triangle with Juliet and Hamlet. These three and Othello will journey to the island lair of sorcerer Prospero, master of books, who intends to destroy the world. If you’re looking for a solid story with complex characters and a little bit of magic, believe me when I say you’d do well to join them.

~ Kate Henning