San Diego Comic-Con International drew approximately 125,000 comic book and pop culture enthusiastes to the San Diego Convention Center for its yearly event. The Con may have ended on Sunday, but writers, Connor McCreery and Anthony Del Col, are not through with Southern California just yet, as they try to find out if their comic book series, “Kill Shakespeare”, has what it takes to move beyond the illustrated page.

The owner of Golden Apple Comics on Melrose Avenue said he likes to take a chance on up-and-coming comic book authors, such as Connor McCreery and Anthony Del Col. (photo by Tim Posada)

“We know not everyone reads comics,” McCreery said. “One of the reasons we’re in Hollywood is to find out if there is a film or a video game in this.”

Issue No. 1 of “Kill Shakespeare” has already sold out nationwide, and Issue No. 3 is currently on racks, depicting the reimagined Shakespearian world where classic characters like Hamlet, Othello, Romeo, Juliet, Lady MacBeth and Richard III are heroes and villains pitted against each other in one narrative universe.

“We have an opportunity to cast new light on these characters,” Del Col said.

“Most people have actually really enjoyed it.”

Currently, Marvel and DC Comics lead the graphic stories market, leaving smaller publishers to find more obscure titles like “Kill Shakespeare”. Ryan Liebowitz, manager of Golden Apple Comics, located at 7018 Melrose Ave., takes a chance with every title he chooses to sell, hoping there is enough interest from customers to try something new.

“Sometimes you get a lone wolf – an unlikely hero – that sells and we double numbers on future sales,” Liebowitz said.

At Golden Apple Comics, issues No. 1 and No. 2 of “Kill Shakespeare” are sold out, but sales for Issue No. 3 have decreased. Liebowitz is unsure why sales dropped but predicts that demand cannot increase unless the publisher, IDW Publishing (publisher for “30 Days of Night”, “Angel” and “G.I. Joe”), reprints the first two issues, allowing new readers to participate. Regardless, he believes “Kill Shakespeare” is off to a good start.

“Someone did something out of my realm of influence that brought people here to buy it, and we like taking a chance on these kind of books,” Liebowitz said.

Jim Wilburn, an employee at Melrose Music and Comics, located at 7301 Melrose Ave., is less optimistic, observing some interest but minimal discussion about the title. Still, Chris Rosa, manager of Meltdown Comics, located at 7522 Sunset Blvd., has found even better reception than Golden Apple Comics, selling out the first two issues and solid sales for Issue No. 3 with the preexisting audience.

“I’m a big fan of historical fiction,” Rosa said. “‘Kill Shakespeare’ is very farcical but also very grounded. You can really tell these guys researched Shakespeare’s life. It has some weight to it.”

Writing duo, McCreery and Del Col, spent this week in meetings with producers and potential project mentors but took time out on Wednesday night, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., to meet fans at Meltdown Comics for an autograph signing.

Connor and McCreery lead different lives two years ago – Connor as a journalist and McCreery as an independent film creator and manager for pop singer Nelly Furtado – before they dropped their day jobs to focus on “Kill Shakespeare” full time. They currently reside in Toronto, Canada, along with project artist Andy B.

Not originally intending to create a comic book, Connor considers “Kill Shakespeare” an organic creation.

“Originally, we were thinking of the idea as a video game when we began,” Connor said. “I guess what kept it from going in the idea pile is that we’re both really into Shakespeare.”

Del Col added that they started to think about the best medium to use, and the comic book form felt like the right choice. After that, they created a proposal and pitched the idea at New York Comic Con in 2009. Come February of this year, producers began to take notice.

“We’re lucky because people are calling us,” Del Col said. “We’re not looking for a paycheck, we’re looking for the right fit.”

Last weekend marks their second stint at San Diego Comic-Con International, ending on a much higher note than last year.

“The second Comic-Con was fun,” McCreery said. “Good energy. ‘Twilight’ gave the Con an energy last year that was a lot of fun though, regardless of what you think about it.”

Connor and Del Col said reception has been largely positive – with a surprisingly substantial teenage girl and “tween” fan base – though one Shakespearean scholar in particular has been vocally hostile. New York Shakespearian scholar Kimberly Cox, also the girlfriend of comic book author and artist Frank Miller (creator of “Sin City” and “300”), considers “Kill Shakespeare” an affront to the source material and lazy writing, focusing on the lack of iambic pentameter in the dialogue. But Del Col remains optimistic, as many other scholars and Shakespeare enthusiasts have been supportive.

“There are Shakespeare purists, but for us, this is a way for Shakespeare to reach new readers,” Del Col said. “People really gravitate towards it. From my perspective, we’re just happy people are debating Shakespeare.”

McCreery expects some readers may be offended but sees “Kill Shakespeare” as an act of love for the greatest literary mind in history.

“It’s been a really pleasant surprise to see scholars, theatre people and the Illuminati enjoy it,” McCreery said. “It makes us feel like we’re doing something worth while.”

For some artists, like Alex Ross, known for painting each page, art can be a slow process, taking months to create a 30-page issue. McCreery and Del Col consider their work pattern much quicker, with a writing process that can take up to a month and another six weeks to illustrate.

“The way it works is one of us lead-writes an issue and then we bring the script to Andy, who provides the third eye to the story,” McCreery said. “We all sit down over some wings and work.”

“Kill Shakespeare” is scheduled for a 12-issue run, with the first six issues bound together in a trade paperback to be released on November 9. All issues can be purchased for the iPad or iPod online. For information, visit www.killshakespeare.com or www.idwpublishing.com.