A stick-figure Shakespeare comic by Mya Lixian Gosling
This 30 Days of Shakespeare entry is the worst, and that makes him the best.
Don’t @ me, Ricardians. While I am quite prepared to believe that Richard was involved in the disappearance of his nephews, I also fully acknowledge that Shakespeare’s monstrous protagonist was constructed to align with Tudor propaganda and is not an accurate portrayal of the historical Richard.
But… you have to admit… he’s way more fun this way.
One of the most common complaints about the histories is that everyone has the same name and it’s hard to keep them all straight. Well you know what? It’s true! Everyone DOES have the same name and it IS hard to keep them all straight, and I AM HERE FOR IT.
The first time I heard this exchange I nearly lost my mind. It is such a hilarious encapsulation of the confusion and chaos of the Wars of the Roses. Now, after years of reading history books and seeing as many performances of the histories as possible, I can tell you exactly who all those Edwards and Richards and Henrys are, and how exactly they are all related to each other. I love them all.
They say you should never learn how the metaphorical sausage is made, but I do! I do want to learn how the sausage is made.
Sher's diaries are a great read, even if you don't love all of his performances (I was not blown away by his Falstaff or his Lear, to be perfectly honest). He was such a calculating, deliberate, and technically-minded actor, and it's fascinating to follow how he builds a character, line by line, and sometimes eyebrow by eyebrow. His diaries and his insights into himself and his craft are a gift to all self-respecting Shakespeare geeks.
Today’s 30 Days of Shakespeare highlight is one of the most epic and memorable experiences in my entire theatre-going history.
12 hours of solid history plays. I was in heaven. I think some part of me is still chasing the high of this incredible experience.
Here comes some more plays! I’m very fond of Richard III, so I’ve done quite a lot of scattershot comics about it over the years. I really want to do a scene-by-scene of it… but I kind of think I need to do the Henries first? That will take YEARS…
Time to once again revisit and renovate some old classics! Let’s polish up some Shakespearean Selfies!
Consulting pocket dramaturg: Kate Pitt
And here’s the original, from waaaaaaay back in 2013, just a few months after I started Good Tickle Brain.
You’ll note that back then I hadn’t yet settled on the “triangle and circle” stick figure aesthetic I prefer again, and actually wasted lots of time drawing CLOTHES and stuff. I’ve learned a lot since then.
Hey! We made it to 2021! There's still a long, dark tunnel ahead before we can put this pandemic behind us, but at least now there's a light at the end of the tunnel which I don't think is a train.
The first couple months of 2021 are going to consist of remastered versions of old comics and more play page updates, because, frankly, I'm burnt out and have some actual commissions that I've been neglecting for too long. But hopefully things will settle down soon and I can get started on the next play.... whatever it will be.
For now, let’s go waaaaaay back to my first set of Shakespearean New Year’s Resolutions!
As you can see, my style has evolved a bit. Not much, but a bit.
I think we can agree that Hamlet’s resolution is still on point.
Occult October continues with a closer look at all of Shakespeare’s ghosts! Not just the flashy ones like Hamlet Sr. and Banquo. ALL of them. (Apparitions not included.)
Consulting pocket dramaturg: Kate Pitt
Richard III provides full employment for ghost actors.
