En Garde Fencing proudly presents the first annual Kid Beowulf Open–a graphic novel fencing tournament! Saturday, June 12, cartoonist Alexis E. Fajardo will bring his all-ages graphic novel series, Kid Beowulf, to the En Garde Fencing Club in Santa Rosa, California. The event begins at noon and club owner and fencing instructor Jim Liebich will be conducting a free class for all attendees.

“I’m very excited,” says Jim. ”Kid Beowulf is a great story, and hosting this fencing tournament is going to be so much fun.” En Garde Fencing marked its one year anniversary in its new location in May and continues to bring the sought after Olympic sport of fencing to the North Bay. The club features a wide range of students and fencing prowess; girls and boys, all ages and every level from beginner to seasoned amateur. It’s a diverse group of swash and buckle!

Among those fencers is cartoonist Alexis Fajardo, creator of the graphic novel series Kid Beowulf, which features it’s own brand of swords and sorcery. Inspired by the epic poem BEOWULF, Kid Beowulf follows the journey of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein. Published through Bowler Hat Comics, book one Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath debuted in 2008 and this spring marks the release of book two, Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland–which features fencing.

“Part of the story for the second book is Beowulf learning how to swing a blade, so I incorporated some fencing into the book,” states Fajardo. “I’ve been fencing almost as long as I’ve been drawing Kid Beowulf, in fact I based one of the lead characters in the new book on my old fencing instructor and I’ve also got a few well-placed cameos of my fencing buddies from the club here. It seemed like a great way to cross-promote the club and the books. I’m looking forward to the event!”

The Kid Beowulf Open takes place Saturday, June 12 from noon to 1:30pm at 917 Piner Road in Santa Rosa. The event is free and open to the public. Fajardo will be sharing his work with attendees, signing books and doing sketches, while Moniteur Jim Liebich will conduct a free class for all attendees. And winners of the beginner tournament might just walk away with the much sought after Kid Beowulf Open Trophy!

For more information please visit www.kidbeowulf.com or www.egfencing.comor call: 415.613.3110

Download Press Release

Friday, April 23, 2010
5:00pm – 6:30pm
Grendel’s Coffee House
729 E. Burnside St.
Portland, OR

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Check out the latest TALL TALE FEATURES podcast with Tom Racine with a live check-in with Alexis E. Fajardo, creator of KID BEOWULF, at WonderCon 2010. Skip to around minute 45 for the good stuff, and feel free to ignore the rambling publisher preceding Lex.

I have a report from Wondercon in San Francisco, that took place on April 1-3rd. The ever-versatile Jonathan Lemon of “Rabbits Against Magic” plays roving reporter as we checked in on the phone to see what was up. Justin Thompson of “Mythtickle” was there with his very first table selling his very first book. (Buy it here!) And we caught up with the artist/writer of the newest Kid Beowulf book, “The Song of Roland,” Mr. Lex Fajardo. We also talk with his publisher at Bowler Hat Comics, and learn some interesting things about what publishers are looking for when they meet you at a Con.

In the past few weeks, Bowler Hat Comics has expanded our cyber presence by leaps and bounds. In addition to our website, we also now have a presence on Facebook with fan pages for Bowler Hat Comics and Kid Beowulf. Becoming a fan is easy! Just find the links in the top-left corner of this page.

In addition to Facebook, Bowler Hat is also now on Twitter; follow us – @bowlerhatcomics - if you please!

Special announcements and promotions will often be announced via Facebook or Twitter before they’re announced on our site, so it’s worth subscribing if you want to stay in the know. It’s also an easy way to be notified of new posts on the Bowler Hat blog. See what your friends and others are saying about our books. Come! Join the fun!

Do you know that special someone that would love the adventures of Kid Beowulf or Natalie Irving for Christmas? Give the gift of books, and give the gift that keeps on giving!

For every five copies of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath, by Alexis E. Fajardo, and Visibility, by Sarah Neufeld, sold during the month of December, Bowler Hat Comics will donate one to a school, library, or charity of our choice. ALL sales during the month of December will be tallied. The more you buy, the more we give! Visit the event page on Facebook for more information and quick links to purchase.

John Gardner and Gregory Maguire rewrote the classics from different perspectives with the best sellers Grendel and Wicked in order to make literature more interesting and provide unseen angles for the reader. As Bucky Carter (EN/SANE World) points out in his review of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath:

It builds interest in the original text by honoring it but playing with it; it builds student motivation to read the original without necessarily having that as its ultimate goal. Those who read Fajardo’s revisionist romp (Kid Beowulf) may be moved to the canonical poem Beowulf or John Gardner’s Grendel because they’ve developed a love for the characters as they have been more fully examined in the graphic novel. Surely surprises await those who have never read the poem when they do so, and I’ll bet that when those readers get to certain spots often read as victorious, they’ll have a deeper reaction than most readers who see certain de-limbings and dragon-slaying as par for the course for the epic form.

However, the new beast that’s emerging is the integrating of a classic text with things like vampires, zombies, and other action-inducing fiends. There is much debate as to whether this new trend is an entertaining way to spread the classics, or is simply killing the once masterful and revered literature of the past. Gardner and Maguire’s technique allows for thoughtful reflection on the many dimensions of a character, while Seth Grahame-Smith’s zombie-inserting technique is for sheer, unadulterated entertainment, a way to spice up what many consider to be an insipid old novel.

Really, both are true. Tacking on monsters to classic literature unquestionably debases and makes a mockery of it. Although you can’t help but to delight in the wicked amusement that such debasement provides. And it allows for, much like the graphic novel versions of classics, a wider audience to be reached, which may inspire people to pick up the original. Either way, there will always be someone to make a buffoonery of a solemn and thoughtful piece of art; the question is whether to use it to your advantage or let it pass as a punch line.

Classic literature started working its way into comics in the 1940s with the Classics Illustrated series, and has really begun to bubble up in mainstream comics in order to appeal to younger generations. Masterpieces like The Count of Monte Cristo, Last of the Mohicans, and Shakespeare are available as less intimidating graphic novels; they can range from genuine text comics that quote the original novel verbatim, to plain text comics that summarize the original, much like an illustrated Cliffs Notes. Some comics, like our own Kid Beowulf series, even take classics characters and reimagine them in new stories and adventures. The purpose is to make classical literature appealing to everyone, and to use it as a teaching tool to get students excited about the dreaded dry masterpieces known as required reading. The UK site Classical Comics specializes in creating comics that educate, while Classics Central, a site for purchasing or downloading the original Classics Illustrated series, is aimed toward collectors. But classical comics aren’t just for young readers; they’re great for adults looking to have a more visual experience, or to have a more clarifying version of an intricate pièce de résistance.

Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland

by Alexis E. Fajardo

Coming in April 2010!

The Adventure Continues!

The Song of Roland launches twelve-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel into their second adventure, bringing readers along in their journey into literary history—this time, introducing the French tales of Charlemagne and his 12 peers. Wholly original, the Kid Beowulf series stays true to its inspired characters and histories while weaving new imaginings of “what if…” and capturing the imagination of kids and teachers alike.

Check out the latest  review of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath from Fresno County Public Library. And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out some of their other reviews. After all, libraries tend to know what they’re talking about!

We’ve just learned that Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath made the “The Young Adult Top Forty or so Fiction Titles – 2008″ list published by Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA).

Part of the mission of PSLA is to “promote inquiry-based learning for students to ethically and effectively navigate evolving information to successfully complete tasks vital to college, career, and life.” Now that’s something we can get behind!

If you’re a school or library – or even a school library! – and interested in learning more about this all-ages series, please feel free to contact us.