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

Join the Facebook Event!

If you’re out in the San Jose area this weekend, head on out to Super-Con, where Alexis E. Fajardo will be setting up shop for all things Kid Beowulf!

This weekend I’ll be at Super-Con in San Jose, it’s a two day con and is being held at the San Jose Convention Center. This is a traditional, mainstream convention, with lots of great artists (Adam Hughes! Frank Cho! Travis Charest! Me!) and some other talents as well (Margo Kidder! John Wesley Shipp! The dude who played Darth Vader in the Star Wars Special Editions!).

I’ll be setting up shop at table A82 and will have all sorts of Kid B. goodness on hand, so if you’re in the area come on by!   [Visit kidbeowulf.com]

Alexis E. Fajardo, author of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath, just wrote in with the following:

You can let folks know that I’ll be signing at The Comic Book Box in Rohnert Park, CA from 12-3pm that day. I’ll be selling Kid B. books and doing sketches. I’ve attached a flier I made for it.

If you’re in the area, head on down for a book and sketch!

Bowler Hat Comics will be at Stumptown Comics Fest this weekend, April 18 and 19. Come on out and join us!

Although we displayed upcoming releases at the fest last year, this is the first year we will have books for sale. Copies of Visibility and Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath will be available at a discount, and pre-autographed copies will be available for a little more. Also available will be the hit Hate Mail from our sister imprint Dame Rocket Press.

Word has it that the organizers of the event are expecting a larger-than-before all-ages and family-friendly crowd, which excites this Young-Adult publisher. So bring the kids (young and old) and prepare for a fantabulous weekend! Just look for us at Table 52.

Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath makes its introduction to comic shops everywhere this month with a primo listing in Diamond. It’s even a featured item, dig?

To celebrate, we are featuring a new section on the Bowler Hat website appropriately titled “Previews.” Here, you’ll be able to read an excerpt from Kid Beowulf. It spans two particularly humorous scenes in which we first meet the characters Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf himself is caught up with a fellow you may have heard of before, Brecca. (If you haven’t yet heard of Brecca, that’s cool. You can learn more about him here!)

So! Read the preview! Then find your local comic shop. Tell ‘em Bowler Hat Comics sent you, and request your copy of Kid Beowulf today!

If you are a book reviewer or other media representative interested in Kid Beowulf, please feel free to contact us to request a review copy or more information. Or download a press kit on the book’s information page.

UPDATE: Some fans were quick to point out a pagination error in the preview. The problem has been corrected, and thank you to all you sharp-eyed readers out there!

When: Saturday, October 25, 1:00 pm

When: Saturday, October 11, 4:00 pm
Where: Barnes & Noble, Vestel, NY

Discover the extraordinary origin of twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel at Barnes & Noble!
 

The heroes’ destiny is tied to the past, as a prince named Hrothgar begins a quest for power—one that leads him to a fiery dragon, an enchanted sword, and an oath sworn in blood. But when Hrothgar breaks his oath he breaks his kingdom, and the only thing that will save it is a family he’s forgotten and heroes not yet born… Inspired by the epic poem BEOWULF, the Kid Beowulf series follows the adventures of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein!

A big thank you is issued on behalf of Kid Beowulf, Bowler Hat Comics, and Ink & Paper Group to all who attended this past weekend’s festivities surrounding the launch of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath. For those of you that missed the events, Kid B. author, Alexis E. Fajardo, has a very nice write up over on the Kid Beowulf Production Blog.

We invite all who attended, and even those who wished they could have been there, to take a moment and write a comment below.

Bowler Hat would like to extend special thank yous to the following people and organizations who supported the book by hosting events.

• da Vinci Arts Middle School, where Alexis spent a full day teaching cartooning to classrooms full of eager students. Connie Cheifetz deserves special mention as the linchpin that made this special event happen. 
• Portland Graphic Novel Book Club, where Alexis was the guest of honor for a group of well-read comics enthusiasts who enthralled our author with wonderful and thought-provoking questions.
• Grendel’s Coffee House, where a quick but delicious lunch was had amidst a welcome atmosphere.
• Ink & Paper Group and Dave Jarecki, who hosted and taught a writing workshop, “The Role of Myths in Our Stories and Lives,” using Kid Bewoulf as the class text. Also to Dan and Stacy Chariton, Eleanore Hunter, and Rick Watson who volunteered their time to participate in a panel discussion following the workshop.
• All you die-hard Kid Beowulf fans, who decided to spend your Saturday evening with Alexis, Beowulf, Grendel, and Hama in celebration of their new journey.
• And last, but certainly not least, Alexis Fajardo, who was gracious with his time and generous to his fans as he taught, chatted, and signed non-stop over the weekend.

A lively blend of humor and soap-opera plot twists.

~ Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

Full review appears in the September 2008 issue of School Library Journal.