Issue #1 Debuts November 7, 2023 From Comixology Originals
October 13, 2023—New York, NY—Writer Neil Kleid (The Panic, Brownsville, The Big Kahn) and artist John Broglia (Zombie-Sama)—the creators of Savor— re-team with colorist Ellie Wright and editor Sarah Litt to present Nice Jewish Boys, a modern day Jewish crime drama set in suburban New Jersey. Nice Jewish Boys issue #1 (of 5) debuts on November 7, 2023 from Amazon‘s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line.
“Nice Jewish Boys is about a modern Orthodox / religious Jewish community and communities like it — somewhat insular, judgmental and pious, maybe a tad hypocritical to the point of criminal,” Kleid said. “And like all good stories, it’s about the author. It’s about my fears and anxieties and what it might be like to succumb to frustration with a beloved system that can also be restrictive and expensive…and, in many cases, unjust and unfair to certain people who love what it offers in terms of faith, community and an elusive connection to something far greater than ourselves if only it would put aside the entitlement, judgment, and unwillingness to change.”
Inspired by a true-life criminal event, Nice Jewish Boys stars Jake Levin, a Modern Orthodox Jew, struggling to pay his bills, drawn into a triangle of secrets when he moonlights for his best friend, a kosher caterer-turned-criminal, who unbeknownst to him, is wanted by the FBI thanks to their other pal, a failed entrepreneur turned informant.
Behind a backdrop of synagogues and Sabbath meals, Jake and his childhood best friends, Chaim Davidovits and Lenny Klein, are embroiled in a delicate web of crime, cops, guilt, and gefilte fish, when this Jewish suburban crime story comes to an explosive head at a bar mitzvah packed with blintzes and betrayal.
Kleid continues “As you read Nice Jewish Boys, there will be moments where truth may peek through the fiction. It’s my hope that those are the bits—amid the crime, anguish, guilt, and betrayals—which speak loudest and longest. And in the end, I hope you love this work of fiction as much as I do.”
Kleid’s previous Comixology Originals work The Panic, is now available in paperback from Dark Horse Books and available digitally from Comixology.
About the Creators:
Neil Kleid is a Xeric-Award winning graphic novelist who has authored the acclaimed graphic novels Brownsville and The Big Kahn. Nice Jewish Boys is his third sequential case study about Jews in America. With the late Alex Nino, he adapted Jack London’s novel The Call of the Wild into comic books for Penguin Books; did the opposite for the Marvel Comics storyline Spider-Man: Kraven‘s Last Hunt. With Brian Michael Bendis, Kleid authored Powers: The Secret History of Deena Pilgrim for MacMillan books, an original prose novel based on the award-winning comic; and penned The Phoenix Chase, an original X-Men novel for Aconyte Books / Marvel Comics. With John Broglia, Kleid co-authored Savor for Dark Horse comics. The Panic, a subway thriller with Andrea Mutti, was released from Dark Horse in partnership with Comixology. Kleid lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.
John Broglia is a New York based cartoonist. Early on in his career, he worked on several creator owned projects such as Billy Tucci‘s Zombie-Sama and Image Comic‘s God Complex with Michael Avon Oeming. He has also supplied art for anthology series such as Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures and Image Comic‘s Where We Live. John has been a part of several successful Kickstarter campaigns, his most prominent being a reboot of Zombie-Sauna. Last year he released Savor, a Young Adult graphic novel through Dark Horse comics with Neil Kleid. Aside from Nice Jewish Boys, in which he re-teams up with John and Neil, Broglia is writing and drawing the anticipated sequel to Zombie-Sama.
Ellie Wright is a professional comic-book colorist and has been since 2016. She’s worked for numerous global publishing companies including Dynamite Entertainment, DC, Image, Oni Press and POW Entertainment. She’s also the proud winner of the ICN 2018 and 2019 ‘Best Published Colourist in Ireland‘ award. Some of Ellie‘s titles include The Black Ghost (a New York Times recommended read); Elvira: Mistress of the Dark; Betty Page: Halloween Special/ The Secret Diary/ Unbound; Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man; Batman: The Shadow; James Bond: Goldfinger; Transformers; Survival Street and many more.
About Comixology Originals:
Amazon‘s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line is available at no additional cost for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and Comixology Unlimited, and for purchase at amazon.com/comixology. Prime Reading offers all Amazon Prime members a rotating selection of more than 3,000 digital books, magazines, comics, and more – all at no additional cost to their Prime membership. Kindle Unlimited gives customers access to more than 3 million digital titles, including thousands of audio books and comics, plus current magazines for just $9.99 a month with a free trial period at amazon.com/kindleunlimited. Comixology Unlimited offers over 45,000 comics, graphic novels and manga for just $5.99 a month with a free trial at amazon.com/comixologyunlimited.
