Neil Kleid has never shied away from writing about his faith, in books like Brownsville and The Big Kahn. This fall he teams again with artist John Broglia, who he worked with on Savor, for a new series from Comixology Originals called Nice Jewish Boys.
Rejoining them are colorist Ellie Wright and editor Sarah Litt for a story about “a modern day Jewish crime drama set in suburban New Jersey.”
“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.”
Here are more details on the series from Comixology:
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.
And here’s a preview of the first issue:
“As you read Nice Jewish Boys, there will be moments where truth may peek through the fiction,” Kleid said. “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.”
Look for the first issue to arrive on Amazon on Nov. 7.