Mad Cave Studios has announced a new historical crime drama, Kosher Mafia, by Nottingham writer David Hazan and Deer Editor artist Sami Kivelä. They’re joined by colorist Ellie Wright and letterer Simon Bowland.
Set in the 1930s, Kosher Mafia is about a Jewish bookkeeper who tries to spur the Jewish mob to fight back against the rising sentiments of Nazism in the American heartland.
“I poured my heart and soul into Kosher Mafia,” Hazan said. “The characters live and breathe and talk like people I know, love or would love to have known, family or otherwise. It’s a crime thriller that’s more than a little transgressive and provocative, and it’s steeped in Jewish Cleveland, where our modern comic book industry was born.”
More than that, the author says it is also about antisemitism.
“This comic is about antisemitism, specifically that it neither started nor ended with the Holocaust,” Hazan said. “When I took the idea to Mad Cave, they didn’t just take a chance on this book, they threw their support behind it, full-throated, and that kicked off with reaching out to Samï, who is a singular talent whose work I’d admired for so long…and the work, once we got started, exceeded all expectations. I hope what we’ve created provides not only a feast for the eyes, but also for the soul, and to that, ess gezunt!”
Mad Cave shared more details on what to expect:
In Cleveland, Ohio, in 1936, Howard Berkowicz, the bookkeeper for the Jewish Mob finds himself on the wrong end of an enforcer’s gun when he tries to spur the Kosher Mafia into action against the rising tide of domestic Nazism in the German American Bund.
“As a huge fan of crime and noir comics, it’s been exciting to work with David and bring his vision of the Cleveland’s Mafia scene of the 1930s to life,” Kivelä said. “I hope readers will enjoy diving into this adventure where our heroes Howard and Eph try to escape the wrath of the mobsters.”
Shawn Martinbrough did the variant cover for the first issue:
Look for the first issue to arrive on Aug. 7.