NJW&C 18: Mon Mothma’s Got Your Back
Hey, Kids! It’s Nice Jewish Words & Comics!, the latest installment from Neil Kleid's bi-monthly newsletter with updates and info about his latest projects!
Happy 5785, Hebros, Hebrettes and all of you Hebrew-adjacent friends and allies!
That’s right; as many of you may know, this past week we celebrated Rosh Hashana—the Jewish New Year—though here at NJW&C HQ, it might just be the Jewish FLU Year, because ol’ Neil got hit with quite a dose a week ago and is still on the mend. Yeah, I basically missed the entire holiday, to my family’s chagrin, and am coughing up a lung along with any apples and / or honey I may have managed to imbibe. But I did hear the shofar, so we’ll count that as a win, even if I’m still writing 5784 on my checks.
But a New Year! A time for reflection! A chance for us to make a fresh start, as the great rebel leader Mon Mothma (as played by the wonderful Genevieve O’Reilly) famously encouraged rebels in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
A Fresh Start is a powerful thing, especially to those of us in a creative field, with its own heady mix of nerves and excitement; anticipation and also a little bit of fear. The slate may not always be blank—and in fact, for Jews, Rosh Hashana isn’t even that…because there are ten days following the New Year, which are a period of introspection and repentance before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, during which we fast and pray to G-d for forgiveness from all of our sins (it’s this Friday night! Let’s do this!) So the slate is not blank exactly, but it may be…or it could simply offer us a marker of time in which we ourselves can pull up our bootstraps, grit our teeth and decide—hey, selves; this is it. This is where we’re going to dig in and accomplish great accomplishments. Here’s where we are going to start anew or hunker down and focus and actually finish a thing.
For many, the fresh start of a new year is all about the resolutions—a resolution to lose weight, or to be a nicer human. To meet the right person, or find the right job. Or maybe it’s just about starting something and making a change. A chance for folks, as Mon Mothma said, to make that fresh start.
But personally, I believe we can’t ever forget about the second part, about the fact that we Jews have those ten days of repentance between the New Year—our fresh start—and Yom Kippur—clearing the slate—during which we reflect about the sins of the past, what we’ve done wrong, how we need to forge ahead and learn from our mistakes. As a writer, that offers to me a chance to think back about all of the projects that died on the vine, or the books which failed and pitches that may have been rejected…and then learn from them, and try to make sure the new work is even incrementally better than before. I can take a moment and rethink my craft or the themes or plots or pitches I’ve written—and even the books I’ve taken to market, and how I’ve promoted or sold them—and reflect on ways I could have made them better. Every new book, every new story or project provides us, as creatives, with a fresh start—a chance to wipe the slate and start again, learn from our mistakes and rather than beat ourselves up, take a breath and try even harder the next time. To do something different, perchance, or step outside a comfort zone. Make the call you’d never usually make, or reach out to a new co-author or partner or market you’d never considered in the past.
Personally, repentance has played a pretty large part in much of my work. If you really dig into Kleid’s oeuvre, and pick apart my stories and characters (especially any which contain Judaic themes), most of them are about flawed people trying to make up for some kind of mistake, often wrapped into some themes of legacy—teachers and students, parents and children—and are ultimately about trying to attain some sort of redemption or peace in any type of balance or forgiveness they might achieve. Brownsville, one of my first, is a graphic novel about two Jewish gangsters but ultimately it’s about the bad choices that both of them make—because of their individual upbringings, the times in which they lived—and how both of them found balance, peace, and forgiveness for themselves, if not from justice and society. The Big Kahn, is of course about a father and con man who has been lying to his family and congregation for decades, and about the peace and forgiveness that needs to be found not by him, but about him, for those whose his lies affect. Finally, of course, Nice Jewish Boys is saturated with themes of repentance and forgiveness, and worth a read by any struggling Jew looking down the barrel at the Friday night, when Kol Nidrei is read and the Day of Atonement begins.
Fresh starts. They are important. They really are, Mon Mothma, whether asking forgiveness of a Creator whose plans and decisions are ultimately out of one’s comprehension, or just a writer or artist trying to look ahead at the next twelve months, hoping to spend them successfully creating something that will not only bring them peace, satisfaction and balance, but hopefully also pay the bills.
It’s a new year and a chance for us to look back, remind ourselves what needs to be addressed, fixed, rebuilt, repented, saved and championed…and then look ahead. Because it’s a chance for us to make that fresh start. C’mon. We’ve got less then ten days now until that blank slate arrives.
Don’t worry, friends. Mon Mothma’s got our backs. Let’s get ready for it together. And May The Force Be With Us.
NEIL’S CURRENT SLATE
So, a couple of fun things coming up to point out!
First, tomorrow—October 7th, 2024—is the Final Cutoff date for comic shops to order Kings and Canvas, the fantasy boxing comic I co-authored with Jake Allen & Frank Reynoso, through Lunar using order number 0924CX447. Comic book stores can also still continue to order the book from Outland Entertainment / CEX Publishing through Diamond Distributors using item number SEP241600. As many of you know, preorders are what makes or breaks a book; while we were thrilled so many of you supported the book when we funded it on Kickstarter last year, we’d love to get it available in stores so that new readers can discover this book we were so proud to make.
For those of you unfamiliar with Kings and Canvas, it’s a story that explores the lengths a man will go to find purpose after life, liberty and career have passed him by. Simply described as “Game of Thrones meets Rocky Balboa” (but with sea dwarves, pirate referees and talking, boxing dragons), Kings and Canvas is a tale of dynasties, boxing, family and revenge...in a new world where honor is gained not by using guns or swords, but rather fists, wits and the courage to change. The book collects all the previously published digital issues of Kings & Canvas and also includes a brand new, never-before-seen sixth issue. Also, I have copies here at home and I have to say…the printing it gorgeous. Please let your local comic shop know that they should preorder copies, which will arrive in stores this December, right in time for the holidays
Second, on October 8th, the campaign for Pots and Panels—a comic cook book anthology, with over fifty stories from many amazing creators like me, Ron Marz, Steve Niles, Phil Hester, Andy Kuhn, Tim Seeley, Hilary Barta, Steven Grant, Charlie McElvy, and many more —goes live on Kickstarter! As you know, this book features an all-new original Savor story, based on the young adult food adventure graphic novel I co-authored at Dark Horse Comics with frequent collaborators John Broglia and Frank Reynoso. Our new tale, titled “How Not To Cook For Twenty Sailors, Or How Savor Started a Mutiny On Her Very First Week” is another young Savor story, filling in a gap in the graphic novel between the time our hero, Savor Batonnet, leaves her island home to learn to be an adventuring chef, and then returns to save that island from a band of pirate cooks. This story was a lot of fun to do, and the team was excited to be invited by Chuck Satterlee and the PnP team to participate in the anthology. Please sign up at the prelaunch link to be reminded when the campaign goes live on the 8th!
Speaking of Kickstarter campaigns, some of you—if you backed it—may have already received your digital reward for Multiverse of Mystery, the Sherlock Holmes + Watson prose anthology in which I have a short story, “The Silence of an Empty House”, which was my take on a Holmes / Watson rom-com that actually turned out to be a bit more emotionally charged than comedic in the end. If you did get it, read and dug it, I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you’re still waiting for the physical copies, I believe they should be going out in the next few weeks and so everyone should books in hand before Thanksgiving. (I’ll talk a bit more about this story and some of the other ones that didn’t make the cut in a future installment):
Finally, just a reminder that New York Comic-Con is in two weeks and while I am not going to be set up at a table, I will be wandering the floor on Sunday, October 20th, saying hello to friends and doing a bit of networking. If you see me (I’ll probably wearing a Lions or Tigers ball cap, knowing me), say hello, high five, and feel free to ask me about new projects and stuff. As well, don’t forget that I WILL be set up at a table for this year’s Jewish Comics Experience (JewCE) at the Center for Jewish History in New York on November 10th. I’ll have copies of Ninety Candles, Brownsville, The Big Kahn, Kings and Canvas and The Panic and some other odds and ends. Sadly, no printed copies of Nice Jewish Boys yet….still working on it, and maybe we’ll have some news there soon.
NEIL’S FUTURE SLATE
Other than that, I definitely see this month as a way to mentally clear the clutter from the writing board and focus on a few very specific projects for the rest of the year.
With NYCC coming, this is again a time for folks to announce what they’re working on, and I can announce my 2024 Writing PlanTM has yet again had a slight hitch in its giddy-up. When last we discussed, this was The Plan:
Project Mantle (5 issue mini-series, Fall 2025)
Project Vigilant (spec novel, 32k out of 85k words)
Project Orlando (comic book pitch)
Project Katz (script, short film)
(Tentative) Project Long Ago (comic book pitch)
(Tentative) Project Red, Book 1 (spec novel)
Since then, the first issue of Project Mantle has been finalized and handed to my co-author. I’ve recently hit 37k words on Project Vigilant after a quick edit and am trying to write 1000 words a day now. Project Katz is written and now we’re onto thinking about, well, how will we make it. And…I started a new screenplay, Project Taylor, which is already at 12 pages (I write about 2 pages a day.) But during that time, I was asked to rewrite some solicited licensed pitches for something I’ll just call Project Dream now, which needed a lot of my focus, and those have been sent to the editor. Plus I am still trying to land Project Dog Day, an old pitch, at an interested publisher. AND while all that was happening, I came up with a crazy stupid Jewish horror comic book pitch I really want to write, so…the new definitive Plan, unless Dream or Dog Day solidify:
The 2024 Writing PlanTM:
Project Mantle (5 issue mini-series, Fall 2025)
Project Vigilant (spec novel, 37k out of 85k words)
Project Taylor (spec screenplay, 12 out of 110 pages)
Project Orlando (comic book pitch)
Project Sukkah (comic book pitch)
The (tentative) 2025 Writing PlanTM:
Project Mantle (5 issue mini-series, whatever is left)
Project Long Ago (comic book pitch)
Project Red, Book 1 (spec novel)
Project Burn (MG graphic novel pitch)
I bet that will change three more times. Omnia mutantur, right?
NEIL’S MEDIA SLATE
Y’all, one of the best things about having a terrible case of the flu, is that you get to sit around in pain and read some motherchugging COMICS and stuff about comics.
First, in the spirit of the football season, if you’ve never read (I mean, I hadn’t) here’s a brilliant, in-depth look at the train wreck that was Marvel’s ‘Kickers, Inc.’, a terrible football comic in the mid-eighties which was part of the failed New Universe line. Abraham Josephine Riesman is a wonderful writer and reporter, and this article from 2016 is wonderfully written, as per usual.
I did manage to read a bunch—X-Men, Star Wars, superheroes, whatever— but the two comics I read this week that stood out to me were:
The Moon is Following Us by Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo from Image Comics, the first issue of which had this really amazing punk sensibility Saga vibe to it I really enjoyed. There’s a preview here, but it’s about a couple whose daughter is kidnapped by some mysterious force, and the two of them must fight beside some magic characters to rescue her however they can. Sure, as a parent this one resonates pretty hard with me, but Johnson’s writing has been captivating me ever since I devoured Do a Powerbomb! and also the Transformers series he’s been masterfully orchestrating over at Skybound. Give The Moon a chance, friends. I think this series is gonna be something special.
Dark Ride, Volume 3, by Joshua Willamson and Andrei Bressan, also from Image. Look, I’m not a horror guy really, but I am an amusement park guy and years ago I tried pitching something like this and boy am I glad it got rejected, because what Josh has done with this series is so inventive and addicting, that part of me is sad it’s finally over. Getting to know the Dante family and their tragedies and travails, and the extended cast of creepy characters surrounding the malignant Devil Land amusement park, has truly been a frightening joy…and you can be assured my next ride on my beloved Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom will contain a bit of trepidation because damn, what if one day someone brings that shit to life and I end up trapped in something like Josh and Andrei’s Devil’s Due? If you haven’t picked up this series yet, you can get all three volumes right now. Highly recommended…and damn you, Josh, for forcing me to rethink my amusement park pitch (which is now codenamed Project Orlando and is something…slightly less sinister than Dark Ride.)
I also have been watching some pretty decent TV, friends.
Agatha All Along: So, yeah, when your sixteen year old son begrudgingly admits how much he’s enjoying this show, you know it’s got something. I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of this thing from the trailers, friends, but it’s really been a delight. The cast is fantastic, the writing sharp, the connections to its predecessor—Wandavision—a delight. I have no idea where it’s going; okay, that’s not true. I have some thoughts and ideas about the whole Teen thing, but for other aspects, not a clue. But just like with Wandavision, I really didn’t think this was going to be a Marvel vehicle for me…and I find myself surprised how much I’ve liked it.
The Penguin: On the other streaming service, here’s the other comic book movie tour de force. Look, I did not enjoy Matt Reeves’ Batman movies, I’ll be honest. Too dark, too broody. Just…not for me. The Riddler of it all? Nope. But I did like Jeffrey Wright, and I did like Farrell’s Penguin…and I have to say, this show has been one of my favorite new things. I mean, it’s barely a Batman show, really—this could be a fantastic crime story all on it’s own—but the addition of Cristin Milioti and the ties to Gotham’s Falcone family…as well as the genius idea of giving Oswald (let’s not discuss the name; I mean, I love ‘Oswald Cobblepot’; ‘Oswald Cobb’ sounds a salad) his own Jason Todd/Robin? Brilliant. And Farrell is doing heavy lifting here, y’all. Half the time I forget he’s in that suit. Three episodes in. Worth catching up.
Your Honor: Halfway through this right now, only two seasons, but this is that Bryan Cranston Netflix show in which he’s a judge and his son accidentally runs over and kills a mobster’s son in New Orleans. Very tense, very gripping, wonderfully complex cast of diverse characters and brilliant performances from everyone, not only Cranston and one of my favorite actors, Michael Stuhlbarg, who played Arnold Rothstein in Boardwalk Empire and is the heavy in this show, married to the wonderfully manipulative Hope Davis who played Joyce Brabner in American Splendor, a movie about cartoonist Harvey Pekar who blurbed my own graphic novel about mobsters, Brownsville. So it all comes full circle back to me. Anyway, this has been a fun if not tense show. Give it a try.
And that’ll do it for this one. We’ll try and get the next installment out before America goes to the polls—or, you know, if the Detroit Tigers somehow manage to make it to the World Series. In the meantime, have a wonderful 5785, my friends.
Let’s all be safe and courageous out there, okay? For Mon Mothma.
Now, my cough medicine and blankie are calling.
—Neil
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