NJW&C 24: The Comics Writer at 50 (plus a short Savor comic!)
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!
And here we are again: it’s May, my birthday month!
And this year, just like Saturday Night Live, I’m turning FIFTY FREAKING YEARS OLD. But we’ll get to that in a bit…including a present for YOU.
But first, a few other notable events…
1. This month, May, is Jewish American Heritage Month, a month in which we pay tribute to Jewish Americans who molded the fabric of American history, culture and society. Thankfully—while I wouldn’t consider myself someone who has helped shape American history or culture—I do think I’ve been able, through comics and graphic novels, to contribute stories into our culture which depict the lives, tragedies, triumphs, failings and foibles of Jewish American families and historical figures, offering a look into our culture, both past, and present.
And so, as I said above, to commemorate Jewish American Heritage Month—and because this month is my fiftieth birthday—here’s a gift to you: A FREE COMIC! Here’s the first issue of Nice Jewish Boys, a Jewish American crime comic book by me John Broglia, Ellie Wright from Comixology Originals. I hope you dig it; I didn’t have time to wrap it.
2. And if you enjoy that issue and decide to read the entire book, why not vote for Nice Jewish Boys in this year’s Ringo Awards, an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics? Anyone can vote—creator or reader—and the team would definitely appreciate your support. VOTE HERE
3. This weekend, Saturday May 3rd, is Free Comic Book Day! Get down to your local shop and pick up a diverse selection of free, amazing comic books from nearly every publisher in the business. While you’re there, please make sure to pay it forward and purchase something from your shop, maybe something you normally wouldn’t buy. I usually go on Friday and pick something up because due to Shabbos, I can’t pay for anything on Saturday when I visit A&S Comics in Teaneck, New Jersey, with my family. You can do the same—or just buy something when you go get your free comics!
Find your local comic shop: https://www.comicshoplocator.com/
4. And yes, Sunday is May 4th, Star Wars Day, and annual celebration of all things Star Wars. Take some time to enjoy the day with your friends and loved ones who enjoy the stories and adventures from a galaxy far, far away… feel free to read last’ year’s Star Wars Day newsletter and make yourself a cold glass of Therm Scissor-Punch as you immerse yourself into the Saga, including not only the fantastic movies, toys, and television shows (Andor Season 2, baby) but also the books and comic books…one of which I will one day write. Oh, yes. I will write one. Hashtag Let Neil Write a Star War (#letneilwriteastarwar) because writing a canon Star Wars story would be the fulfillment of a life-long dream.
ON THE WRITER TURNING FIFTY
So, I haven’t really said anything to anyone about this yet…but last year, I actually did have a chance to take my shot at achieving the above dream. One year ago, right before my birthday, I got an email from an editor inviting me to pitch Star Wars comics.
Yup. You know what happened after that here in Kleid HQ: Joy, celebration, excitement, anxiety.
Suffice to say, over the course of the year I had fun throwing myself into all aspects of Star Wars, coming up with some fun, great ideas (ask me about them sometime…but yeah, net net? I officially pitched a Star Tours comic book) and got to polish one of those ideas which was sent to Lucasfilm for review and approval. Hopefully it—or another one like it—will come together (these things, time they take; patience you must have) and that I will one day get to finally write a Star Wars comic. Wish a Jew luck.
Now, not all stories pitching licenses have been as fun as that one.
I turn fifty later this month, and at this point in my writing career, I can honestly say that I’ve been working hard on/in comics for a good, long while—my own, the comics I’ve written for other people—and some days are definitely easier than others. Some days I get dozens of editors returning calls and emails. Some days I can’t anyone to remember my name. Remember? Peaks, valleys.
A pal, Rich Douek, wrote this heartfelt essay about his current relationship with the peaks and valleys of pitching ideas and stories to the Big Two (Marvel and DC Comics) and it really resonated with me as I stare down the barrel of a half century trying to build up the same sort of steam, and fulfill my dreams of writing stories for those (and other licensed) characters. I will say this: I’ve been luckier than many (if not most), and I do completely and sincerely thank every single wonderful editor who took a chance on me, every story I’ve been privileged enough to tell, whether in my worlds or within somebody’s else’s.
But I’ll be blunt and honest: my last DC Comics project came out over ten years ago. And while I’ve been lucky enough to get some traction writing a few Marvel’s licensed prose books (and the editors for both those books, and those in licensed publishing are absolutely fantastic, dear friends) I haven’t received a reply back to an e-mail from a Marvel comics editor in a good, long while.
Look, I get it: I’m not a marquee creator. I don’t have the fanbase that other indie writers bring to the table, nor have I happened upon that “hit” comic which generates a ton of buzz. Maybe that phase or window in my career has passed me by. Maybe I’m Herb Trimpe. I thought Savor or Nice Jewish Boys might do it, maybe kickstart some new opportunities—and they have received great feedback and praise—but neither of them have really opened any new doors. I’m hopeful for ‘Project Mantle’, the new one out later this year, but again…who the hell knows? Every book is a goddamned miracle, but every book is also a goddamned gamble. Some readers may love the thing, others may hate it. And relying on a book to be a “hit” or a huge success rather than just spending the time focused on working with people you love, putting out the stories you need to tell, is a fool’s errand.
Still, the Bat-phone isn’t ringing, nor does the FF flare light ablaze. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve got a heck of a career—and still, lots of irons in the fire—but radio silence from the Big Two. Licensed work, in general, has been thin on the ground…and though I get a lot of “oh, we definitely want to work with you” and “your name is always on our short list of creators”, none of that has necessarily translated into someone entrusting me with a long-term license to, well, one of their licenses. Gimme the keys to the toy box, editor friends; I promise that your toys won’t end up in a fire at the end.
As I lean into fifty, I’ve been reflecting a lot about my writing career—where I’m at, where I want to go—especially while watching the Diamond bankruptcy shenanigans put smaller publishers into jeopardy, enduring talk about tariffs (which will affect crowdfunding), and weathering the shrinking of writing opportunities at established houses for a guy like me: older and wiser, a journeyman writer with a healthy resume, but also never having gotten the bat completely off his shoulder, and definitely never having been given the chance to hit during the playoffs. I’d still like to do a lot more, and partner with editors and publishers who are excited to let me into their sandboxes—and I am optimistic that if I continue to create the comics I want and need to write, my creator-owned books…if I tell the stories that are important to me…then not only will I find creative fulfillment, but hopefully the world will notice and I’ll be headed back up to the peak.
But how long do I go on fooling myself? How long do I keep plugging away, pitching and politely being persistent, before getting invited to the show?
I know this newsletter installment may seem…er, less than positive rather than coming across as realistic and reflective. And yes, dear readers, I find myself standing at the crossroads. Look—I’m never going to stop writing comics. But maybe I need to take a break for a while, and try something else? Focus on prose? Or maybe I need to reconsider the comic books that I’m writing and planning, and new ways to get them into the hands of readers in a way that can not only keep me creatively fulfilled but also help achieve the levels of success to which I aspire (even if that just means being able to do more of the books that I do, with the people that I love)? Maybe I just need to suck it up and table at more conventions?
I mentioned my man Tony Lee in the last installment of this newsletter, whom I’ve known for a good, long while. Tony found himself at the crossroads once too, and turned a dwindling comics output into a thriving empire through which he now publishes his own lines of comic books and prose thrillers, and he’s busier—and more successful than ever. I know how he did it; we’ve discussed it. I can try and navigate that road myself. I very well just may.
But comics will always be calling, you know?
So standing here, half a century at my back and the best years ahead, how do I plan to answer that call?
Couldn’t tell you, friends. I’ve still got stories I want to—no, need to—tell. I’m still going to work in this medium that I love, and always be thinking about how to innovate the work I do and tell stories using the form. And maybe one day I will get to write a Star War. Maybe I won’t. No matter what, I’ve got fifty years of stories, dreamed up from childhood until now, out there in the world for those who might be interested in giving them a read. I’ve told (and am telling) the stories I want to tell, and wrote the stories I wanted to read. And ‘Project Mantle’, coming this Fall—while right now may be the only comic book I have slated to come out in the immediate future—isn’t going to be the last comic book I ever write or make. In fact, perhaps it may be the beginning of Neil’s bold, new era in telling stories. Who knows?
With years coming my way in the dashboard window, stretching out to the horizon ahead, I still have plenty more comic book stories to tell.
But, you know, maybe those stories won’t have the X-Men or Batman in them? Maybe they won’t be set in the Marvel or DC universes?
And, hey; that’s okay.
I can always set them in universes of my own.
A NEW, FREE SAVOR COMIC, JUST FOR YOU
Before we go and start getting ready to light the candles on my cake, one more little gift to you. If you’ve been reading my newsletter for a while, you know that I contributed a story to Pots and Panels, a comic book cookbook anthology, filled with talented and superstar creators like Steve Niles, Ron Marz, Tim Seeley, among others. Some of you may have backed that book on Kickstarter (yes, some of you upon my urging), and I know that while the digital version has been sent to backers, the physical copies have yet to appear. I’m going to hold off on discussing details behind the delay (for now)—at the moment, as far as I know, those books are on their way…and if you are a backer, I appreciate your continued patience as we wait for them to arrive. But while we wait, here’s the ten-page food-centric comic from me and my co-authors that will appear in the volume, along with the text of a recipe card that accompanies it.
Yes, it’s another Savor story by me, John Broglia and Frank Reynoso—this time, we’re filling a gap in the graphic novel which was released from Dark Horse Comics in 2021. This tale, titled “How Not To Cook For Twenty Sailors, or How Savor Started a Mutiny on Her Very First Week”, is set between panels two and three on page thirteen (right where it says “six years later”) and follows our girl Savor (still a girl; not yet a hero) as she heads out for adventure with a crew of hungry sailors…and learns a little something about being decisive on the open sea. The recipe below the comic is hinted at in the below comic, and I hope both the dish—and the story—are satisfying. John and I are plotting a few plots with our friend Savor…hopefully we’ll have some fun news about that sometime over the next year or two.
In the meantime, thank you for reading the comic. And thank you for continuing to read and support all of my work. I promise—as stated above—that fifty years isn’t slowing this Jew down. There is plenty more to come.
Here’s the new Savor story. The recipe for Savor’s Tuesday Tacos (But on a Wednesday) follows below. Bon appetit.
Savor Batonnet here! I’ve been cooking and fighting my way across the seven seas, ever since I left my parents and best friend, Coriander. So far so good, but along the way I’ve been writing down a few amazing recipes and fighting + weaponry tips so I can remember them when I get back home. One of my favorite things to do with my Dad is whip up a quick batch of tacos on a Tuesday night, and carry them in a warmer down to the bay near our family restaurant, Taoroast, and eat them while wading around in the cool water. Tacos are the perfect street food, even if you don’t live near a street but near a beach or out in the country. They’re pretty portable, and you can mix up a variety of different fillings and toppings depending on your mood. Me, I like to make sure that I can double up some of my ingredients and also use them for handy little projectiles and deterrents if ever attacked by hungry pirates!
Usually, the tacos are Taoroast are filled with beef or chicken…but my Dad and I like to make fish tacos using flounder, mahi mahi, whitefish or salmon, because the tacos are less filling and don’t slow you down in a fight. My friends Neil and John—whose daughters also like to cook with them—are also big fans of good tacos, and their opinion is that whoever came up with the idea of “Taco Tuesday” is limiting themselves—tacos are an every day food! That said, here are Savor Batonnet’s Tuesday Tacos (But On a Wednesday)!
SAVOR’S TUESDAY TACOS (BUT ON A WEDNESDAY)
By Savor Batonnet
For the seasoning:
(You can use a store-bought seasoning, like Trader Joe’s, but if you’re a taco hero like me, there’s nothing like making it from scratch!)
1/4 cup chili powder OR dried chiles
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp sugar (optional)
For the tacos
4 (3 ounce) mahi mahi filets (you can use whatever light fish you like, but mahi mahi is my Dad’s favorite, and we serve a lot of it at Taoroast…)
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped (practice your knife skills!)
1 cup cilantro, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Lime juice (great as a deterrent, too; I carry a spray bottle and go for the eyes!)
Cooking spray
8 corn tortillas
Habanero hot sauce (optional; also a great deterrent)
Low-fat sour cream (optional)
To make the seasoning:
If using dried chiles, remove the seeds (hang onto these; they’re fantastic in a slingshot) and add to a blender. Grind until it reaches a powder consistency
Transfer the chili powder to a small bowl. Add salt and acid, and mix well
Add sugar. This is optional, if the chili is too spicy for your taste
Like with all our hot or spicy powders and juices, feel free to double or triple the mixture to store some seasoning for deterrent bombs or to coat a knife.
To make the pico de gallo:
Mix the tomato, onion, cilantro, scallions and 2 tbsp of time juice together in a bowl, and then set it aside
To cook the fish:
Liberally coat with the seasoning and a dash of lime juice
Either:
Preheat a conventional oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray an oven-safe pan with the cooking spray and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork, OR
Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with the spray. Heat on medium-high, and cook the fish about 2-3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes
Once done, use a fork to lightly shred apart the fillet
If you used a skillet to heat the fish, set it aside and keep handy for any mutinous pirates who try to steal your food!
To warm the tortillas:
Place a tortilla on a preheated skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.
Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, until the tortilla is warm and slightly charred. You can use tongs to flip the tortillas.
After heating the tortillas, keep them warm by wrapping them in a clean towel or placing them in a tortilla warmer until you are ready to assemble your tacos.
To assemble the tacos:
Place about 1.5 ounces of seasoned fish on a tortilla
Top with pico de gallo and 2 slices of avocado
Optionally, add habanero hot sauce and/or sour cream
My best friend Coriander also likes to add a teaspoon of barbecue sauce to balance out some of the heat with a little bit of sweet. And then she calls me “her little bit of sweet heat” and I get nothing done for the rest of the day…(don’t tell her I said that!)
Pōmaika’i, peace and aloha
Savor (and Neil)
MIGDAL: Neil Kleid's Nice Jewish Words & Comics is free! Tell your friends, enemies and interested dragons. If you enjoyed this email, you can show Neil that his writing is valuable to you by checking out his books here and supporting independent comix: https://bookshop.org/shop/neilkleid