Thanksgiving is in our rearview, and Mariah Carey was let out again to terrorize the globe with all the other Christmas kaiju, so it must be December…and that means, Hebros and Hebrettes, that another year is nearly over.

As I always do at year’s end, I’ll look back a little bit in this installment and talk about the triumphs and trials—but in a positive, forward-thinking manner. Like each year, I’ll also offer some gift ideas with the holidays on the horizon (Chanukah is in one week?!) But before we get to all of that, just a brief reminder that

MEDIEVAL #2 IS OUT TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH FROM ME, ALEX CORMACK, SARAH LITT, AND COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS

Hopefully a lot of you picked up the first issue of our mature-readers madcap Arthurian baseball comic and enjoyed the perils and plights of poor, loud, violent Bronx-born Danny Landau a whole fuckton. I can tell you that some other folks definitely did:

Kick-ass crime writer Alex Segura (Secret Identity, Alter Ego) says that he was delighted to read Medieval #1, and that it's one of my best books yet! 

The brilliant Kieron Gillen (Phonogram, The Wicked + The Divine, Die) had this to say: 

“Conceptually, this is delightful...'baseball bats vs knights' has real berserk energy.”

And David Pepose (Space Ghost, Speed Racer) called Medieval:

“A profane, action-packed trip back in time to Camelot; a genuinely charming-ass book.”

Alex (Cormack, not Segura) and I have also been talking with a bunch of comic book websites and podcasts about the book. You can check out some of the interviews I did with AIPT Comics and Comic Book Club. 

Chris Coplan at AIPT said:

"Kleid and Cormack have given us the a prime example of the man-out-of-time, and 'Medieval' sees Danny have to learn the hard way about the meaning of home, fighting for what’s yours (and maybe when not to fight?), and how we can all be the hero if we just get out of our own way. It remains to be seen if Danny can learn his lessons and make it back, but you just might find Medieval to be your strong mug of ale."

And our pals at Comic Book Club said on ‘The Stack’:

"Hilariously violent...a home run of a series...I absolutely loved it. A fun read."

Here’s an interview we did with Tad of the 22 Panels Podcast, and another with Wayne’s Comics Podcast at Major Spoilers.

We chatted with our buddy Al Mega at Comic Crusaders, and I had a nice chat with the Badaboom Podcast right here. 

Finally, there’s a great review of the first issue by Abstract AF!:

“Overall, this is a fun first issue, which ends with an unexpected twist. Rating: 4 on 5.”

So, yeah. Medieval #2 comes out Tuesday, December 9th, available digitally from Comixology Originals. Another issue will drop each month leading to the 2026 baseball season. 

Here’s how to get Medieval:

1. Get the second issue NOW (available on Tuesday, December 9th, and if you’re a Prime member, it’s FREE) 

2. You can also still get Issue #1 RIGHT HERE

3. Download the Amazon Kindle app on your mobile device…

4. …read the issues in the Kindle app when they’re out…

5. …and then please leave us a good review on Amazon or Goodreads if you enjoyed the comic! Leaving reviews for things you like helps improve its visibility, which ultimately helps us to do more.

Here’s a sample page from issue #2, by me and Alex. Enjoy!

Also, here’s a pin-up that our pal Jake Allen (co-author of Brownsville and Kings and Canvas) did for the back of the second issue:

Alex and I would love if more of our art pals or readers out there did Medieval pin-ups or fan art…we would love to see it! And we’d also love to see our readers out there in Medieval cosplay at upcoming conventions or social media! It ain’t too hard to be Danny Landau, friends. You don’t need to liv in sixth-century England, or even the Bronx… though you may need to learn some new, entertaining ways to drop an f-bomb…!

Oh, and while you’re at it, here’s a look at the cover for Medieval #3 by Alex, coming in January. This was the cover that our pals at Comixology made pins out of for New York Comic-Con, but we think it also looks amazing when seen big, loud, large, and in charge. Fun note: the cover was inspired by the great Mike Zeck’s cover to Captain America Annual #8. Also, wait until you see Alex’s killer cover for issue #4…

…and check out the Spotify playlists we’ve been doing for each issue of Medieval. Here’s the playlist for issue #1:

Folks have told Alex and me how much they enjoy the playlist we put at the beginning of each issue, near the credits on the inside front cover. In general, I don’t listen to music while I write—it distracts me. But for issue #1, while writing the big barroom brawl, I kept singing Pink’s “So What to myself (na-na-na-NA-na-NA-NA I wanna start a fight) and so then I started listening to it…and couldn’t stop thinking about which song—which vibe—would work for subsequent scenes. So, I went ahead and collected and noted them for each issue. I'll make a full Spotify playlist for the digital trade paperback release (and schedule a commentary track for that playlist when we drop it in this newsletter), but I thought you might like the first two playlists for now. Follow along and see if and how the songs line up.

Here are the playlists for Medieval #1 and Medieval #2. 

Anyway, thanks for reading the comic. We’re obviously very excited about it. We’ll see you back next year for more teases and art. 

2025 IN REVIEW

It’s been a weird year, fam. I don’t necessarily mean that personally—or even politically, culturally, and socio-economically, because the less said about all of that trashfire disaster the better—but from a professional point of view, in comics, publishing, and film, “weird” may be one of the most polite words I can think to write.

Sure, you may have read articles about shifting tides for independent comic book creators right now, as well as the tightening of opportunities for writers in Hollywood and other industries…and of course, there are major tidal shifts happening in those industries as a whole (or NOT...I mean the page rates for comics are all sorts of horrible and a key reason I will always have a day job and am trying to do more prose. I don’t even know what my Marvel or DC comics page rate is these days, but I doubt it’s changed much since my last gig.) There are also questions about the impacts of AI and what those tidal shifts will do to the landscape which have no comfortable answers. Sure; lots of folks have ideas and thoughts for how to navigate the shifts and belt-tightening during The Weird and Dark Times—even me—but it feels bleak out there for working writers. I’ll be honest and say that 2025 has not been what I’d call a year of traction for me…

…and yet I still feel like, all in all, it was a pretty good year. Sure, I got the usual, expected writing rejections (which writer didn’t?) but look at all of the great things I managed to accomplish and finish in 2025:

• Of course, Medieval was announced, launched, and loved (see above.) It may be my most commercial work so far, and people seem to dig it and have noticed that. Alex and I have some high hopes for being able to do more down the road…but for now, we’re just happy you all get to read it. Every single comic or book is a goddamn miracle. The fact that I get to tell the stories in my head with people I trust and admire, and folks read and enjoy them, despite the herculean undertaking involved in actually breathing them to life? That’s all win, babies. We got much love for the comic book at NYCC 2025. People keep pinging me and Alex, telling us how much they dig it. All of this is a good thing. We hope you dig it, too.

• I pitched, sold, started and finished my first original novel—and it will be out next year. Not only that, but it’s a horror novel…a genre in which I rarely get to sharpen my teeth. I’m still waiting for notes on the first draft, but just finishing it meant a lot to me—and it whet my appetite to write even more prose. I’ve had another original novel—a supernatural crime book codenamed ‘Project Red’ that has continued to appear on my Writing Plan for the last two years, but has never been finished. Well, friends, in two months I aim to have a first draft complete of that, too. One thousand words a night is all it takes. I already have 51K words written. Here’s to having this be an accomplishment for our 2026 end of year wrap up, hm?

• Despite not placing any of them yet, I managed to write a whole lot of comic book pitches this year. Tallying them up, I completed NINE in total (ten if you count a joint anthology pitch that’s swimming around out in the market), and some of those pitches nearly got the ol’ green light (see above, re: industry, market, etc.) That feels huge. These are all great stories, in my opinion, and sometimes it takes time for them to see the light. Hell, I wrote the Medieval pitch nearly five years ago. It took three to get it placed and then made. I first conceived the idea for the upcoming horror novel as a social media post almost a decade ago, and didn’t write it up as a pitch—despite a lot of back and forth chatter about it with peers and friends—until 2023…and it’s finally out (G-d be good, with His will) in late ’26. So yeah, nine new ideas, not to mention a nearly-completed novel (‘Project Red’, again) and maybe even my first original screenplay (I’m at 83 pages out of 110, which is kissing distance)—that’s a veritable arsenal to deploy over the next five years. There’s no rush at all for any of it; the time will be right for them when the time will be right for them. But just getting them all done means I’m moving shit forward and actually finishing things, and I think all of that solid writing and research effort should be celebrated.
  

  

• Also, as we drive towards 2026, it looks like a dormant short comic that’s been sitting around may come together with a pal and co-author I’ve known and wanted to work with for years. We’re just doing this one for fun, but hopefully you’ll get to read it at some point in this newsletter next year. More on it as it comes together.

• Additionally, I mentioned last time that some of my books are now out of print. Well, I just bought up the rest of the Big Kahn stock from NBM Publishing. So if you want a copy, I guess message me? I also have the production files, so I’ll figure out a way to sell digital versions of that and Brownsville via Gumroad or some other online shop.

• There were other pretty solid Kleid wins in 2025 outside comics and writing. I had a pretty stellar year at my day job, if I say so, and spent a lot of solid time (though never enough) with friends and family. I turned fifty this past year, and went to Louisville on the Bourbon Trail as a gift to myself. Mrs. Nice Jewish Words and Comics and I also traveled to Nashville together, Florida, the Bahamas and France (where I was inspired to write a new book, a non-fiction graphic novel that I’m code-naming ‘Project Benjamin.’) We saw a bunch of amazing bands throughout the year (Coldplay! Oasis! Goo Goo Dolls! Spin Doctors + Gin Blossoms!) Our family supported the Lions, who have been up and down, though the Tigers had a pretty good year (close; never quite close enough.) I underwent a necessary surgical procedure this year too, sure, but even that moved me toward a more healthy lifestyle (I hope, I hope.) And this year our family got ourselves a third driver and began preparing to celebrate our third middle school graduate. All of this is good stuff. All of it should be celebrated, even if none of it wins awards or expands your bookshelf.

Was 2025 groundbreaking for Neil Kleid? Not necessarily. But it was what I would call a creatively productive year, pushing my work and many ideas forward, bending my nose to the grindstone and producing and writing and churning out the work…and that, to me, is a success even if it isn’t yet paying off dividends (and I want to stress the word “yet.) Sure, it may have been a “valley year” but like we’ve said before, it’s knowing what to do with your time while down in the valley—and not giving up, or learning to ride the wave as our pal Rich has said—that really sets the lifers apart.

THE 2026^TM WRITING PLAN

So, what did I work on? As a reminder: I don’t do end-of-year page or word counts. For me, it’s always been about comparing my Writing Plan at the beginning of a year against the one I’ll tackle in the year to come. So, let’s have a look back, shall we?

One year ago, the 2025 Writing Plan^TM we were tracking was:

• Medieval (5 issue mini-series, Fall 2025); two issues are out as of the end of the year. The rest will be out before the 2025 baseball season.

• Project Wonka (prose); this is the new original horror novel. Look for it by the end of 2026, hopefully.

• Project Sukkah (graphic novel); so, I pitched this one to a specific publisher as a ‘light novel’ —a mix of prose and illustration. We still may do it one day, but right now it’s dormant.

• Project Vigilant (spec novel, 49k out of 85k words): I halted this one to work on ‘Project Wonka’, and it’s still on hold until I finish ‘Project Red.’

• Project Taylor (spec screenplay, 83 out of 110 pages): I halted this one to work on ‘Project Wonka’, and it’s still on hold until I finish ‘Project Red.’

• Projects Orlando and Long Ago (comic book pitches) -  both written! I’m talking to someone about ‘Orlando’ right now. Wish a Jew luck!

• Project Red, Book 1. I made this priority after finishing the first draft of ‘Wonka.’ I’m at 52k words right now, and the aim is to have a first draft completed by Spring.

Obviously, a lot of that has changed and shifted as green lights have, well, lit and interest flared and then waned. Looking ahead to 2026, here’s where I think we’re at for The (Tentative) 2026 Writing Plan^TM:

• Project Wonka (prose); waiting for notes. This is the priority, kids.

• Project Red, Book 1. See above. 1000 words per day, hope to be done with it by the end of February…depending on when I get notes for ‘Wonka.’

• Projects Benjamin and Danger Kings (comic book pitches): ‘Danger Kings’ is already written, but I may want to polish it a bit. ‘Benjamin’ is the big new non-fiction idea that has a little traction with the folks whom it’s about and a potential publisher. So, let’s see where we land.

• Project Taylor (spec screenplay, 83 out of 110 pages): I halted this to work on ‘Wonka’, and it’s on hold until I finish ‘Project Red.’

From there, all bets are off. I may pick up ‘Project Vigilant’ again, or start on the second book of ‘Project Red.’ There’s also been some talk about crowdfunding a new edition of Savor with a brand new story…if that happens, it will require some of my time, for sure. And if I can sell the first book of ‘Red’ and also maybe more Medieval…or if some work for hire work that’s been percolating takes boil…well, yeah. (I’d really love to attend Star Wars Celebration in 2027 as a Star Wars author, my friends. How can we make that happen? #LetNeilWriteaStarWar)

Like we said last year, The thing about writing plans is that they’re superfluid. I have a list of ideas and keep adding to it. The market and interest (it, mine) tend to shape my year as it goes. Hopefully, I’ll get all of those ideas…but they never stop, and neither do I. I’ll keep telling stories in 2026 and beyond. Thanks for being here to read them.

2025 KLEID (HOLIDAY GIFT) GUIDE

So yeah, it’s the holiday season…and that means you may be searching for some last minute gifts—or may have received (will receive) a bunch of gift cards and you aren’t sure what to buy. As I do ever year, might I suggest…BOOKS AND COMICS?

Yes, books and comic books! The gift everyone loves to receive and no one like to give. But why can’t books be cool? Why can’t they be SEQUENTIAL books (okay comic books)?! Here I am, lil’ ol’ me, as I did the last few years, to suggest a few books I like that others (or you) may enjoy, too. Let’s begin with…

A FREE COMIC!
Hey, as thanks for supporting my books and comics in 2025, enjoy ‘Nice Jewish Boys’ #1 for FREE. If you dig the first issue of this intimate suburban crime story by me, John Broglia, and Ellie Wright, and want to learn more about the book, you can do so at my website. On Amazon/Comixology, you can get the whole book for 7 bucks (or free if you’re an Amazon Prime member!)

Okay, now on to the recommendations of books not by me:

Science + Superheroes!

So, Deniz Camp’s name has been everywhere, y’all. His Twentieth Century Men was wonderful, but it was this year that his spark ignited pulling double duty on both The Ultimates at Marvel and Absolute Martian Manhunter at DC. But for my money, neither of those hold a candle to his book Assorted Crisis Events at Image Comics with Eric Zawadzki. It’s the first comic I’ve read in a good long while that made me think about a great pairing of innovation in both story and art. A deconstruction of the craziest type of superhero event and crisis books, and the humans who populate them, Camp is firing on all cylinders with this one…and the art is three steps ahead. Get the first trade paperback and read it for ”Crisis on Hearth Two” in issue #3 alone.

Speaking of Absolute Martian Manhunter, DC Comics is doing some groundbreaking, compelling stuff with their new Absolute Universe. Each title turns well-known origin stories for DC’s greatest heroes on their head, offering a new dark continuity for characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more. Absolute Wonder Woman by Thompson, Sherman and Bellaire is brilliant and maybe the best Wonder Woman story I’ve read yet (uh, including the one I wrote.) And Camp’s Martian Manhunter is a trippy mystery, a joy and a visual wonder.

Slice of Life!

Dudes, I have been reading and loving Evan Dorkin’s work since I was a fledgling indie cartoonist decades ago…and it only gets better. Punk rock, neurotic, damaged goods, Dorkin’s various individual offerings (not the works he does with others like his DC comics or the wonderful Beasts of Burden books he does at Dark Horse) are…well and truly fucked up. And of course, his Eltingville Club stories—collected by Dark Horse—is the grand master of “well and truly fucked up.” A look at four…well, are they friends? They’re fans, anyway. Four dudes who enjoy the same thing, though maybe not each other. That’s the Eltingville Club: join them if you dare. A hard and hilarious look at the dark side of fandom, this mature-readers only is worth your time…even if you may see yourself at one point, staring back from its dark mirror. This collection is worth it for the final story alone, set at Comic-Con years after the rest of the book takes place.

Adventure!

I’ve really been digging the Ghost Machine comics Geoff Johns and his pals have been putting out via Image Comics. Set in a shared universe that exists across a broad timeline, Ghost Machine’s comics are enjoyable and quite commercial; their flagship, Geiger, has gotten most of the critics’ attention…but I’ve really enjoyed Redcoat with Bryan Hitch, a book about an immortal British redcoat who falls into a very American conspiracy adventure that’s a mix between the National Treasure movies and the old Valiant Comics’ Eternal Warrior series. A fun adventure yarn, I highly recommend giving Redcoat a turn.

Another period adventure comic I’ve recently enjoyed is Helen of Wyndhorn, a beautiful comic book series by Tom King and Bilquis Evely from Dark Horse about family, legacy, adventure and loss. I wasn’t prepared to like it originally—I actually thought it was a romance comic, at first. But once I cracked the first issue, I was instantly hooked. Come for the art, stay for the heart. And find yourself venturing into an adventure comic that you never saw coming.

Romance!

Speaking of romance comics, make sure to check out one of the greatest of all: Strangers In Paradise by the great Terry Moore. Katchoo loves Francine, but can’t commit because of her history. Francine loves Katchoo, but can’t commit because of her upbringing. This sprawling indie gem follows the will-they-won’t-they of their relationship, comparing and contrasting it against other relationships, and highlights it against the backdrops of politics, crime, art, and more. This is one of the rare comic books I got my wife to enjoy; SIP is a romance comic, sure, but so much more. Try them via Moore’s very affordable pocket volumes.

Crime!

So, yeah…I love Ed Brubaker’s work but I will admit that I am very new to the world of Criminal, an anthology series he co-authors with Sean Phillips via Image Comics. I read the first issue a long time ago, but didn’t follow up until very recently, after the announcement of the upcoming television adaptation. I’m happy to say publicly how stupid I was. Criminal is a collection of tales set in the same world, featuring a broad cast of players whose lives are intertwined and interconnected in many ways. Each story is technically a stand-alone tale, but reading all of the volumes lets the reader see how each of the characters grow, mature, regress and change over decades of heists and murders. You can start anywhere and jump around, but I recommend going in order if you can. This month, Image put out a one-shot with a new Criminal story starring Ricky Lawless, of the infamous Lawless family (read the book; you’ll love them) which offers a front door for tourists to Bay City who may want to set up residence and stay awhile. Give it a try; Criminal rewards.

Fantasy!

Finally, Castle Waiting. Look, I love fantasy comics. I also like cosy stories (You know that part of the Legend of Zelda video games where you walk around solving low-stakes puzzles, learning to use your sword or bow, and buying potions and talking to people and shit before you have to go face your first dungeon? That's what I want out of life.) This one’s both. Two volumes from masterful cartoonist Linda Medley and Fantagraphics, Castle Waiting spends most of its time in the titular castle which is populated by a quirky and wonderful cast of fairy tale characters (a knight who’s a horse; a bearded nun whose story makes up most of volume one; a mad plague doctor who sees visions, and is both a comic and tragic character.) Quaint and modern, an adventure that rarely leaves the house, filled with beautiful, elegant artwork both volumes of Castle Waiting are worth placing in a prominent spot on either your bookshelf or coffee table.

And that’s it! Some wonderful books you can gift to your loved ones, family and friends…or even that one co-worker you think might enjoy a fantastic read. Happy holidays, y’all. And happy gifting!

RANDOM HOLIDAY GRAB BAG

A few things that caught my eye as we head into the New Year…or said and thought in passing:

• One of the ways I know when I’m in full on deadline and promotion mode is the realization that i look at the last few months of photos on my phone and realize how few pictures there are of family and friends and even me—it’s all just promo graphics. Anyway, here’s me at the end of 2025:
  

  

• Our pal Bendis is back at Marvel! Can’t wait to pick up Avengers #800 and the new comics he’s working on over there. If you haven’t been reading Powers 25 by him and our man Mike Oeming, you really should. Three issues in and its brilliant. It really is exciting to have new Powers comics out there in stores right now. Go check them out.

• Oh goddamn it dear we forgot to serve the marijuana at Thanksgiving this year.

  

• I’ve been on a bit of a bourbon renaissance this year, but damn…$1200 for a bottle of Michter’s?! I mean I love Michter’s, but does a 1200 dollar bottle taste that much different from the 50 dollar bottle I have in my cool, new bar cart? I guess someone will have to buy me a bottle (or just a glass) for the holidays so I can find out. Right? RIGHT?

• I won’t dig in on this, but there’s a big new idea that’s been announced from an upcoming Big Two comic…and I just need to say: I had the idea first, and included it in a novel I’d recently written. I may point it out when it finally launches, but that’s about it. What purpose does it really serve other than to piss off those involved, affect the book's launch, and affect my chances to ever write for the company again? Yeah, it would be satisfying for folks to know about it, but ultimately wouldn’t really do much more for me. It might actually hurt me a bit. Sometimes, folks, comics can be frustrating. But yeah, I had that idea first. Ask me about it at a convention some time.

• Interesting to see that Topps Digital recently launched an NBA digital trading card app. That's a license we tried to get while I was there but never could (also? Harry Potter.) Glad to see the Fanatics deal opened some doors! Wanna learn a bit about how we built the Star Wars Card Trader app? Read this old newsletter.

• Ended Thanksgiving introducing our ten year old to Raiders of the Lost Ark, my absolute favorite movie. He loved it, sure…but I was delighted / impressed / proud when—without any prompting from me—he pointed out the Wilhelm Scream. Wanna learn more about the Scream? Check this out.

• PROTIP: Should life put coal in your stocking this holiday season, just use your signal watch and ask Superman to crush it into a diamond!

  

• Detroit finally has a Robocop statue. Finally, our long national nightmare is over.

  

• You guys Ted Sarandos just wanted to own a water tower full of Animaniacs. I still have the ninth episode of Band of Brothers on DVD. I never sent it back. COME TAKE IT FROM ME NETFLIX…oh wait in a way that’s exactly what they’re doing!

• I haven’t seen Wake Up Dead Man yet,  but dammit if Sesame Street isn’t already on the case with ‘Forks Out.’ I salute you, Muppet weirdos.

• Speaking of which, the great Roger Langridge is doing Muppets comics again! And they are noir comics, too. Very exciting stuff.

  

• I just read that crazy ass Batman/Deadpool book by Grant Morrison, Dan Mora, et al and i think now they can totally let me do a digital story that pairs up Ragman and Moon Knight in a crazy pants Jewish superhero comix one shot. Retailer Brian Hibbs says he’s been disappointed by sales of this book, and I find that interesting because i was literally just in my LCS (A&S Comics in Teaneck! Shout out to Tony and Alex!) and Alex noted how many damn variants they had ordered, and he said "i bought so many because it’s an evergreen book to draw people in—I can sell this all year because who doesn't know these characters?" Gotta think about the long game.

• A lovely, thoughtful article about Kate Pryde of the X-Men and her Jewishness. I soft pitched a Kate Pryde/Jewish comics story at New York Comic Con that was well received. Let’s see if it ever happens.

• Frank Gehry died. Shout out to a real one, with hopes that he was buried in an undulating coffin. RIP you architectural madman genius

• I would still like Marvel to let me write Ghost Rider, but he's a suburban dad driving a flaming mini-van and fighting demons between soccer drop-offs. When Mephisto moves in next door, hijinks ensue!

  

• Damn, Melissa McCarthy can still make me laugh.

• You know, I’m something of a comic book writer myself.

  

• Finally, I recently finished rewatching Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi again with my kid and man this quote from Rose Tico (as played by Kelly Marie Tran) really does resonate these days:

And that’s all he wrote, friend-os. We’ll have more Medieval art and fun in 2026, and talk a bit more about the new work. Hug the folks you love, love the ones you’re with. And here’s to some positivity, cheer, success, and a little peace in 2026.

And like I said at this time last year…thank you for subscribing to this newsletter and supporting my work. I truly appreciate every single person who reads what I have to say every month——and also buys, reads and spread the word about the books I create, promote and publish. Without the supportive folks who read my words (Jewish or not), I really would just be telling these stories to no one at all. So, I want to wish a happy, healthy, creative, successful and peaceful holiday season to every single person who reads this newsletter or anything I write——whether in comics, prose or just nonsense on social media—as well as to my many peers, colleagues, co-authors and fellow creators. I hope you all get to spend some time with the people you love, and the people who love you, as well. Know that I count myself among that number, okay?

I’m out, me foine buckos. Until Buddy the Elf and Mensch on the Bench finish tippling the latkes and eggnog, I remain,

Neil