It’s been a wild month for most of the world, but I blame most of it on the lousy Smarch weather — everyone’s getting sick as the seasons change — and a whole lot of instability throughout the world, including in comic books, yeah?

But here at home, at Nice Jewish Words & Comics, I’m doing my best to settle into a calmer, mellower, hungry Spring groove.

Let’s talk about why.

NEW MOTHERFREAKING BOOK!

First and foremost, I soft-announced a brand-new original horror novella — previously codenamed ‘Project Wonka’ — when the deal was announced at Publishers Marketplace. Yes, I’ve just put the final editorial touches on Return To the Motherfreaking Fun Factory, my first-ever original prose work with characters I own, out this Fall (October—just in time for Halloween!) From Blackstone Publishing. 

This book, a gripping (and creepy) mash-up of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Stephen King’s IT, is an idea I’ve been nursing along for years now, ever since I mentioned it seven years ago as a throwaway idea on Facebook. Realizing there was more opportunity there than just another social media post, I spent a lot of time thinking about the characters, morals, and DNA of Roald Dahl’s book —and subsequent film adaptations — and how they might easily lend themselves to a very unique, very entertaining revenge story which goes off the rails super quickly, in a most horrible, terrifying manner.

Anyway, the book is written and in the hands of my editor. Had a blast conceiving and writing this one, and I hope you’ll check it out when it launches this Fall. More on that as it comes together, including various book signings in specific locales.

Halloween 2026. We are the screamers of screams.

YOU CAN READ ALL OF MEDIEVAL!

Yup, all five issues of Medieval — the Arthurian baseball comic book by me, Alex Cormack, and Sarah Litt via Comixology Originals — are now available to read digitally on the Amazon Kindle app, easily downloadable to your mobile device.

Look, this may be one of the best things I’ve ever written (and fantastic to look at; Alex’s artwork is just…lurid, amazing, great.) It’s also easily the most commercial original comic book I’ve ever written, barring perhaps Savor. The collected digital edition is out next month, just in time for the start of the Major League Baseball season, but grab the individual issues now (free if you’re an Amazon Prime member!) To get a sense of how they were paced and presented before experiencing it as a chunk or in physical form…whenever that may be.

For those who missed it, see above the cover to issue #5, inspired by the most appropriate cover to Iron Man #150 by John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton — the issue in which Tony Stark and Dr. Doom travel back in time to Camelot! And don’t forget to check out the Spotify playlist for the issue, as well, and listen to the soundtrack as the tale concludes (for now.)

Like Nice Jewish Boys, for now Medieval is only available digitally. We’re working with Comixology to identify a print publisher, but that could take some time. Look, I have some ideas why NJB has been tough to place (the less said here about that the better, for now…though I will say that sometimes folks in the comic book industry can be a cowardly lot and there’s been a lot less interest in some of book with Judaic themes in the marketplace…but that is all I will say.) but, y’know, other than all the blood and cussin’, Medieval is as broad and relatable a tale as they come. I hope those who have already read it will agree. Cross dem fingers and yer iron baseball bats and pray that we’ll be able to get a printed edition into your hands soon. In the meantime, give us a read, tell yer friends, and thank you — as always — for supporting our fun, violent, ridiculous book. 

Here’s a review of issue #5 I quite liked.

“If you’re looking for a quick, violent, occasionally silly tale about a foul-mouthed plumber from the Bronx navigating life in medieval Britain and locking horns with King Arthur himself, give this mini-series a shot.”

More about Medieval below.

VOTE FOR MEDIEVAL IN THE 2026 RINGO AWARDS!

It’s that time of year again — comics awards season! — and yes, Alex, Sarah, and I are hoping you’ll vote for our boy Danny Landau and his time-lost tale of Bronx chivalry, baseball, blood, and Britain in the annual Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards! ‘Ringo was one of my favorite comic book artists, and the Ringo are an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics. It would be a huge honor to even be nominated for a Ringo, win or not, and the Medieval team would appreciate your vote, as the first two issues of our insane comic are eligible for 2026. 

ANYONE can vote in the Ringo — pros, fans, passersby — and you can do so by going to this link and then clicking on the big blue button marked “Click here to nominate your favorite comics and creators” on the right side of the page. You don’t have to vote for us in every category — and the graphic above suggests a few recommendations — but please give us a chance, and also vote for your other favorite comic books and creators in the rest of the categories (drop me a line if you’d like some suggestions!)

Thanks again for voting for me, Alex, Sarah, and Medieval. Let’s hope we eke out a nom!

WHAT’S NEXT?

So, now that both Medieval and the horror novel are done, what’s next for you to read from Kleid and friends?

That is an excellent question.

This is probably the first time in six years, since Savor, that I do not have anything — comic or novel — in active development. The comics industry is a weird place right now, and getting projects greenlit — as both the market and various publishers are undergoing shifts — is a bit more difficult than it’s been in the past. I’ll also admit that while I was writing the horror novella, I needed to slow down my pitching and comics development work a little bit, and am only now coming up for air so I can sit and ponder what next to package and pitch to prospective publishers (alliteration!) For the most part, the 2026 Writing Plan hasn’t shifted as drastically as I believed it would by March, but I did think of a new idea while down in the muck and gore of writing the Fun Factory prose, and so I do have a few options in terms of ideas I want to pursue. What’s been a bit more limiting is, with whom do I want to pursue them?

I can’t say that Medieval will open as many doors as I believe it should —the blood and language is a limiting factor, to be fair —but it does show that I can hang on a real commercial concept, and hopefully that will prove out when I send out the collected edition to some editors over the next month. Also, Alex, Sarah and I would like to craft a second volume —we have the idea — so if you dug volume 1, make sure to tell our pals at Comixology about it. There is more story to tell. If folks tell them they want more, and sales show there is demand, we can do more. That’s how all this works, right? It’s like this for all of my books. If you want more Savor, more Kings and Canvas, whatever—support the book, tell folks about it, tell the publishers and editors how much you loved it and want more. Sales and demand are the only true barometers for more issues/volumes. I’m one guy out here banging the drum for my books & my reach is limited. I don’t have a Scott Snyder or James Tynion fan base (and I love both those guys) and I don’t have a Big Two or licensed book to translate to sales. I need readers to help tell other readers and publishers that they liked my books. I totally appreciate everyone who has supported and broadcast Medieval far and wide — including anyone getting and reading this newsletter. We’re proud of the book and hope folks dig it. But if we want to make more, and we do, there has to be demand and visibility. It’s simply how it is. Thanks for helping to get the word out.

What I will say is that writing Medieval…was maybe the most fun I’ve had writing a comic book for a long, long time, and hopefully that shows on the page. That’s the kind of writing I want to do now: projects that are fun, with co-authors I admire and with whom I enjoy working. Books and comics that really come from a place of “here’s a book I would want to read right now” along with “here’s a book I would want my kids to read right now” — those are the projects I am really hoping to work on now.

And, you know, I’d like to be writing some new licensed projects for great, supportive editors. I have some emails and ideas out to a few of those; we’ll see how those land, if at all.

But yes — I’m back in the valley again, staring up at the peak, preparing to climb. But it feels different this time; like I’ve made some peace with it all, some clear balance. Writing both Medieval and Fun Factory made me realize that this shit doesn’t have to be shit — or make me feel like it while making or talking about it. I can enjoy writing, I can have fun with it and ensure the folks I collaborate with, my various co-authors and editors, have fun with it, too.

So can you.

Look, making comics, or any kind of writing, is not an easy thing to do, by any means.

You need to find the time, the energy, the ideas…and then you need to work those ideas over and over, struggling with every character motivation and plot point (you — not your magic chatbot which takes other writers’ ideas and presents them in some kind of seven-layer-mayo-dip of a mutant manuscript that smells rotten by writers, editors and readers from fifty feet away) and it can feel…draining. Fruitless. Difficult.

I’ve been there. I know. 

But there’s no reason you can’t find the joy in the work. Quirky dialogue or fun little character details; moments of humor and the sheer thrill of building a brand-new world.

Writing can be fun, even if it isn’t easy. Even if it feels sometimes like you’re just writing for yourself, down in the valley, hoping that one day you’ll be cresting the peak.

Both Medieval and Fun Factory were opportunities for me to put myself outside my usual comfort zone, to challenge the kinds of stories I was writing — neither of them are like anything I’ve ever written before, and by writing without a safety net, without my usual themes or tricks — and, of course, working with fantastic, smart, encouraging editors in both Sarah Litt and Brendan Deneen (with whom I collaborated on the Powers novel ten years ago) and in Medieval’s case, with a brilliantly talented co-author in Alex — both books ended up so much better than they were when envisioned in the original pitch documents. 

Also…who would have ever thought I’d be writing an Arthurian romance comic OR a fucked up, creepy horror novel about four adult rejects coming back to kill the beloved, whimsical toymaker who done them wrong as kids? Not me. But as I wrote those projects, I also exposed myself to other films and books entrenched in romance and horror, and reading / watching those made me realize that I wanted to write even more romance and horror books — I was having fun with both genres! — and so you’ll be seeing more of that in my work going forward.

So, sure; right now I have nothing scheduled to hit bookshelves after the horror novella. I could stop if I wanted to.

I won’t. In the words of Dan Vado, I’m too stupid to quit comics, and too mean to die.

This will change. I have a Writing Plan, and it’s changing just a little…to accommodate two new pitches for stories we’ll call ‘Project Sabbath’ (otherworldly, low-stakes romance) and ‘Project Makkot (bloody, biblical, societal horror story). I need to do a quick edit for the ‘Project Benjamin’ pitch, my non-fiction OGN, and finally complete my supernatural crime novel ‘Project Red’, the main priority (60k words in—nearly done!) I’m benching ‘Project Taylor’ and ‘Project Long Ago’ for now—the former is a screenplay, and I’m in no position to pitch one now; the latter needs more focus and baking. ‘Project Danger Kings’ appears to be dead right now (until it isn’t!) I’m already to go and start pitching both ‘Project Main Street’, ‘Project Orlando’, and maybe soon we’ll figure out that collected Savor Kickstarter.

I plan to have fun with it all. And because I do, hopefully you’ll see some of these stories on bookshelves in the future. Who can say?

And hopefully, if you can find this sort of balance — and have fun with your writing, try not to stress about the craft and lean into the unknown, dig into research, find great folks to work with — I’ll be seeing some of yours on bookshelves, as well.

Here’s to climbing together, friends. 

LIGHTNING ROUND!

• I know this was a few weeks ago, but huge thanks to Michigan’s Jewish community and the guard who interceded, and anyone who helped stop the ramming incident at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan — near my family — from being a lot worse. This is a very scary time for Jews, and we must do our best to combat antisemitism and hate wherever it rears its ugly head, on the right or left. Just a reminder that those of us who attend synagogues each weekend around the globe are still reeling from what happened. We have not forgotten, and have no moved on.

  

• Okay, in more appreciative news, congrats to my buddy Alex Segura who just launched his new licensed novel, Daredevil: Enemy of My Enemy, which promises to be a gripping take about law, New York, superhero action, morals, and the Punisher. Give it a read, if you can. Alex’s previous licensed superhero work is top-notch, and his original fiction, most specifically his novels Secret Identity and Alter-Ego — which take place in the comics industry — are stellar.

  

• Also, congrats to our pals of the newsletter, Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Oeming whose comic book Powers —now back as Powers 25 from Dark Horse! — is getting the adult animation treatment at Netflix. Brian and Mike have always supported me and my work, and were kind enough to invite me to adapt the world of Powers into a prose novel for MacMillan, so I wish them nothing but success with the new series. I’ll be watching for sure, and hoping that maybe we see a mention of some of the characters who appeared in the book I co-authored with Brian…! That said, Netflix, if there’s an adult animation spree happening and you want a series from comics with a big iron baseball bat that’s also a love story have I got the comic for you.

  

• RIP the great Sam Kieth, who we name-checked last time when discussing Marvel Comics Presents. Sam’s artwork was pivotal and formative to me at one point in my career, when I still wanted to draw comics, and I tried aping his weird, creepy, Burtonesque vibe more than once. His Image Comics book The Maxx, is all sorts of trippy and fantastic. Track down his art, his comics, his work if you can.

• Also, RIP to Max Landis’ G.I. Joe movie pitch, thank Hasbro. Literally no one wants a Max Landis G.I. Joe movie. Nice when bad things happen to bad people. Hey, Paramount—I will pay to see five showings per week for as long as it’s running in theaters if you hire Larry Hama to write the movie. Also, I think id like to write a G.I. Joe prose novel now. How can i make that happen?!

  

• I was in San Francisco for a few days and managed to visit The Isotope Comic Book Lounge for over a decade now and catch up with the great James Sime. Managed to stop in yesterday for a bit. A fun, inspiring chat with a fantastic retailer in a memorable shop! It’s nice when a solid retailer whose taste you respect is like “you’re a great writer & your work is perfect for this moment in comics - you should be writing a Vertigo book, or shorts for some of those trippy anthologies out there.” Meant a lot to me. Too often in comics you can second guess how your work is coming across or making an impact. When someone in the business of selling that work to readers validates that not only is it good but that you should do more? Amazing feeling. Also, below are photos of me and James now, and James at the start of my career at one of my first San Diego Comic-Cons, kissing a copy of the late, great Darwyn Cooke’s Parker graphic novel — we were both waiting on line to have our copies signed.

• New Disney CEO just dropped. I thought after Iger and Chapek that you had to change your name to “Bob” as a Disney CEO. Kinda like “Darth.” Hey, Josh D’Amaro — forget Sora and OpenAI. Instead, how’s about I write a Star Tours novel or comic book you can sell in Disney theme parks, or write a Star Tours animated series?! #LetNeilWriteAStarWar

• Justin Verlander is a Detroit Tiger again. David Montgomery and Alex Anzalone are no longer Detroit Lions (the last one to my wife’s chagrin). What is happening in Detroit sports?!

  

• Since last we met, two completely different Spider-Man trailers have dropped. The Spider-Noir one is super—er, I mean spider interesting. I really hope we get the full Cage for that one. As for Brand New Day, it looks really fun and heart-wrenching, like an issue of Spider-man should, and I know it tags in some larger MCU stuff with Banner and the Punisher, but I really hope it can just be a Spider-Man story. Personally, I would love to see them do a crazy adaptation of the Gang War storyline from the mid-eighties, with Punisher on board. They won’t, but that would be fantastic. You could have Charlie Cox in a Kingpin suit!

  

• Speaking of movie trailers, I know there’s been some discussion about the whole “no green in LANTERNS” by folks smarter than me, but honestly the trailer for the show looks fine. I get the whole hard traveling heroes inspiration but come on it’s Green Freaking Lantern. Why is it so grounded? Don’t tell me about talking squirrel space cops to get a laugh— SHOW THEM TO ME. Gimme a squirrel and a sentient planet out there fighting crime together in space. That’s what I wanna watch. The fans want Mogo, the Green Lantern planet, Damon Lindelof. CH’P AND MOGO

• I linked to it at the top of the newsletter, but the fact that Mike Richardson is out at Dark Horse Comics — who published both Savor and the print edition of The Panic — is huge comic book news, actually. All I can say here is that there are a lot of folks I love at Dark Horse, and I hope in the long run that they will be okay. Some of my favorite folks over there and the company has always treated me with respect, paid me and my co-authors on time, and been graceful and helpful with comps and rights. I wish Mike luck, and I wish everyone luck over there, as well.

• There is a new X-Men book out which establishes a new mutant school inside a telepath’s head and the character Vulcan is also a part of the story looks like and I’m pretty sure this is it. Oh, wait. Never mind. Look I’m being cheeky but I’m actually excited to read X-Men United. I’m a big fan of new status quo stories in comics. Bring it on X-office…but yeah, I thought of it first!

• Our pal Paul Tobin is making a comic called Junk Punch with Carlos Javier Olivares, Francesca Vivaldi, Taylor Esposito, Colleen Coover and Mad Cave. Comics are weird but awesome, yo.

• There are new episodes of Scrubs on my TV set, and I’m thankful.

• As always, my wish for the future is the opportunity to have more Jewish comic book creators telling more original comic book stories and also being invited to do the same with Jewish licensed characters by supportive, interested editors and publishers. Email me if that’s you.

• Finally, I hear you Snoopy, my brother in writing:

Okay, that’s me going out like a lion instead of a lamb getting ready for Hot Comics Summer.

See you in April for all them showers that will bring May flowers.

—Neil