Mad Cave Studios has announced a new crime series slated to debut in August, and The Beat has the details. Written by David Hazan and illustrated by Sami Kivelä with colors by Ringo Award winner Ellie Wright and letters by Simon Bowland, Kosher Mafia takes place in 1936 during the lead-up to World War II in Cleveland, Ohio.
The story follows Howard Berkowicz, the bookkeeper for the Jewish Mob, who’s threatened at gunpoint by an enforcer when he tries to get the Kosher Mafia to take action against the newly-founded German American Bund, a domestic Nazi organization.
“I poured my heart and soul into Kosher Mafia,” said Hazan. “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.
“This comic is about antisemitism, specifically that it neither started nor ended with the Holocaust. 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 Sami, 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!” he continued.
Kivelä added, “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. I hope readers will enjoy diving into this adventure where our heroes Howard and Eph try to escape the wrath of the mobsters.”
Kosher Mafia #1 features main cover art by Kivelä and a variant cover by Shawn Martinbrough, seen below.
Kosher Mafia #1 will be available at your local comic shop on August 7.