Holy Roller #1 [Comic Review]

Roland Boschi / Image Comics

I had the opportunity to read the first issue of Holy Roller, a series written by Rick Remender, actor/comedian Andy Samberg, and Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman, with art by Roland Boschi. The book is about Levi, a man forced to return home to Cleveland after twenty years to see his ill father. When he’s home, he must come to terms with his Jewish identity and his father’s legacy as a bowler when he’s confronted by Neo-Nazis in his hometown.

That summary sounds a lot more dramatic than what this book is - a comedy action superhero comic. The tone is light and over the top, but the book deals with topics personally relatable to me - coming to terms with my heritage as a Jew, and living in a world with rising degrees of antisemitism.

A lot of the jokes didn’t hit for me at first; the tone wasn’t working. But the second half of this double length issue really turned things around, as it got deeper into the core themes of the book, finally ending in an explosion of violence. The art is great. Boschi’s caricaturish style fits the material to a T. The character designs are great, including a couple that bear more than a passing resemblance to famous actors.

The plot of the book also bears similarities to Paolo Sorrentino’s excellent film This Must Be the Place (2011), which also co-stars Judd Hirsch, much like you can say this book does. I highly recommend it.

I must say I’m now a fan and I can’t wait to see where this book goes. Holy Roller #1 will be released on November 22.

Roland Boschi / Image Comics