JSpann7185
02-17-2006, 10:20 AM
NBM PREMIERES ‘BROWNSVILLE’ AT NYC COMIC CON
A Fascinating Look into the Jewish Part of the Mob By Neil Kleid and Jake Allen.
NBM, exhibiting right at the entrance in booth 301 a the NY Comic Con at teh Javitts Center the weekend of February 24-26, will feature a number of artists signing: Ted Rall and fellow cartoonists Neil ("Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles") Swaab and Stephanie ("Minimum Security") McMillan from the "Attitude" series; Allan Gross and Jerry Carr of the increasingly popular "Cryptozoo Crew"; and featuring a premiere of "Brownsville" with authors Jake Allen and Xeric Award winner Neil Kleid on hand to sign copies fresh off the press.
"I've always been fascinated with organized crime," Kleid said, "but I wasn't interested in creating a 'fake mob' like you see in so many gangster stories; I wanted my world to be set in the history of the Mafia. I discovered, reading books and doing research, that there were all of these hoodlums out there that all contributed to the larger story of the Mafia - and more importantly to me as an Orthodox Jew - the Jewish Mob. So I dug a little and found out about Abe Reles, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, Gangy Cohen, Mendy Weiss, etc., many with their own quirks and insecurities – Weiss, for instance, would not kill on the Sabbath. BROWNSVILLE attempts to document the true to life events – often with suggested and fictionalized dialogue – and shines a light on the personalities, hopes and fears of nameless hoods you see standing in the shadows of movies like 'The Godfather' and 'Once Upon A Time In America.'"
The main character in Kleid’s story, Abe Reles, fascinated him especially for not coming from a poor background and therefore having had choices. He had only joined the mob for the thrill. However, his relationship with his father eventually unwound his resolve and as investigations crippled their organization, he started to vacillate...
On the book’s jacket, Award-winning writer Harvey Pekar notes that: "Jewish gangsters are almost unheard of these days. This taut and suspenseful drama takes people to an era that no longer exists" and Eisner-winning cartoonist Carla Speed McNeil assures that: "This book examines a piece of the history of organized crime, and does so with grace, style and power. This book carries history. Read it."
A Fascinating Look into the Jewish Part of the Mob By Neil Kleid and Jake Allen.
NBM, exhibiting right at the entrance in booth 301 a the NY Comic Con at teh Javitts Center the weekend of February 24-26, will feature a number of artists signing: Ted Rall and fellow cartoonists Neil ("Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles") Swaab and Stephanie ("Minimum Security") McMillan from the "Attitude" series; Allan Gross and Jerry Carr of the increasingly popular "Cryptozoo Crew"; and featuring a premiere of "Brownsville" with authors Jake Allen and Xeric Award winner Neil Kleid on hand to sign copies fresh off the press.
"I've always been fascinated with organized crime," Kleid said, "but I wasn't interested in creating a 'fake mob' like you see in so many gangster stories; I wanted my world to be set in the history of the Mafia. I discovered, reading books and doing research, that there were all of these hoodlums out there that all contributed to the larger story of the Mafia - and more importantly to me as an Orthodox Jew - the Jewish Mob. So I dug a little and found out about Abe Reles, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, Gangy Cohen, Mendy Weiss, etc., many with their own quirks and insecurities – Weiss, for instance, would not kill on the Sabbath. BROWNSVILLE attempts to document the true to life events – often with suggested and fictionalized dialogue – and shines a light on the personalities, hopes and fears of nameless hoods you see standing in the shadows of movies like 'The Godfather' and 'Once Upon A Time In America.'"
The main character in Kleid’s story, Abe Reles, fascinated him especially for not coming from a poor background and therefore having had choices. He had only joined the mob for the thrill. However, his relationship with his father eventually unwound his resolve and as investigations crippled their organization, he started to vacillate...
On the book’s jacket, Award-winning writer Harvey Pekar notes that: "Jewish gangsters are almost unheard of these days. This taut and suspenseful drama takes people to an era that no longer exists" and Eisner-winning cartoonist Carla Speed McNeil assures that: "This book examines a piece of the history of organized crime, and does so with grace, style and power. This book carries history. Read it."