Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Mobster Meyer Lansky goes for one last score in Humanoids' new graphic novel, Meyer
Infamous Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky might not seem the most likely choice for a modern comic book tale, but a dark graphic novel from Humanoids brings a pivotal figure in American history into the late 20th century for one final misadventure by the legendary tough guy — and SYFY WIRE has an exclusive look inside the killer con job.
Indie publisher Humanoids is locked and loaded to release the original graphic novel, Meyer, on Sept. 24, deftly written by Los Angeles-based author and filmmaker Jonathan Lang (Feeding Ground) and accented with interior art by acclaimed international illustrator Andrea Mutti (Infinite Dark, Rebels). The noirish main cover comes courtesy of Shawn Martinbrough.
This is a 120-page, darkly comedic coming-of-age quest stuffed full of hardcore Breaking Bad-style imagery amid a fictional biography of the legendary Jewish mobster Meyer Lansky as he attempts to organize his very last caper.
The plot is centered near the sun-soaked sands of Miami Beach. Jewish criminal mastermind Meyer Lansky is long dead ... or at least that’s what he wants his mortal enemies all to believe. But the gruff old man has one ultimate job to pull off, and he can’t do it solo. Once he recruits an innocent bystander, their perilous journey propels them headlong into an intriguing endeavor filled with murder and malice, toward an ending neither one could possibly have foreseen.
Lang is a native of Miami himself and grew up being regaled by riveting stories of his grandfather working as a numbers runner for the “Tough Jews” of Murder, Inc. He conceived of the Meyer graphic novel while working as a volunteer companion to a 101-year-old resident in a nursing home. A custom Spotify playlist created by Lang showcasing tunes from Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Jimmy Buffett, Frank Sinatra, Little River Band, and more creates a moody soundtrack accompaniment you can preview HERE.
“Birthed from the DNA of Miami crime writers like Charles Willeford comes this imaginary biography of the brains behind Murder, Inc.," Lang tells SYFY WIRE. "Set in sun-drenched South Florida during the early 1980s, Meyer is noir at the beach, with blood-soaked history pages strewn across the blanket. Part buddy-comedy, Meyer follows the legendary Jewish gangster on a quest to the Florida Keys to reclaim his legacy.”
Check out our four-page peek at Humanoids' new period-set crime story, Meyer, in the gallery below, then tell us if you'll join the Floridian gang when this old-school graphic novel arrives on Sept. 17.
