A creature of myth stalks Venice Beach, California. But it’s not your typical vampire or werewolf. No; it is Adam, a Golem, the animated clay monster of Jewish myth created to protect the people, whose often single-minded pursuit of justice can make them as much of a threat as those they are created to stop.
Writer Chanan Beizer’s debut graphic novel, The Golem of Venice Beach, comes to Kickstarter this week, featuring art by Vanessa Cardinali and a team of heavy hitters including:
- A wrap-around cover and a seven-page prologue by Bill Sienkiewicz (Moon Knight) that showcases the Golem’s creation in the year 1580.
- A 10-page flashback sequence by Jae Lee (The Inhumans) and colorist June Chung that depicts how the Golem was resurrected during World War II.
- A two-page spread and map of Venice Beach by Michael and Laura Allred (Madman) that captures everything weird and wonderful about the bohemian spirit that permeates the neighborhood.
- An eerie phantasmagoria by Stephen R. Bissette (Saga of the Swamp Thing).
- A two-page splash by Nick Pitarra (Ax-Wielder Jon) that features every single person who is on panel in the book in one huge, cinematic crowd shot.
- A two-page portrait featuring the iconic Santa Monica Pier by Paul Pope (Battling Boy) and colorist Lovern Kindzierski.
We sat down with Chanan to discuss influences, the history of the script and the themes of the book.
Matt Lazorwitz: What is the elevator pitch for The Golem of Venice Beach?
Chanan Beizer: In Venice Beach, where the dangerous back-alley shadows by night contrast with the unrelenting heat of the California sun by day, a monster created to save lives must find his way in a world he never asked to be born into.
Matt: What were your earliest exposures to the story of the Golem? Mine was probably a two-part story in Detective Comics where a Golem comes to Gotham to fight skinheads.
Chanan: I can’t exactly remember the first time I heard the legend, but I know the first comic book I read with a Golem was Strange Tales #174 featuring “The Golem — the Thing that Walks Like a Man.” Since beginning this epic adventure of this graphic novel I’ve been collecting any related comics. I picked up the rest of the Strange Tales issues with the Golem plus Detective Comics #631, which is part 1 of the story line you mentioned. I’m still on the lookout for issue #632 for part 2. There are a few other Golem comics I’ve also managed to find. A friend of mine even gave me an English-language Golem picture book for kids published in the Czech Republic. The legend is kind of a big deal in Prague, and there’s even a statue. Funny thing is that instead of being a fearsome creature destroying its enemies, this picture book makes the Golem out to be a glorified handyman doing chores, like someone you hire from TaskRabbit.
Matt: This book has an interesting history, with the script winning awards before it was even published. How has the development process worked over the past few years since then?
Chanan: It’s been a long and winding road. Even before winning the contest, it took quite a while to write the whole thing. If it wasn’t for my comic book writing group, I don’t know if I could have done it. Deadlines are important, even if it’s just to show progress to your friends. Once completed and with the encouragement of the group, I decided to find artists to actually create the graphic novel. The first step was to find an editor to guide me through the process.
Matt: How did the two of you come to work together? And how did you assemble all these artists? That is a serious lineup.
Chanan: I happened to see a post by Chris Stevens in a Facebook group called “Connecting Comic Book Writers with Artists.” Hiring Chris as the book’s editor was key. He had a huge list of artist contacts, which was obvious to me from his Kickstarter for Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream. Then it just became a process of matching up artists to the different parts of the story. Chris deserves most of the credit for this. With the exception of Vanessa, the main artist for the book, it was always Chris who suggested who to contact. Regarding Vanessa, I saw one of her posts in that same Facebook group. I could see that she had a fantastic eye for color and whimsy, which would fit in perfectly with the vibe in Venice Beach. Chris had also noticed the same post, and we agreed he should reach out to her. The rest is kismet.
Matt: What makes this story important for now? The Golem is traditionally a protector of those who have no protectors from hatred, and that feels timely. But at the same time, what makes this a timeless story?
Chanan: I think the real lesson is be careful what you wish for. According to the legend, the Golem was created to protect a people from their oppressors. But it became uncontrollable and had to be placed into suspended animation. It’s basically the Law of Unintended Consequences, which is something we are still learning to live with today.
The campaign for The Golem of Venice Beach launches today.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of five. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the creator interview podcast WMQ&A with Dan Grote.
