Q&A: Writer Chanan Beizer Discusses Continuing the Epic Adventures of 400-Year-Old Adam the Golem in THE GOLEM OF VENICE BEACH: BOOK 2, Now on Kickstarter!

Continuing from the cliffhanger that concluded Book 1, 400-year-old Adam the Golem returns with a vengeance in The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2, and with the new graphic novel now crowdfunding on Kickstarter, Daily Dead had the pleasure of catching up with writer Chanan Beizer to discuss his anticipated sequel, including once again assembling an all-star roster of artists (featuring the return of main artist Vanessa Cardinali), teaming up with Clover Press to launch another successful Kickstarter campaign, getting the opportunity to conclude Adam's epic adventures, utilizing the vibrant setting of Venice Beach as another character in his ambitious story, and his hopes to one day see The Golem of Venice Beach on the big screen.

You can read our full Q&A with Chanan below, and we also have a look at preview pages from The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2 as well as the previous press release with additional details. To learn more about the star-studded graphic novel, visit its official Kickstarter page:

• https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/the-golem-of-venice-beach-books-1-and-2?ref=l5l4id

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us, Chanan, and congratulations on The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2! Did you always intend for the story to continue beyond Book 1?

Chanan Beizer: I was writing a screenplay about a Golem, but I eventually reconfigured the idea into a graphic novel. Cut to a few years later and I had a 346-page opus. I was worried I wouldn’t find an artist to take on a comic book that long, especially with me being a first-timer. A friend of mine from my writing group, Emily Felt, suggested I break it up. She’d had her own successful crowdfunded graphic novel and thought it likelier someone would take a chance on a shorter, less expensive book rather than a much larger, costlier one.

I thought to split it into three books, but after discussions with my editor Chris Stevens, we settled on two. It then became a matter of cutting and moving pages until I made the cliffhanger work for the end of the first book. It was a great suggestion by Emily and some great input by Chris to help me make it all come together.

How rewarding was it for you to revisit the character of Adam the Golem and expand upon the world-building that you did in Book 1?

Chanan Beizer: Extremely rewarding. There was a lot more to tell. I would have been crushed to not wrap up the storyline in Book 2. Now, people can read and hopefully enjoy my complete tale of Adam, The Golem of Venice Beach. And I think that’s pretty cool.

How long have you been working on The Golem of Venice Beach, and how many drafts did you go through before you finished the final draft?

Chanan Beizer: I estimate that my first idea about a Golem living in the back alleys of Venice Beach was about 15 years ago. That’s when the plan was to write the film script. When I decided to turn it into a graphic novel, I enrolled in a continuing education class titled “Writing for Sequential Art.” It took a few years to finish that complete first draft, but I must have rewritten the first 20 pages at least 30 times, then the next 50 pages another dozen times, etc. So, I actually have no clue as to how many drafts I’ve gone through. My point being is that writing is mostly rewriting, as they say, so the drafts are never done until the book is actually published.

I love horror stories set in beachside towns, and Venice Beach is like its own character in The Golem of Venice Beach. How important was it for you to incorporate Venice Beach as the vibrant backdrop of Adam’s adventures?

Chanan Beizer: You’ve zeroed in on the key to the whole idea—Venice Beach as another character. That was always my intention. Venice has its own unique vibe and I tried to capture it as best I could, plus, incredibly interesting backdrops in which to set a scene. Muscle Beach gym, the boardwalk shops, the skatepark, I couldn’t ask for more picturesque locations. I even threw in a bit of nearby Santa Monica—the pier with its Ferris wheel and the lesser-known Chess Park.

And one other critical aspect about Venice that may not occur to tourists: it’s a very different place from day to night—the sunny, fun-filled mornings and afternoons give way to the shadowy, somewhat dangerous evenings. If that’s not a recipe for horror, I don’t know what is.

You’ve assembled an all-star roster of artists for The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2, including Vanessa Cardinali, letterer Ferran Delgado, Frank Quitely, David Mack, Nick Dragotta, Howard Chaykin, Dean Haspiel, Jae Lee, Das Pastoras, Juan Jose Ryp, and Stan Sakai. What has it been like to collaborate with such amazing artists on this story?

Chanan Beizer: It has been a thrill and a delight that so many talented artists are part of the team bringing the second book to life. A few, I’ve been a fan of for decades, like Howard Chaykin and Stan Sakai. They are both hall of fame legends and it’s a personal milestone for me that their art appears in my book.

When Vanessa Cardinali agreed to return, it was a great relief to both myself and my editor Chris. She is the linchpin that everything else revolves around. It was also critical that Jae Lee came back to finish the WW2 flashback he began in Book 1. The result is heartbreakingly beautiful.

All the artists made great contributions. David Mack created a fantastic interpretation of a vision quest by one of the main characters. Dean Haspiel added a touch of poetic artistry in his excellent framing pages for a bonus Golem story that appears in Book 2. Juan José Ryp and Nick Dragotta are also part of the bonus story and I made an interesting observation regarding their pieces. Juan gave me exactly what I asked for in the script, but his level of excellence took the art to an unimaginable level. While Nick pretty much disregarded what I wrote in the script, but his instincts were so spot-on that his page is something that fans will really enjoy. (Me too, by the way.)

Another pleasurable outcome is the combination of Das Pastoras’ incredible homage to an iconic 1973 Sal Buscema pin-up together with the perfect selection of graphics and lettering by Ferran Delgado. All of Ferran’s lettering is flawless, but his choices in this specific example literally blew me away.

And now we come to our cover artist, or in this case wraparound cover artist, Frank Quitely. Even though Frank and I never directly spoke or exchanged emails, (we typically worked through my editor), I felt like he was trying his utmost to honor my vision. He read through Book 1 and looked through all the pages that Vanessa had inked for Book 2. He picked up on details that I didn’t even know to ask for and included them in his truly magnificent cover. I cannot even find the words to express how happy I am with how it turned out.

The Kickstarter campaign for The Golem of Venice Beach will be launching soon. What types of ghoulish goodies can supporters of the campaign look forward to?

Chanan Beizer: This campaign will of course offer the hardcover oversized edition of The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2 and for those who may have missed the first campaign, you can order the set of both Book 1 and 2. We are also offering 8x10 prints—a set of seven that features the artists from Book 1 and a set of ten that features the artists from Book 2. You can add on either or both sets.

And for a select group of backers, we are very pleased to offer a limited number of copies of Book 2 that includes a uniquely designed page signed by the one and only Frank Quitely. For those not in the know, Frank is based across the pond in Scotland, so fans of his don’t get many opportunities for his autograph. It also comes with a special 8x10 print that will only be offered as part of this particular tier.

What has it been like to team up with Clover Press to bring The Golem of Venice Beach to life?

Chanan Beizer: Clover Press has the experience that comes from being in the comic book world for a while now, with history with both IDW and DC Comics. They also have huge deals with Marvel Comics right now. They might be what some may describe as a boutique publisher, but they have the reach and depth of knowledge to keep the trains on the track. My editor and I took care of the creative side and dealt with the artists. Clover handled the publishing, crowdfunding, printing, etc. It’s really worked out well.

What advice would you give to comic book writers who are just getting started?

Chanan Beizer: Be optimistic and realistic at the same time. Did I know anything about writing comics or getting world-renowned artists to join me in my very first attempt? Of course not. But I envisioned it from the very beginning, and I took realistic steps in getting to my goal. The first was finding the right editor, which in my case was Chris Stevens. Then we just worked on the next step together. And then the step after that. And so on, and so on.

And one last thing. Don’t expect anyone to be so in love with your writing that they’d work with you or draw pages for you for free. It ain’t gonna happen.

In 2018, you won the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book contest for graphic novels with your script for The Golem of Venice Beach. What can you tell us about that experience, and do you have hopes to see The Golem of Venice Beach come to life on screen one day?

Chanan Beizer: Winning that contest gave me confidence. It was the very first time that it was open for graphic novels and The Golem of Venice Beach was my very first attempt at one. It was only in script form, so no great art to interpret my vision, just words on a page. The fact that I actually won convinced me that I had something that at least a few people appreciated.

As to seeing it on screen one day, I’m sure I don’t have to fill you in on a very badly kept secret of mine: it was always supposed to be a movie. That’s how I envisioned it and as I mentioned before, it started off as a screenplay. Kind of makes sense since I had just finished graduate film school before moving from Manhattan to Venice Beach. Even after I decided to turn it into a graphic novel, I wrote with an eye towards the film. Astute readers may have picked up on a few cinematic touches in Book 1, such as when I have a “rack focus” in the bathtub scene. Or as close to a rack focus as 2D can get.

Now getting back to your question of do I “have hopes to see The Golem of Venice Beach come to life on screen one day?” You bet your sweet ass, I do.

In addition to The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can tease for our readers?

Chanan Beizer: I may tackle turning a short story I’ve been working on into a graphic novel. I guess the genre would be historical fiction or alternative history. The main character is the Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Greenberg. It reimagines his days as a soldier in Europe and also features other famous WW2 veterans such as Don Rickles, Mel Brooks, Kirk Douglas, and J.D. Salinger. That’s a pretty impressive cast of characters, don’t you think?

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Previous Press Release: (September 10, 2024) Superstar artists Frank Quitely, David Mack, Nick Dragotta, Howard Chaykin, Dean Haspiel, Jae Lee, Das Pastoras, Juan Jose Ryp, Stan Sakai and are teaming up with artist Vanessa Cardinali, writer Chanan Beizer, and letterer Ferran Delgado for the stunning star-studded second and final volume of graphic novel The Golem of Venice Beach. Picking up immediately after the thrilling cliffhanger of Book One, Book Two continues and concludes the epic story about the adventures of a 400-year-old Golem spanning from 16th century Europe, to the horrors of World War II, to modern day Venice Beach, where the Golem has become entangled in a war between a gang and the police. Both a riveting narrative and a celebration of Southern California, both volumes of The Golem of Venice Beach will soon be available on Kickstarter.

The Golem of Venice Beach: Book Two is a 184-page oversized deluxe hardcover and features:

• A thrilling wrap-around cover suitable for framing by renowned Scottish illustrator Frank Quitely (New X-Men, All-Star Superman, Batman and Robin)
• A four-page flashback sequence that completes the emotional depiction of the Golem’s resurrection during World War Two that began in Book 1 by Jae Lee (Seven Sons, Batman/Superman) and colorist June Chung
• A unique six-page vision quest sequence of existential exploration by David Mack (Daredevil, New Avengers)
• A striking homage to an iconic Sal Buscema pin up from 1973’s groundbreaking Avengers/Defenders War by Spanish painter extraordinaire Das Pastoras (Metabarons)
• A nine-page Golem bonus story, featuring the combined talents of Brooklyn-based and Emmy Award winner Dean Haspiel (Covid Cop), the critically acclaimed Juan José Ryp (Frank Miller's RoboCop), best-selling artist Nick Dragotta (X-Statix), comics legend Howard Chaykin (American Flagg), and superstar Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo)
• Kickstarter Exclusive prints, 8" x 10" and ready to frame and hang on your wall, featuring art from each of the ten contributing artists in Book Two.
• All seven prints from the artists in Book 1 (Michael Allred, Stephen R. Bissette, Vanessa Cardinali, Jae Lee, Nick Pitarra, Paul Pope, and Bill Sienkiewicz)
• A Kickstarter Exclusive Hardcover that features a unique signature plate signed by Quitely.

In The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 1, Adam is a Golem, a creature of vengeance and destruction, of violence and death created 400 years ago in Eastern Europe. Today he spends his days adrift on the sunny boardwalks of Venice Beach, the only hope of release from his lonely existence being the clueless Jake Loeb, the sole remaining heir of the Golem's creator. But when Jake becomes involved with a mysterious tattooed woman and a drug-dealing death worship cult, things get complicated and dangerous for Adam. Golems are not meant to walk the Earth forever. Can Adam make a difference? Can he find peace in the California sun? And can a monster have a soul?

“Picking up immediately after Book 1’s cliffhanger, in The Golem of Venice Beach: Book 2 we find Adam the Golem in the midst of gang warfare while trying to protect two runaway teens,” said writer and creator Chanan Beizer. “To make matters worse, Jake comes under the scrutiny of the very same gang while Uncle Steph tries to mend a rift that has formed between Adam and Jake, and things come to a head when Stephan is kidnapped. It’s up to Adam and Jake to save him—but first, Jake must first find a way to make Adam whole again and restore the Golem that has been part of his family legacy for over 400 years.”

“We’re excited to bring the conclusion of The Golem of Venice Beach to market,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “Chanan Biezer’s sophomore release is bolstered by an amazing line-up of talent, and Vanessa Cardenali’s art really shines!”

The Golem of Venice Beach Book 1 was named best graphic novel in 2023 by Rue Morgue Magazine.

For updates, follow Clover Press on X, Instagram, and Facebook. To support the campaign, visit Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/the-golem-of-venice-beach-books-1-and-2?ref=l5l4id

ABOUT THE CREATOR

Chanan Beizer has had a varied career including computer programming, film-making, and TV sports production. In 2018, Chanan’s script for The Golem of Venice Beach won the very first ScreenCraft Cinematic Book contest for graphic novels. For the past three years, Chanan has been working with Eisner-Award winning editor, Chris Stevens (Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream) to assemble a dream team of artistic collaborators to bring the story of the Golem to life.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

About Clover Press: Headed by IDW co-founder Robbie Robbins and former DC executive Hank Kanalz, Clover Press publishes a wide variety of collected and original content ranging from re-mastered reprints of classic newspaper strips to horror graphic novels, and high-quality art books. Clover Press is working with a wide variety of creators including Kevin Eastman, Steve Niles, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ruben Bolling, Richard Bennett, Ray Troll, John K. Snyder III, Stewart Kenneth Moore, Aron Wiesenfeld, David Mack, Alex Maleev, David Nakayama, Russell Dauterman, and more.