Written by Andy Samberg,
Rick Remender, Joe Trohman
Art by Roland Boschi
Published by Image Comics
The holy trinity of comedy, comics, and carnage comes together in The Holy Roller, a wild genre mashup from the minds of SNL veteran Andy Samberg, Deadly Class scribe Rick Remender, and Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman.
On paper, the premise sounds like a joke you’d hear during “Weekend Update”: a disillusioned Jewish bowling champion, Levi Coen, returns home to care for his sick father, only to discover his town has become a neo-Nazi playground.
So, he does what any good son would do—he straps on his wrist brace, grabs his ball bag, and becomes the vigilante known as The Holy Roller.
What follows is part Scott Pilgrim, part Inglourious Basterds, and entirely too weird to look away from.
Rolling Strikes: The Comic’s Strengths
Where The Holy Roller thrives is in its unapologetic absurdity. Levi’s bowling-based combat is both hilarious and horrifying—he dispatches fascists with exploding balls, acid balls, and at least one that’s just “really, really heavy.” Roland Boschi’s kinetic art and Moreno Dinisio’s saturated, fiery color palette make the action sequences pop like a Saturday morning cartoon after three cups of coffee.
Amid the chaos, the creative team wedges in a surprising amount of heart. The series tackles bigotry, generational trauma, and the algorithmic rage-mongering of big tech. A standout moment comes late in the series when Levi’s father delivers a monologue on the necessity of forgiveness, a scene that evokes Judd Hirsch in The Fabelmans and reminds us why satire can still pack emotional punches.
Gutterballs: Where It Loses Its Grip
But for every perfect strike, there’s a few regrettable gutterballs.
Tonal whiplash is the comic’s biggest Achilles’ heel. One page serves up slapstick gags—complete with fart jokes and a rogue AI Hitler app—while the next dives into harrowing explorations of anti-Semitism and PTSD. The constant zigzag makes it tough for readers to fully invest in Levi’s emotional arc, which feels rushed in places.
The villains, too, feel stuck between tones: Mr. Henry, the corporate puppetmaster behind the chaos, is both terrifying and cartoonish. The “Holo-Hitler” app concept is brilliant in its satire, but the execution sometimes veers into parody so broad it loses teeth.
Character Growth: Uneven but Ambitious
Levi Coen is a compelling figure—a burnout pulled back into the fight not by destiny, but by obligation. His transformation into a vigilante feels emotionally sincere, but it’s often eclipsed by the loud, ludicrous plot. A few quieter character moments would’ve gone a long way toward grounding the narrative.
Side characters range from delightful (a hilariously self-serious sidekick vying for “co-hero” status) to forgettable. A subplot involving meth-raged townsfolk feels more like narrative padding than a meaningful contribution to the theme.
Adaptation Bait? Maybe. But It’s a Risky Roll
Like many modern creator-owned comics, The Holy Roller seems tailor-made for streaming adaptation. Its bombastic action sequences, emotional beats, and dark humor are practically storyboarded for the screen. But with its Jewish superhero lore, extreme tonal shifts, and bowling-as-violence premise, it may prove too oddball for traditional studios.
Think Scott Pilgrim by way of Green Room, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jesse Eisenberg with a beard. Would I watch it? Absolutely. Would it be greenlit? Eh… not without a few rewrites and some IP synergy.
Final Frame: A Chaotic, Cathartic Ride
Ultimately, The Holy Roller is a comic that dares to be bizarre. It doesn’t always land the split, but its blend of political satire, ultra-stylized violence, and surprising heart earns it a solid 4 out of 5. Whether you’re in it for the Nazi-smashing action or the poignant message about love over vengeance, this book rolls straight down the middle of the strike zone.
Verdict: Buy it for the chaos. Stay for the catharsis.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
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