The Holy Roller

The Holy Roller #1–9

by Andy Samberg, Rick Remender, Joe Trohman

Everyone was sitting around wondering when ANDY SAMBERG (SNL, Palm Springs) would join super-star writer RICK REMENDER (DEADLY CLASS, LOW) and Fall Out Boy's multi-talented JOE TROHMAN to write a comic about a vigilante hero who smashes people's faces with a bowling ball—and everyone’s dreams have come true!
To care for his ailing father, pro bowler Levi Coen is forced to quit his dream job and return to his hometown, which he soon discovers has been overrun by Neo-Nazis! With only his bowling ball collection to defend himself, Levi becomes THE HOLY ROLLER, a trick bowling ball-wielding superhero battling to liberate his home and bowl a perfect game against crime! Kingpin meets Inglourious Basterds meets Batman (that old chestnut) with equal parts action and humor!
Collects THE HOLY ROLLER #1-9
Select praise for THE HOLY
"Balances humor and heart to deliver the hero we just might need right now." —Graphic Policy
"Needs to be turned into a film immediately - witty, fun, insane!" —Monkeys Fighting Robots
"A wholly unique take on a superhero origin story that mixes comedy, drama, and action in a cinematic way." —Comic Watch

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Superheroes, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Sports

280 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2025

About the author

Andy Samberg (born David A.J. Samberg) is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and producer. He is a member of the comedy music group the Lonely Island, along with childhood friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Samberg was also a cast member and writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2012, where he and his fellow group members are credited with popularizing the SNL Digital Shorts.

In 2023 Andy Samberg, Rick Remender, and Joe Trohman created the comic series The Holy Roller.

Reviews

[Oscar]

Not good. DNF

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty funny at times. It's way more violent than I was expecting.

Andy Samberg stars in this basically a remake of Walking Tall - he returns to his small home town after 20 years to find it overran by neo-Nazi antisemitic land owners. He quickly turns into the vigilante Holy Roller smashing people with bowling balls. It instantly reminded me of the silly bowling ball hero in Mystery Men. It gets progressively more outlandish as it goes on.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this was by Andy Samberg and had to give it a read!

Wasn't sure where it was going but by the end I was hooked and I'm very excited to see where it goes! Was expecting a little more humour but this set the scene really well so I imagine it will really take off running from next issue.

I'm in!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bowling's your heritage...you were so good... could've gone pro!"
Levi Coen is guilted into returning to his hometown..when his Bowling father gets Cancer.
"I Have Cancer!"
"Since when does Liver Cancer make your crotch itch?"
What Levi finds is a town run by a demented White Supremacist Mayor whose sidekick is Holo-Hitler. ( Holo-Hitler seems an improvement on the original).
A town where gangs roam bullying the minorities and weak..
what the town needs is a hero...
a hero with some lethal bowling balls and one hell of an arm.

Stupidly funny...so stupid funny you're probably not even notice you might be offended.
plus...pudding.❤️

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. Art is a little muddy but the dialogue (if you're up for super sarcastic 90s references and loads of tongue in cheek antisemitism and aggressive over the top shots at white supremacists) is a riot. Laughed so much.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few good chuckles but I couldn't really get into the premise. Too generic comic book with cartoonish and obvious cliche villains. I don't think it really had anything new to say and wasn't funny enough to make up the difference.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being able to read this in Andy Samberg’s voice made this book even more ridiculous. I dug it :D

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I saw Andy Samberg, the SNL legend he is, co-authored a comic book I knew I had to read it. This was a pretty fun book. Sadly this ended up as a letdown. The riotous energy and comedy both failed to click with me. And the tonal dissonance between being a Jewish Own Voices story about a man embracing his heritage after returning to his small hometown that's changed for the worse wrapped up in vigilante fun as well as over-the-top fight cartoonish Nazis just didn't mesh well with me either. The storyline took away from the heart of the story and the heart of the storyline hurt the crazy turns the storyline took.
I do take a bit of an issue with the way bigotry in modern America is handled here. Yes, bigotry is on the rise and particularly anti-Semitism. But this book portrays it very cartoonishly. I get the book as a whole is over-the-top cartoony fun but the over-the-top portrayal of anti-Semitism, violent bigotry, and white Nationalism almost hurts the reality of it. It wants to be fun and over the top and be cathartic in having a guy bash in the extremists while having a sincere message (especially once grifters / being used to one's advantage is added later on). But the ideology is so over-the-top it almost seems to ignore or lose connection with the grim reality when it portrays so unrealistically over the top. I mean, yes, some extremists are like these but the calmer quieter undercurrent is far more prevalent and I fear portraying it like it is here almost allows people to see it as different and allow it rather than deal with the quieter forms. Along with it just being too over the top it makes it hard to really connect to imo.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review for #1 thru #8 Holy crud it is amazing, one of the funniest comics I've read, all of the dialogue and back and forth make me laugh, there's some wholesome moments in there too, and tons of action, I cannot wait for the next double issue finale. Andy Samberg and Rick Remender are the perfect comedy writing duel.

[Riccardo Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rambo with a bowling ball - hilarious and so many Easter eggs. Judd Hirsh and Bill Murray drawn into the story!

[Gabriela Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to know exactly how Andy Samberg was involved bc I felt his presence heavy here

[Alex Sarll]

Andy Samberg doing a comic about a vigilante who twats malefactors with bowling balls? That's going to be a romp, right? So I was a little surprised when, particularly in the early issues, this turned out to be a pretty dark story about the resurgence of American racism and especially anti-Semitism, a town under the thumb of a Nazi mayor ending up as an unfortunately timely stand-in for the bigger picture. Sure, the laughs do come, especially once our hero's geek mate tricks up some Green Arrow-style gimmick balls for him, and the themed armour shown on the cover, and he starts road-testing his superhero zingers. And obviously it's wish-fulfillment funtimes to see a version of America where, rather than ineffectual court orders and moderately strongly worded letters, the fascists face some proper pushback. But then the ending rather trips over its own feet, trying to have its cake and eat it – and bringing in an iffy real-world conspiracy theory – in a way that feels a lot like the sort of thing which so often leaves me frustrated with co-writer Rick Remender*. Whose frequent collaborator Roland Boschi is on art and, to be fair, really sells the bone-crunching violence, which is a lot of what you need here. By no means an unqualified success, but also not as gruelling as I initially feared. Though the image of Pikachu Hitler is going to haunt my nightmares.

*There is a third writer too – one of Fall Out Boy, but not either of the ones I know from Adam, so I couldn't even begin to speculate which bits were his contribution.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hoping this would be more fun but it ended up consisting mostly of absurd, comic villainy and over the top violence. The costume design was actually pretty good though and seeing a ‘bowling’ hero in action created some interesting images and panels. Ultimately didn’t work for me though.

[Mallory Gallegos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean... who doesn't love watching neo-nazis get their comeuppance? Highly enjoyable. Humorous when it needs to be and serious in all of the right parts. I think I shed a tear on the last page? Crazy.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, and it only took so long because I only have the pdf on my PC and have been absurdly busy lately.

Yes, it is absolutely ludicrous to have a vigilante whose main weapon is a bowling ball, but he's out there fighting neo-Nazis and we 100% need more of that nowadays!

And it isn't just some cut-and-dried good guy vs generic white nationalists story either. There's a lot of nuance in this book, as well as plenty of pointed allusions to the nightmare of governance currently in charge of the USA. The wild thing is that I'm sure Andy Samberg, Rick Remender and Joe Trohman were all "how far can we push the bounds of credulity in this book?", saw The Holy Roller go to print, then turned on the TV or social media in recent days to discover that reality is even more ridiculous than half the stuff in here! There are no guardrails on this administration, which is partly why it's so important that popular culture fights back, loudly and with both humor and integrity. And that's exactly what this book does. Sure it gets violent and ugly -- I mean, is there a pretty way to fight with a bowling ball? -- but it's an important reminder that sometimes you just gotta punch the Nazi.

Anyway, the story opens on young Levi Coen, a middle schooler whose dad is obsessed with bowling. Levi only goes to the bowling alley to play video games and crush on pretty Amy Henry, the owner's daughter. Unfortunately, Amy's brother Clyde is a huge jerk who taunts Levi, then bans him from the alley for life when Levi loses a bet.

Fast-forward twenty years, and Levi is on a boat (yep, there's a reason Mr Samberg gets the first slot in the credits here, and it's 100% because his fingerprints are all over the humor of this book.) His boss orders him to go home to be with his dying dad, and Levi reluctantly obeys.

But his hometown is very different from what he remembers. Change is inevitable everywhere, but the rise in xenophobia really throws him. And that's even before he makes the mistake of stopping by the bowling alley to visit with his favorite arcade games. Clyde is in charge of the business now, and he certainly hasn't forgotten the lifetime ban.

What follows is a series of brutal fights as Levi eventually takes on the mantle of The Holy Roller in order to protect his town from rampant right-wing violence. So far, so formulaic, but this book is really enlivened by both its excellent comedic timing and its pointed political and ethical stances. The creative team makes fun of bigots, greedy capitalists and anyone who sympathizes with Hitler, in a madcap romp that is nearly impossible to imagine succeeding half as well without Mr Samberg's creative input. Levi is clearly modeled after him (and Levi's dad is clearly modeled after Judd Hirsch) but that doesn't undercut the story at all, as occasionally happens with other vanity projects. It's harder to distinguish Mr Remender and Mr Trohman's individual contributions, but anyone who's ever read a book by the former knows that they're in for a tightly-paced, action-packed, twist-filled adventure, as this one certainly is.

Roland Boschi's art holds up strongly to everything (and it's a lot!) that the script throws at him. I was a big fan especially of his work on the logos and layouts. Moreno Dinisio's colors do a lot of heavy lifting as well, particularly in the night and hologram scenes. There's also a pretty sizeable section of extra material in the back, collecting variant covers by guest artists and character concept designs.

The world, but especially the US, needs more books like THR: popular media that's proud to loudly declare its antifascist bonafides. I can only pray that we keep getting to enjoy them.

The Holy Roller: Volume One by Andy Samberg, Rick Remender, Joe Trohman, Roland Boschi & Moreno Dinisio was published April 8 2025 by Image Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

This review originally appeared at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes, the worst ideas make for the best superhero stories. This is not one of those times. Not even close. But it is fun. HOLY ROLLER, if anything, is kinetic, strange, and fun. Alas, as with most superhero stories, greatness and fun need not always mirror one another so closely.

At its core, HOLY ROLLER tickles the soles of ingratitude with a pinprick of vigilante justice, tucked into one of several suburban echo chambers of the American Midwest: A slacker son returns to his dying father for one last goodbye, only get his face punched in by rich neo nazi bastards and escape a number of attempts on his life via pistol or arson. Pushing back against plainclothes bigotry, fiscal irresponsibility, institutionalized racism, and more requires the kind of grit one typically acquires upon returning home only to find they have very little left to lose.

The American Midwest was never particularly fantastic. All who valorize it mostly do so not for what it possesses, but for what it lacks: access, equity, opportunity, modernity. Suburban America, by woeful familiarity, bears the same toe tag: sameness and convenience beget simplicity, kindness becomes a crutch, and the poverties of interiority give way to external affectations.

HOLY ROLLER is not a book heavy on social commentary, but it certainly gets there by way of its secondary and tertiary themes. Levi Cohen finds his father to say goodbye. His father, David, is dying of cancer, and Levi, roving and unmotivated, cares less for his father's interest in legacy than anything else. This meeting, he intuits, is just another goodbye. But a sad and unfortunate incident involving an old bully from his childhood (whose family now runs the town) reignites the embers of a bitter rivalry long unsettled. And Levi has to fight back. Why? To bring value to his father's resolve in his Jewish heritage? To elevate his family's intergenerational skill at bowling? To prove he's not a washed-up nobody who always runs from his problems?

Levi's motivations for going after nazis, corrupt politicians, and all other sorts of sycophants while equipped with a bulletproof getup and a magnetic bowling ball are a bit scattered. But at this point, readers probably don't care about how practical the man's revenge plan truly is. Punching nazis is always a good thing, so, why bother with a more coherent story? HOLY ROLLER, toward its final issues slips, from a tale of rogue, suburban vigilantism and into an awkward, low sci-fi exploit, but all in all, the action is good and the violence feels right.

The book's coloring is phenomenally refined, and the creative team's very patient storytelling style eats up the page composition with intrepid skill. Remender has a knack for pulling together long stories with tightly-scribed character dynamics that don't feel like they have room to move until, somehow, suddenly, they just do, with such explosiveness and virulence that it feels both chaotic and natural in the same dangerous instant. HOLY ROLLER is a good-looking comic book. The character designs hew a little too close to Hollywood simulacra, for one's tastes, but they're easy enough to ignore with practice.

[Lucsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into "The Holy Roller" prepared for it to be a waste of time.

I was expecting this to be ghostwritten slop that took advantage of the guaranteed buys that a Hollywood actor's name would guarantee, but not only do I believe that Andy was involved in making this, I'm sad this seemed to have gone under the radar for most people, because it was one of the best surprises of my life.

This was an incredibly solid piece of storytelling, under all the ridiculousness, and it addresses some truly heavy and tragically current themes with a lot of thought and seriousness. I finished it, and all I wanted was to start it all over again, to reexamine these characters after what I learnt about them during my first read.

One of my first impressions about this work was that it reminded me of Keanu Reeves' Bzrk, not only when it came to being the rare Hollywood actor-authored story I enjoyed, but also that it looked easy to adapt to the screen with a protagonist that would be easy to cast.

Sadly, I can't see that happening while this current administration is in power, which only makes this a more necessary read in the world we are living in and being pushed towards.

Media manipulation, companies and millionaires interference in the democratic process, the radicalization of kids through trusted adult figures such as teachers and owners of kid's spaces, the manipulation of the masses, rewriting history through social media employing bots and people's parasocial relationships with AI, the dehumanization of fat and disabled people, how race and religion are used as distractions for land grabs and the curtailing of hard fought for rights and freedoms, all of these and more are themes that this book touches on and does it well.

To balance the darkness, there is also a lot of humour, characters that you can root for, and an ending that leaves you feeling a sense of hope.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Simon & Schuster and Image Comics for this DRC (but please next time, put up a warning that the last issue is missing, because every chapter ended in the most heart-wrenching cliff hanger and I could not breathe or sleep until I found a way to finish this story.)

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge Remender fan (yes I know Samberg is also on the credits). They took just enough story turns to keep me interested in a series about a violent vigilante who uses a bowling ball (and other tools/weapons).

I mean a bowling ball? That's different at the very least.

Levi left his small town at an early age, and it is, IMO, hinted that he was a bit of a local bowling prodigy. His skills, and desire not to be bullied/in fights every day, lead him to the Marines and eventually Green Peace. His father's failing health forces him to return home.

There are a lot of story points that get addressed. Antisemitism, neo-Nazis, how sometimes we don't really leave our pasts behind, the effects of violence...

It's an interesting read, one that probably reads better collected than in digital floppies. The character arcs will likely play out better, and it is not a small cast.

I do questions how emotionally invested I was in the characters. I find Levi, his friend and father interesting, but the antagonists felt like they were from central casting.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a weird and unfunny pile of dog S!*t.

You ever have had someone try to insult you so poorly they actually insult their own intelligence? The main character sounds more ignorant than the nazis.

And why were the office worker people talking in 90s ebonics?

Actual line in the book “you won the father’s day slogan bake-off. First prize? Deez nuts.”
WTAF does that even mean? There wasn’t even an intro! There was no sort of baking, cooking, grilling, or anything of the like. Just a random stupid line.

Maybe one of the worst Remender books I've ever actually finished.

But lets get to why I finished it. I just kept expecting it to get better! Like America wss supposed too.😂

Art solid medium plus, story plot average, entertaining … meh.
However the characters all trash (there’s a character that says 100 different versions of the word pudding for like 6 out of 9 Fkn chapters!! Humor low low low ball comedy. Not even space balls funny. Its like if army of darkness somehow completely sucked and was oddly offensive and unnecessarily racial.
Who okayed this shite?

2.5✨ rounded up cause I expect better from you “Tricky Rick”

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly funny, weirdly relevant book that is truly insane and should not work. Comic writer plus actor/comedian plus musician somehow equals hilarious superhero romp involving bowling, neo-nazis, and uber violence. Its also a story of love, expectations, redemption, and acceptance. This book has no business being good but it was that and more. Add in Roland Boschi's fantastic art and you have a hit. There are so many great lines, funny in-jokes (tons I'm sure I missed), and some great action. The book might have been an issue too long but overall, this was so much fun.

[Travis Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pudding! A fun team up with Sandberg and Remender. This is equal parts funny and serious and they somehow make it work. You cannot say this is not original with the bowling theme, comedy and violence. I had some laugh out loud moments with pudding, tombstone, and the other pop culture reference that usually detract from a good comic. The story is modern yet predictable but that is ok because the comedy fills in the gaps. The art is OK, nothing great.

[Anthony Thanaxay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to say that I think this comic is a good solid read. I've always loved Rick Remender's use of concepts as I think he has an amazing imagination but have never been super big on his dialogue but I think the addition of Andy Samberg added a much needed sense of absurd humour with "grounded" dialogue. It feels like I'm watching a film like Hot Rod. Highly recommend for fans of Hot Rod.
Have Fun!

[Tim Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was alright. I realized how much I miss reading Image Comics. A sort of unique character thrown into a tough situation that leads him to be a vigilante. Then add a few twists, including Hitler, and the book was worth reading. Enjoyable but still left me wanting something I just couldn't find in between the covers.

[socksolotl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud this much while reading.

The jokes may strike some as being too on the nose or even corny, but honestly the only difference I see between these villains and the current US administration is that the former has comic book logic. who said that.

[October Murilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big, loud, dumb and with a cast of characters that are so miserably unlikeable that you actually have to make an effort to remember that you are supposed to be on their side. Which is saying a lot when the other side are actual fucking Nazis.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remender, Samberg and co pull off an anarchic morality tale that sticks the landing.
A bit on the nose at times, but executed with enough humour that it never feels like a lecture.

Entertaining

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, fun, socially relevant and with fantastic art

[Mathea Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

this came onto my radar because of Andy Samburg and I am SO GLAD that I picked it up!! I never knew just how much I needed a bowling vigilante beating up nazis. I really hope this series continues!!

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

teenage me would've loved this, but 25 years later it feels paper thin, with flat jokes and a tired, rushed plot