Papercutz (publisher)


Papercutz Graphic Novels is an American publisher of family-friendly comic books and graphic novels, mostly based on licensed properties such as Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Lego Ninjago. Papercutz has also published new volumes of the Golden Age-era comics series Classics Illustrated and Tales from the Crypt. In recent years they have begun publishing English translations of European all-ages comics, including The Smurfs and Asterix.

Company history

, founder of NBM Publishing, established Papercutz in 2005, along with comics industry veteran Jim Salicrup, who became the editor-in-chief. Their intent was to produce comics and graphic novels appropriate for children, which was lacking in the industry at the time. Writer Stefan Petrucha came on board as well; he has worked on such titles as Nancy Drew, Papercutz Slices, and Rio. Associate editor Michael Petranek joined Papercutz in 2008.

Publication history

In the spring of 2005 Papercutz launched with the publication of two three-part comic book series; Nancy Drew's The Demon of River Heights and The Hardy Boys' The Ocean of Osyria. Both series were both collected into 92-page graphic novels, becoming the first titles in the Nancy Drew Graphic Novel and The Hardy Boys Graphic Novel series respectively. All other titles in both series have been made in graphic novel format only and are published every three months. The Nancy Drew graphic novels are written by Stefan Petrucha, and the first series was illustrated in manga-style artwork by Sho Murase. The character's graphic novel incarnation has been described as "a fun, sassy, modern-day teen who is still hot on the heels of criminals." Creators on the Hardy Boys series included writer Scott Lobdell, and artist Lea Hernandez. In 2010, Papercutz relaunched both titles, with the Hardy Boys series bringing on a new creative team of Gerry Conway and Paulo Henrique.
In 2006, Papercutz published an English translation of the Italian nonfiction graphic novel The Life of Pope John Paul II, by Alessandro Mainard and Werner Maresta.
In 2007, Papercutz acquired the Classics Illustrated license and began publishing comic book adaptations of classic children's novels. Combining reprints of some of the original titles with new modern adaptations, contributors to the series include Rick Geary, Kyle Baker, Tom Mandrake, Jill Thompson, Dan Spiegle, Peter Kuper, Gahan Wilson, Ricardo Villagrán, Mike Vosburg, and Mike Ploog. A second series, Classics Illustrated Deluxe, features many French artists.
From 2007–2010 Papercutz published a new series of original Tales from the Crypt comics. The first issue was published in June 2007, with a cover drawn by Kyle Baker. All three of EC Comics' "horror hosts" appear in the issue, drawn by Rick Parker. Contributors to subsequent issues included well-known horror talents Joe R. Lansdale and his brother John L. Lansdale, Don McGregor, husband and wife team James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook, Mort Todd, Neil Kleid, Arie Kaplan, and Chris Noeth. Controversy erupted in 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was featured on a cover attacking the horror hosts with a hockey stick, published with a letter from William Gaines' daughter Cathy Gaines Mifsud commenting on censorship. Papercutz published 13 issues of Tales from the Crypt, with the last issue being published September 28, 2010.
In 2009, Papercutz launched Papercutz Slices, a pop culture parody series written by Stefan Petrucha and illustrated by Rick Parker. Targets of the series have included Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Harry Potter books, Twilight, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Hunger Games, and The Walking Dead.
In July 2010, Papercutz began publishing The Smurfs comics, translated by Joe Johnson. Debuting with a special preview comic that contained the story "The Smurfnapper," Papercutz has released a large number of Smurfs graphic novels to date. The success of The Smurfs prompted Papercutz to publish more English translations of such Franco-Belgian comics series as Benny Breakiron, Dance Class, and Sybil the Backpack Fairy.
Since 2010 Papercutz has added a slate of new licensed properties to its graphic novel lines, including the Disney Fairies, Lego Ninjago, Garfield, Power Rangers, Rio, and Stardoll.

Titles published

  1. Great Expectations — adapted by Rick Geary; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #2
  2. The Invisible Man — adapted by Rick Geary; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #20
  3. Through the Looking Glass — adapted by Kyle Baker; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #3
  4. The Raven and Other Poems — illustrated by Gahan Wilson; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #1
  5. Hamlet — adapted by Steven Grant and Tom Mandrake; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #5
  6. The Scarlet Letter — adapted by P. Craig Russell and Jill Thompson; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #6
  7. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde — adapted by John K. Snyder III; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #8
  8. The Count of Monte Cristo — adapted by Steven Grant and Dan Spiegle; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #7
  9. The Jungle — adapted by Peter Kuper; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #27
  10. Cyrano de Bergerac — adapted by Peter David and Kyle Baker; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #21
  11. The Devil's Dictionary and Other Works — adapted by Gahan Wilson; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #18
  12. The Island of Doctor Moreau — adapted by Steven Grant and Eric Vincent; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #12
  13. Ivanhoe — adapted by Mark Wayne Harris and Ray Lago; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #25
  14. Wuthering Heights — adapted by Rick Geary; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #13
  15. The Call of the Wild — adapted by Charles Dixon and Ricardo Villagran; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #10
  16. Kidnapped — adapted by Mike Vosburg
  17. The Secret Agent — adapted by John K. Snyder III; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #19
  18. Aesop's Fables — adapted by Eric Vincent; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #26
  19. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer — adapted by Mike Ploog; reprinted from Classics Illustrated #9