Hi Everyone!

Editorial Assistant Mike Petranek here to discuss Nancy Drew and the Dana Girls! For those of you who don’t know, The Dana Girls are a detective duo created by Carloyn Keene, the same person who created Nancy Drew! The funny thing is, these characters had never appeared together… until now! See the cover from NANCY DREW #20 “High School Musical Mystery Part I:

Nancy and pals George and Bess wind up in the town of Penfield, where they visit the Starhurst School for Girls. Once students hear that Nancy, the famed Girl Detective has arrived, they insist she meet Penfield’s own teen sleuths, Louise and Jean Dana, the Dana Girls! Soon, a good-natured yet highly involved contest is put together to see who the best mystery-solver is, and it’s in the form of a musical complete with clues planted throughout the school. There’s only one complication, the “phony” crime concocted for the Mystery Musical turns out to be real!

To read more about this graphic novel, check out this great review here. Visit the Papercutz website for more information about this graphic novel and Nancy Drew #21 “High School Musical Mystery Part II.” Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

-Michael

Hi Everyone,

I just received word from Papercutz publisher Terry Nantier that a blog is holding a contest where you can enter to win a copy of DISNEY FAIRIES #1 “Prilla’s Talent”! Pretty cool, huh? Just visit this site to enter and read another great review of this graphic novel. I hope those of you who have had a chance to dive into DISNEY FAIRIES #1 have enjoyed it!

DISNEY FAIRIES #2 “Tinker Bell and the Wings of Rani” will be in stores exactly two weeks from tomorrow! . Thanks for stopping by!

-Michael

Hi Everyone,

Mike the editorial assistant here with some great news: TALES FROM THE CRYPT “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” is going back to press AGAIN! This will be the fourth printing! The graphic novel is in such high demand that hardcovers, which booksellers everywhere are sold out of, are going for $90 a pop on Ebay! I suggest you wait two weeks when more hardcovers will be available. 90 dollars is a lot for a graphic novel! We’re doing our best to keep up with the high demand this great graphic novel has generated.

Recently, Peggy Tibbets wrote a review of “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” that was so positive I had to post it, even though it may seem like I’ve shared positive review upon positive review of this book here on the blog. You can find Peggy’s review on her myspace page and her blog “Advice From a Caterpillar“. Peggy has  a lot to say about all the stories from “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid”:

” ‘Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid’ is a zany parody of ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’. Follow the adventures of Glugg as he is accidentally killed by his brother [Rock] then returns as a zombie to haunt those who tormented him in life. The story layout is unique and the artwork is comical.
” ‘Dielite’ is a hilarious send up of Twilight’. Dedward is a pathetic vampire with a hopeless crush Lou Anne Lugosi who wishes he would just drop dead. The artwork here is detailed and extraordinary.
” ‘Carrier’ is the wacky story about Dan Warren, a truck driving, reluctant werewolf and his murderous friends. The style is classic comic book and the artwork is action-packed.

“Fans of ‘Mad Magazine’ will love this book. Once they read it, middle school age boys will be hooked on the Tales from the Crypt series. Caution: You could die laughing.”

Wow! Thanks Peggy. I’d like to take the chance to open up the floodgates to the fans of TALES FROM THE CRYPT. We’ve posted so much from reviewers about this book, but nothing from YOU, the fans! The fans are the most important part of Papercutz; we wouldn’t exist without you. Let us know here on the blog: have you read “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid”? What did you like or not like about the graphic novel? What would you like to see parodied in TALES FROM THE CRYPT in the future? We’d love to hear from you! Until next time, thanks for picking up our graphic novels and reading this blog, and WATCH OUT FOR PAPERCUTZ!

-Michael

Hi everyone!

I hope that those of you in the United States had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Everyone is back at the Papercutz office today, working on a lot of new graphic novels we’re very excited about. Today however, I’d like to talk about one of our older graphic novels, CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #4 “The Raven and Other Poems” by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Gahan Wilson.

Recently the Bloomsbury Review published a rave review about The Raven (try saying “rave review about the raven” five times fast), and we couldn’t be happier. As winter turns your days colder and colder, The Raven and Other Poems is one of many great CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED graphic novels you can curl up with! While the article isn’t available online yet, I can tell you that the Bloomsbury Review proclaims the graphic novel is “enhanced by the striking and lurid illustrations” of Gahan Wilson, and that “Papercutz has built a reputation for itself in the graphic novel field…and their Classics Illustrated series will only enhance their reputation as masters in the field.” Wow!

To see preview pages from CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #4 “The Raven and Other Poems” click here.  It’s a great way to spend a cold winter’s night. Thanks for stopping by, and Watch out for Papercutz!

-Michael

Hi Everyone,

Well it looks like we’re going to have to go back to ANOTHER printing of TALES FROM THE CRYPT #8 “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid”! It seems that people can’t get enough of Glugg, the crew from “DieLite,” and our “Carrier” werewolves! We couldn’t be happier.

You may find that a lot of online sites are out of stock until December. You can still get Crypt #8 and Crypt #’s 5-7 in the TALES FROM THE CRYPT Boxed Set available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNobles.com. Of course, we like anyone who sells are books just the same and you can find these boxed sets at wonderful comicbook stores all around. If they don’t have it, ask them to order it for you!

Recently, Editor-In-Chief Jim Salicrup along with “Stinky Dead Kid” artist Rick Parker took over a bookstore in Maplewood, NJ to promote our favorite living dead kid, Glugg! You can check out a neat article with some great pictures here. Way to go! Still not convinced that this Crypt is right for you? Well, check out this review at horrornews.net. Also, the folks at Broken Frontier urge you to forger swine flu, CRYPT fever is here! If you’re not convinced, I’m still gonna keep trying!

While the Stinky Dead Kid Glugg has been getting a lot of attention, our Twilight spoof “DieLite” has also turned a few heads as it was written by the father-daughter team of Stefan Petrucha and Maia Kinney-Petrucha! If you haven’t seen the links from Stefan’s blog post below, you can read a little bit about the collaboration here.  Also, don’t forget that Maia and Stefan will be interviewed on Mix 94.1 in Canton, OH Monday November 16th on their morning show! A link to the interview will be available as soon as we get it.

As for Maia, let me just say “WOW!” When I was 14 I was still trying to figure out how to get Oreo cookies out of my teeth and what to do about the monster under my bed. What can I say? I was  a late bloomer. Great job Maia! We’ll keep you updated on CRYPT news and everything Papercutz here at the blog. Keep checking in, as I have a feeling you’re going to start seeing some more entries from your favorite Papercutz contributors.

Thanks,

-Michael

Hi everyone!

I know school has started for almost all of you, and you may be looking for some new reading material aside from what your teachers are assigning you. Feeling tired of Algebra, Grammar studies, or Chemistry? I can’t blame you. These things are all good, and you should absolutely read everything your teacher assigns you, but sometimes you just need a break from school, sports and videogames! That’s where Papercutz comes in.

Today I thought I would share with you two very different titles from Papercutz that have both received a great review recently. The first is CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED DELUXE #2 “Tales from the Brothers Grimm.”

What I’ve always loved about this volume is that while most of us know the story of “Hansel and Gretel,” many have never experienced “The Valiant Tailor,” “Learning to Shutter,” or “The Devil and the Three Golden Hairs.” These are great stories, and if you take a look at the following excerpt, I think you’ll see why Scripps News called this collection “beautiful” and “rewarding for kids, adults”.

How’s that for a cliffhanger! CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED DELUXE “Tales from the Brothers Grimm” is great reading whether your on the bus on your way to school, on the train going to work, or just relaxing. Just make sure you don’t read it while you’re driving. Sorry Bus Drivers, you’ll have to wait until your shift is over before you can enjoy this book.

I first began working for Jim Salicrup when Papercutz started publishing BIONICLE, and I’ve seen that title grow and grow! As some of you now know, we’re approaching the 8th volume with ALL-NEW stories and art! It should be exciting. Meanwhile, the BIONICLE Juggernaut continues to prosper. Just recently, WIRED magazine ran an article about BIONICLE that I think you’ll like. The author mentions the new story we published in volume 6 (Hydraxon’s Tale),  and seemed to really enjoy it. Here’s a panel wonderfully drawn by Christian Zanier for “Hydraxon’s Tale”

All I can say is, more to come soon! BIONICLE 7 “Realm of Fear” is out in stores in November, and next Spring will see the release of BIONICLE 8 “Legends of Bara Magna”: the first Papercutz BIONICLE graphic novel featuring all-new stories and art. If you haven’t become acquainted with BIONICLE yet, there’s never been a better time to start!

In closing, now that Fall is upon us soon it will be Winter, when sometimes the best thing one can do is curl up with a good story and relax indoors to escape the bitter cold. What better way to do so than with a Papercutz graphic novel? I can’t think of one! Thanks for reading!

-Mike

One cool thing about writing mysteries is that sometimes they’re real! In ND 17, Nancy solves a few mysteries that co-writer Stefan Petrucha and I made up. But the biggest puzzle in the plot, the one that Nancy almost pays the ultimate price to solve has to do with an ancient technological wonder, called the Antikythera device. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the speculation about what kind of brilliant mind could create what was touted “the first computer ” 2000 years ago. Nancy and I were hooked.

Figuring out exactly how to end this story was kind of the opposite of a deus ex machina in which a convenient device arrives at the end to explain all kinds of loose plot ends. Instead, time consuming research and even math (!) was needed to come up with a plot that brought Nancy to a very specific ending. It was sometimes necessary to do a little writing backwards (which I don’t recommend!!). For those of you who aren’t caught up on your reading and haven’t gotten to Nancy Drew, issue 17, I won’t give away the ending. But the denouement, thanks to the art of Sho Murase, was spectacular. Thanks, Sho!

Newsflash! We just got news that the Antikythera device is even older than we thought.

Here’s the link so you can stay up-to-date on the discovery.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2009/jul/29/archaeology-astronomy

Hi everyone!

It’s Editorial Assistant Mike Petranek writing about a cool interview with TALES FROM THE CRYPT contributor Arie Kaplan and some more great reviews to share with you! Arie wrote “Jumping the Shark” which was illustrated by Mr. Exes in TALES FROM THE CRYPT graphic novel #4, as well as comicbook #6, serving as the inspiration for one of our most popular covers ever:
Arie recently authored From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, has written for MAD magazine, and recently wrote the Speed Racer comicbook mini-series called Speed Racer:  Chronicles of the Racer. When he recently sat down with Wizard Magazine, Arie had this to say about TALES FROM THE CRYPT:

“I have a whole section on TALES FROM THE CRYPT in “From Krakow to Krypton.  So, while I was writing that book, I was also pitching stories to Jim Salicrup at Papercutz for TALES FROM THE CRYPT and man, it’s such a thrill to be involved with TALES FROM THE CRYPT because I read about the history and you’re following in the footsteps of people like Harvey Kurtzman and Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines-Bill Gaines whose dad created the comics industry. That’s quite a legacy to be a part of, so I feel like I’m the inheritor of that legacy. You look at what these people have done and you just hope you can do it justice.”

Well Arie, you certainly did the legacy of TALES FROM THE CRYPT justice with your great story! Check out the rest of Ari’s Wizard interview!

There’s some other great interviews and articles on Arie out there besides this one. Check out Arie’s interview with Heeb Magazine about From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, his work for Bongo! Comics, TALES FROM THE CRYPT and MAD.  There’s also a five minute video interview with Arie from Newsarama about the above topics and more, info on his recent Archie Comics work, and of course, the official From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books site and Arie’s own website. Enjoy!

Onto other news, TALES FROM THE CRYPT comicbook #11 recently got some favorable reviews online:

“I’ve kept with the book since issue one and it has definitely begun to improve, thanks in large part to darker storylines and better artwork… a fun diversion for $4 bucks… Some excellent, moody artwork and coloring.”

-Marc Pellegrini,

http://pellecreepy.blogspot.com

Thanks, Marc! On the subject of reviews, some of our Classics Illustrated titles have been getting a lot of positive press recently. I thought you readers out there might like to see what I’m talking about. Here’s some of the reviews and links to them!

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #5: “Hamlet”

“Classic Mandrake with an outstanding script by Grant. I really, really like these Papercutz reprints.”

-Lee Nordling, platinumcomics.com

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #4: “The Raven and Other Poems”

“Wilson… illustrates (very well, and appropriately) a bunch of Poe poems.”

-Andrew Wheeler, antickmusings.com

“A terrific compendium… It’s a great Poe volume — the themes of unbearable loss and creeping pestilence are all here, so put it on your Halloween shopping list now.”

-Mark London Williams, sfsite.com

“Wilson’s style is perfectly suited to Poe’s turn of phrase, as his artwork moves across the page with the cadence established by the words. But don’t take my word for it. At $9.95 this modern classic is a bargain — so order two copies and donate one to your local library!”

-Leave it to Karen

“NBM [Papercutz parent company], known for its high-quality graphic novels…demonstrates its taste and expertise again with CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED. The Deluxe hardbacks are meant to last, and look good doint it…it’s a joy to see “The Raven,” “The Counquerer Worm,” “Annabel Lee” and other favorites again…Wilson, known primarily for his award-winning New Yorker, Playboy and National Lamppon Cartoons, is also one of a kind - - and a perfect choice for this book. His peculiar and sometimes bizarre scribblings are unsettling, and given the subject matter, welcome.”

-Scripps Howard News Service

“Classics Illustrated….collecting various Edgar Allan Poe Works, illustrated by famed cartoonist Gahan Wilson. From that description alone, you know it’s worth the sawbuck…it’s a joy to see “The Raven,” “The Conquerer Worm,” “Annabel Lee” and other favorites again.”

-Andrew A. Smith, Scripps Howard News Service

Whew! That’s a lot of nice comments for one day. So…what do YOU think of these and other Papercutz titles? What’s your favorite? What’s your least favorite? It’s all open to discussion here. As Jim says, “love it or hate it, we want to hear your thoughts.” Thanks for reading and have a great day!

-Mike the Editorial Assistant

Hi there everyone!

This is editorial assistant Mike writing about a book that’s been out for a while and has been steadily becoming one of our most popular volumes. I’m talking about CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #3: “THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS”. It’s an adaptation by legendary comics creator Kyle Baker of Lewis Carroll’s sequel to “Alice in Wonderland and we’ve found people have had very strong responses to it. Here’s what some reviewers had to say recently:

“Baker’s expressive faces and clean linework bring to life Humpty Dumpty, the Lion, the Unicorn, the Red Queen, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and especially our old friend Alice.”

-Andrew ‘Capt Comics’ Smith

Scripps Howard News Service

Kyle Baker’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass blends familiar poems (“Jabberwocky”) with the protagonist’s loquacious first-person narrative and crisply colored, almost stylized illustrations”

-School Library Journal

“Baker’s loose art style reflects the mood of this world, and his characters are drawn with great expression.”

-School Library Journal (Not Yet Published)

We feel it’s a great volume for fans of Baker and Carroll. For those of you who don’t know too much about multiple Eisner award-winner Kyle Baker, he drew the cover to TALES FROM THE CRYPT comicbook #1 from Papercutz. I recommend visiting his site to learn more about him; his body of work and achievements are just too long to list here! Go to Kyle’s website for more info. Here’s a look at Kyle’s cover from “THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS”:

We highly recommend you check this title out! It’s a neat book. For more info click here: Through the Looking-Glass. I hope you enjoyed this short look at “Through the Looking-Glass” until next time, keep reading, and watch out for Papercutz!

-Mike