HI EVERYONE!

It sure has been a long time since I’ve written, but I will try to make it up to you with a lot of links to some neat stuff going on in the world of Papercutz. 2010 is the 80th anniversary of NANCY DREW and we plan on celebrating in style! If you are a NANCY DREW fan and you have a facebook account, make it official! Go to this page, log in, and join! I’ll be posting previews and other cool stuff there.

If you haven’t yet noticed, TALES FROM THE CRYPT #8 “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” was a smash hit for Papercutz. We couldn’t be happier! On that note, if you are still not sure about this book and want more info you can ask Publisher’s Weekly what they thought, or perhaps Booklist. It seems like Glugg (the stinky dead kid) can be found here, there and everywhere! The same can be said for our good friend Geronimo Stilton. He’s popping up everywhere! Have fun surfing the web!

Speaking of young troublemakers like Glugg, if you haven’t checked out CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #5 “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” read this review:

“Tom Sawyer, that original American bad boy, returns in graphic-novel format. The manga-influenced, full-color illustrations bring a new level of dynamism to a text that is already quite dramatic, what with its murder, buried treasure, youthful romance, and presumed deaths. (Tom himself is thought dead twice.) This version doesn’t shy away from the culture of the time; Injun Joe is still Injun Joe and Tom’s bare backside still has many run-ins with Aunt Polly’s slipper. In regard to the latter, there is brief, occasional nudity as a result of the skinny-dipping and spankings, but nothing gratuitous. While the overall work is of a generally high quality, it is not perfect. Visually, it is often difficult to distinguish among the supporting characters. In addition, the speech balloons are occasionally confusing, leaving readers unsure of who is speaking. Despite those minor flaws, this volume serves as a fine introduction to the story, the author, and his time and place.”

–Douglas P. Davey, Halton Hills Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Wow! Thanks Mr. Davey! That’s all I have time for today but make sure you watch out for Papercutz! There should be a new blog contributor here soon that I think will surprise you!

-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!

Mike the Editorial Assistant here again, because THIS kid just won’t go away:

He may not be the best looking guy on the planet, but he sure is one of my favorite people out there! If you haven’t ordered your copy of TALES FROM THE CRYPT “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” yet, do so now! It turns out we’ve had to take this graphic novel back to press for a second printing of 3 times more copies than we originally had made because demand was so high! This kid is all over amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and we couldn’t be happier. When you team up great minds like Ricko “Sicko” Parker, Stefan Petrucha, and Jim Salicrup great things are bound to happen!

We hope you enjoy this great edition of TALES FROM THE CRYPT. With Maia Kinney-Petrucha’s hilarious writing debut in DieLite, John L. Lansdale’s creepy sequel to “Night Traveler” from TALES… #7 to compliment Glugg (the Stinky Dead Kid), it’s a lot of fun to dive into this graphic novel. But alas, I’ve got to get going. From the smell of things at the office Glugg is here to pick up his paycheck. Time to stuff some cotton balls in my nose and greet him… >Sigh< I love the kid but I wish he’d wear some cologne!

-Mike

Available to order NOW!

From the the tale of lovelorn, melodramatic vampire Dedward in “DieLite” to the adventures of a regular kid named Glugg who joins the ranks of the living dead in the two-part “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid”, this may be the funniest TALES FROM THE CRYPT yet! No popular Young Adult series is safe when the Crypt-Keeper and the rest of the Ghoulunatics are around! But don’t relax just yet… Because all of those laughs will quickly turn to chills when you read “Carrier”, John L. Lansdale’s sequel to “Night Traveler” from TALES FROM THE CRYPT #7! Featuring art by Ricko “The Sicko” Parker and Miran “No Pictures Please” Kim, this is one jam-packed edition of TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

Are you still not convinced that this parody-filled collection of feary-tales is right for you? Well, you can go here for a preview of one of my personal favorite parts of “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” and see what you think! This link also contains more info on the graphic novel. It’s not in general book stores yet, so you’ll have to order directly from us. Be one of the first to get your hands on this fun graphic novel from Papercutz!

-Mike

It’s family week on the 4:30 movie – an interview with myself and co-writer/significant other Sarah Kinney is now up at the blog of the talented and delightful Cynthia Leitich Smith, in which we discuss all things Nancy Drew.

If that’s not enough, yesterday my agent, Joe Veltre, finalized an agreement with a major publisher for a new YA book to be written by yours truly.  I am completely jazzed about this project, though I’ve been instructed not to discuss the details just yet.  The powers that be want to spring the full news when it will have maximum impact.  But, leave it to say, I can’t wait to get started on this one.

Hope everyone has a good three day weekend!

Tuesday, November 10th will see the release of the collected Tales from the Crypt #8.  The featured story, Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid, a “Wimpy Kid” satire by myself and the terrific madcap artist Rick Parker has already received a lot of attention, breaking into the Top Ten Children’s Books online at B&N.  Here’s a gander at the groovy cover:

Beyond that hot-zombie excitement, in the midst of the book, you’ll also find a knee-slapping spoof of the little-known Twilight series, called DieLite, which is particularly exciting to me on several counts.  First, it represents the premiere publishing work by my incredibly talented daughter (if I do say so myself), Maia Kinney-Petrucha.

Just in high school, Maia’s not only an excellent writer, but also read the entire Twilight series.  Me, not so much, so who better to turn to when editor Jim Salicrup asked for a script?  Again noting my bias, I was very impressed and proud with how much work she put into it (I practically only proof-read) and how much fun the results are.

Secondly, with artwork by Miran Kim, DieLite represents not one, but two creative reunions.  This is the first time I’ve collaborated with Miran since her great work on both the X-Files comic and her interior work for The Bandy Man, back in the nineties.

It is also, interestingly enough, the second “collaboration” between Miran and Maia – though Maia didn’t have much creative control the first time around, being a fetus.

Miran works in a process that involves collage, creating, collecting and pasting clips and photos into her art.  Back when she was designing the cover for X-Files #10:  Feelings of Unreality, she asked myself and Sarah for a copy of Maia’s sonogram.  Lo and behold, it became a part of the cover.  You can see Maia just about at the center of the image below:

Of course, she’s changed a lot in the intervening years, having acquired the ability to walk, the power of speech, and so on, but there you have it; a blast from the past and a look to the future.  So rush out and buy the darn thing next week!

As for me, I’m still waiting on word for a few projects, but the glaciers seem to be moving.  I’m putting the finishing touches on a very unusual vampire novel that will be coming out from Grand Central Books next year.  How unusual, you ask?  Well, it’s set during Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and doesn’t actually mention the word vampire, for starters.

Contracts have also recently been signed on another project that’s been stagnant for a while, so I’ve hopes that will be moving again.  And lastly, I’m in negotiations with a major publisher for an exciting new YA series.  So, like I said, still waiting, but I think I see the traffic clearing up ahead.

Pax.

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

PRESENTS

“Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid”

IN STORES NOW!

Today, July 29th 2009, TALES FROM THE CRYPT #13 “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” arrives in stores! Check out your favorite bookseller or comicbook store to get your hands on it. If for some strange reason they don’t have it, go to www.papercutz.com/order.html to see how you can order it! Scroll down the web link to find our telephone number and address. You can order by phone or mail.

Written by NANCY DREW scribe Stephan Petrucha and illustrated by TALES FROM THE CRYPT’s Ricko “The Sicko” Parker, “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” takes aim at everything from one particularly popular book character to zombies and Guitar Hero! The comic contains TWO stories featuring Glugg, our Stinky Dead Kid. This comic made a big splash at Comic Con for Papercutz, and we think you’ll enjoy it. People of all ages seemed drawn to Rick Parker’s art and Stefan Petrucha’s stories. Take a look at this preview from the comic:

There’s more ghoulish fun  where that came from! Take a look at the artwork and you’ll find pop culture references galore, as well as a little homage to one particular Papercutz staff member. You may have to look hard, but you’ll have a blast when you find them. Pick up your copy of  TALES FROM THE CRYPT “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” today!

Judge Sotomayor’s affinity for NANCY DREW generates considerable buzz about PAPERCUTZ’ graphic novel series

Hello everyone!

Editorial assistant Mike Petranek here, excited about the amount of buzz that Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s love of Nancy Drew has garnered for our graphic novels. Ever since May, Nancy Drew has been mentioned quite often as an influence of Jude Sotomayor, even prompting other politicians such as Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) to mention their affinity for the character. We’ve seen so many mentions of our favorite Girl Detective over the past month and a half, it seemed natural that we needed to share some of them with her fans! But first, some background on Judge Sotomayor and Nancy Drew, and how the Girl Detective has influenced many of us.

You may have heard how President Barack Obama mentioned while introducing his Supreme Court nominee that Judge Sotomayor was influenced by the Girl Detective. President Obama said “It’s my understanding that Judge Sotomayor’s interest in the law was sparked as a young girl by reading the Nancy Drew series. And that when she was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 8, she was informed that people with diabetes can’t grow up to be police officers or private investigators like Nancy Drew. In essence she was told she’d have to scale back her dreams.” Today, we know that scaling back on her dreams was something Judge Sotomayor never had in mind.

Nancy Drew will soon be celebrating her 80th anniversary, with over 200 titles in print from Grosset & Dunlap, Simon & Schuster, and graphic novel publisher Papercutz. “As someone who is part Puerto Rican, who spent my early years, like Judge Sonia Sotomayor, growing up in a housing project in the Bronx, it was quite thrilling to hear that she was the President’s nominee for the Supreme Court and how inspirational Nancy Drew was to her” said Jim Salicrup, our beloved Editor-In-Chief at Papercutz.

I too was very excited to hear about President Obama’s nomination, as I began reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys at age 8 and well, I still do! I also remember Judge Sotomayor bringing back baseball in 1995 when I was a young kid in Texas, ending the 1994 Major League Baseball Strike.

As promised, let me share some of the news items involving Papercutz that Judge Sotomayor’s nomination has lead to. Ever since Judge Sotomayor’s nomination in May a lot of people have been talking about Nancy Drew, and her influence on young people. On the Netscape Books and Writers Community, many writers and librarians are talking about Nancy Drew and the Papercutz graphic novel series, and we think that’s great. The Papercutz series has also been mentioned on MediaBistro, which leads to an enjoyable  essay by theater columnist Misha Berson of The Seattle Times. These are all worth checking out, and we’re seeing the Papercutz name popping up more than ever as people are talking about the Girl Detective, her influence, and her longevity.

It really is remarkable how relevant Nancy Drew is today. We at Papercutz love hearing fans talk about America’s greatest Girl Detective. I know that she has been an influence on my life from the day I first picked up “The Secret of the Old Clock.” My mom read Nancy Drew, my sister read Nancy Drew, and now I help to tell her stories. I just finished up some work on NANCY DREW #18 “City Under the Basement“, and I think that not only is Nancy Drew as relevant as she has ever been, but that the talents of Stefan Petrucha, Sarah Kinney and Sho Murase show no signs whatsoever of slowing down any time soon.

Thanks for stopping by our blog, and keep your eyes peeled… At the end of the week I’ll have some exciting news about a NEW Papercutz graphic novel series that will debut at this year’s Comic Con in San Diego. Until then, take care, and watch out for Papercutz!

-Mike

IT’S FREE COMICS WEEKEND!

And You can get your hands on some free
HARDY BOYS and NANCY DREW Comics!

Hi there everyone!

The weekend of May 2nd is Free Comics Weekend across the US, and UCLICK, distibutor of NANCY DREW and HARDY BOYS comicbooks for iPhones and iPod touch, is offering free Papercutz comics! This afternoon, Friday May 1st, until tomorrow night at midnight, you can download the first part of NANCY DREW #1 “The Demon of River Heights” and the first part of THE HARDY BOYS #1 “The Ocean of Osyria” for your iPhone or iPod touch absolutely free!

If you haven’t checked out the HARDY BOYS or NANCY DREW comics for your iPhone or iPod touch, it’s a great time to do so. Each issue of a HARDY BOY or NANCY DREW comic is regularly $.99 cents and features the touch-and-swipe technology that allows you to scroll from panel to panel with ease. If you are a commuter or carpooler on your way to school, a great way to kill some time is with a HARDY BOYS or NANCY DREW comic. Just be sure not to read while you’re driving! Click here to be taken directly to the iTunes app store and pick up your free comic (you must have iTunes already installed on your computer). You can also search “Uclick” on the App Store on the iPhone or on iTunes to find these comics. Enjoy Free Comics Weekend!

-Mike the Editorial Assistant