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| Parent company | Mad Cave Studios |
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| Founded | 2005; 20 years ago (2005) |
| Founder | Terry Nantier Jim Salicrup |
| Headquarters location | New York City, U.S. |
| Distribution | Simon & Schuster[1] |
| Key people | Stefan Petrucha Michael Petranek |
| Official website | Papercutz.com |
Papercutz Graphic Novels is an American publisher offamily-friendlycomic books andgraphic novels, mostly based on licensed properties such asNancy Drew,the Hardy Boys, andLego Ninjago. Papercutz has also published new volumes of theGolden Age-era comics seriesClassics Illustrated andTales from the Crypt. In recent years they have begun publishing English translations of European (mostlyFranco-Belgian)all-ages comics, includingThe Smurfs andAsterix. They publish several titles through their imprint Super Genius.
Terry Nantier (born 1957),[2] founder ofNBM Publishing, established Papercutz in 2005, along with comics industry veteranJim 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. WriterStefan Petrucha came on board as well; he has worked on such titles asNancy Drew,Papercutz Slices, andRio. Associate editor Michael Petranek joined Papercutz in 2008.[3]
Mad Cave Studios acquired Papercutz in 2022.[4]
In the spring of 2005 Papercutz launched with the publication of two three-partcomic book series;Nancy Drew'sThe Demon of River Heights andThe Hardy Boys'The Ocean of Osyria. Both series were both collected into 92-pagegraphic novels, becoming the first titles in theNancy Drew Graphic Novel andThe 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 byStefan Petrucha, and the first series was illustrated inmanga-style artwork bySho 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."[5] Creators on the Hardy Boys series included writerScott Lobdell (Hardy Boys), and artistLea Hernandez. In 2010, Papercutz relaunched both titles, with the Hardy Boys series bringing on a new creative team ofGerry Conway andPaulo Henrique.[6]
In 2006, Papercutz published an English translation of the Italian nonfiction graphic novelThe Life ofPope John Paul II, byAlessandro Mainard andWerner Maresta.
In 2007, Papercutz acquired theClassics 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 includeRick Geary,Kyle Baker,Tom Mandrake,Jill Thompson,Dan Spiegle,Peter Kuper,Gahan Wilson,Ricardo Villagrán,Mike Vosburg, andMike Ploog. A second series,Classics Illustrated Deluxe, features many French artists.[citation needed]
From 2007–2010 Papercutz published a new series of originalTales from the Crypt comics. The first issue was published in June 2007, with a cover drawn byKyle Baker. All three ofEC Comics' "horror hosts" (The GhouLunatics) appear in the issue, drawn byRick Parker. Contributors to subsequent issues included well-known horror talentsJoe R. Lansdale and his brother John L. Lansdale,Don McGregor, husband and wife teamJames Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook,Mort Todd,Neil Kleid,Arie Kaplan, and Chris Noeth. Controversy erupted in 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidateSarah Palin was featured on a cover, attacking the horror hosts with a hockey stick, published with a letter fromWilliam Gaines' daughter Cathy Gaines Mifsud commenting on censorship.[7] Papercutz published 13 issues (9 graphic novels) ofTales from the Crypt, with the last issue being published September 28, 2010.
In 2009, Papercutz launchedPapercutz Slices, apopular culture parody series written byStefan Petrucha and illustrated byRick Parker. Targets of the series have includedDiary of a Wimpy Kid,[8] theHarry Potter books,Twilight,Percy Jackson & the Olympians,The Hunger Games, andThe Walking Dead.
In July 2010, Papercutz began publishingThe Smurfs comics, translated by Joe Johnson. Debuting with a special preview comic that contained the story "The Smurfnapper," Papercutz has released a large number ofSmurfs graphic novels to date. The success ofThe Smurfs prompted Papercutz to publish more English translations of suchFranco-Belgian comics series asBenny Breakiron,Dance Class, andSybil the Backpack Fairy.
Since 2010 Papercutz has added a slate of new licensed properties to its graphic novel lines, including theDisney Fairies,Lego Ninjago,[9]Garfield,Power Rangers,Rio,[10] andStardoll.[11]
In 2024, Papercutz announced a new partnership withThe Walt Disney Company to begin publishing titles based on Disney andPixar IPs.[12] These include new titles and reprints based onTurning Red,Inside Out,Encanto,Phineas and Ferb,Disney Fairies,Frozen, and101 Dalmatian Street, with presumedly more unannounced titles in the works.
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