Papercutz Returns to the Crypt

by Kate Culkin, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 5/29/2007

Papercutz, NBM's young adult graphic novel line, will release a comic book version of the classic EC horror comic Tales of the Crypt in June, followed by a Tales trade book collection in October, in time for Halloween. The release of this new edition of Tales is an effort to build on the success the company has already found with manga-like modernizations of classic young adult series, including Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

Papercutz is run by NBM publisher Terry Nantier and Jim Salicrup, a former editor of Spider-Man comics at Marvel and a former editor-in-chief at Topps. Salicrup told PW Comics Week the house is "continually looking to expand and add new titles to Papercutz. We look for areas that are not being well served, and we both thought horror was a natural."

The periodical comic book version of Tales, running 48 pages with an initial print run of 25,000, will appear bimonthly and will be sold primarily in the comics shop market. The trade book collection, running 112 pages and consisting of some new material and some that originally appeared in the periodical comic, will primarily be available in general bookstores. The books will usually appear quarterly, although the second book in the series will be published two months later, in December. Publicity will begin in the comics press, Salicrup said, and transition to mainstream publicity venues for the book collection's release.

Nantier and Salicrup founded Papercutz in 2005 with plans to publish material for the "tween market" for young girls. "We didn't want to compete with stuff well-served by other publishers," said Salicrup. "The younger kids market—especially for girls—is tremendously underserved." Using licensed series such as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, made it easier to publish into the comics market and for the general bookstore market. "The series have a loyal readership and are well known to book sellers," said Salicrup.

The success of manga, especially shojo manga aimed at teen girls, is a strong influence on the size and style of Papercutz' books. The company attempts to combine the best elements of traditional comic books and manga, while maintaining the integrity of the original series. Salicrup said feedback on the books has been "incredibly favorable." He described the books as a combination of "American pop-culture icons" and "the manga look, or more appropriately, the anime look." But he's quick to stress that "we don't pretend to be true manga."

The nine Nancy Drew books, which have initial print runs of 25,000, have already sold over a quarter-million copies combined, according to Salicrup. The first book in the series, The Demon of River Heights, won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Graphic Novel in 2006. Salicrup praises the artist Sho Murase for creating the books' lush visual style, comparing it to "an animated film." And he expects that series' sales will soar after the Nancy Drew movie, starring Emma Roberts, rolls into theaters on June 15. Salicrup believes the film will create a greater awareness of the famous girl detective among younger fans, leading them to the books. "It will be pretty hard to see anything about the movie and not find out about us as well."

Salicrup is also touting The Life of Pope John II, in Comics, a comics biography of the former pope originally published in Italy, that was recently nominated for a Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Graphic Novel of 2007. The winner will be announced at BookExpo America, the annual book industry convention held this year June 1–3 in New York City. While Papercutz may publish more biographies in the future, Salicrup said none are currently planned.

The Totally Spies series, published quarterly, has also done well for the company. Based on a cartoon originally aired in France and now on the Cartoon Network, the series follows the adventures of three high school girls who are also spies. Salicrup notes the series has had "tremendous sales" through Scholastic Books. The company has also published comic books and graphic novels based on the story of Zorro. However, the series has been shut down, although existing volumes remain in print. While booksellers were familiar with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, Salicrup believes they just didn't know where to shelve Zorro, "and comic book fans thought it was for kids."

Papercutz titles are distributed to bookstores through Holtzbrinck, while Diamond and NBN handle distribution to comics shops. Librarians, although skeptical at first, have embraced the various series after seeing the books. The publisher had a booth at New York Comic-Con and will have a booth at BEA, where Nancy Drew author Stefan Petrucha will appear. The company will also be on hand at the San Diego Comic-Con. The company's Web site (www.papercutz.com) includes sample panels of all of the Papercutz' series.

Salicrup credits the intergenerational appeal of Papercutz's books for the company's success. The manga style, he said, allows young readers to feel as if they are discovering the characters on their own, allowing a whole new generation to embrace the classics of their parents' youth. "Many people have grown up with those characters," Salicrupt said, "and have warm feelings toward them, so they hand it on to their kids."