THE HARDY BOYS AND NANCY DREW'S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

America’s beloved teen detectives Frank and Joe Hardy, and Nancy Drew are making their comics debut from NBM’s new division, Papercutz.

With writer Scott Lobdell (Generation X, Uncanny X-Men, Alpha Flight) and artist Lea Hernandez (Rumble Girls) on The Hardy Boys and Stefan Petrucha (X-Files) and Sho Murase (Sei) on Nancy Drew, these classic characters are poised to make an impact in the exploding graphic novel market.

The Hardy Boys will be released first as a monthly full-color comics series beginning in November, with each issue containing 28 pages of story. Meanwhile, Nancy Drew will be offered in full-color, pocket-sized 96-page graphic novels priced at $7.95, with the first OGN debuting in February 2005. That same month will also see the collected version of The Hardy Boys.

“[Expect to see] thrilling adventure stories featuring a couple of very likable red-blooded American teenagers,” Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salicrup told Newsarama. Salicrup was the editor of Marvel’s best-selling Spider-Man #1 by Todd McFarlane and he was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Topps Comics line.

“[NBM founder and President] Terry Nantier and I have been planning Papercutz for several years,” Salicrup continued. “We’d both been involved in publishing Ray Bradbury Comics - Terry published the hardcover editions at NBM, and I published the comics at Topps. We've both are interested in reaching new audiences for comics, and both have had success doing just that for years. NBM gets into all sorts of places traditional comics hadn't been in before -- for example, four out of the Top Twenty-five graphic novels for school libraries recommended by School Library Journal are NBM titles. The first comic to be featured in TV Guide was the X-Files, which I edited at Topps, and that comic's audience was over 50% female.

“So, it was just a matter of time before we were actually working on something together. Papercutz is the ideal project for us. It combines Terry's vast experience in producing top quality graphic novels with my many years of putting together comics which appeal to mainstream readers -- everything from the A-Team at Marvel to Zorro at Topps. So while tweens are indeed our target audience, I won't be surprised if our titles attract readers of all ages. After all, we'll be producing great stories by some of the best writers and artists working today!”

According to Salicrup, the idea for Papercutz is a simple one. “Creating original graphic novels for the tween market featuring popular established characters. When the opportunity presented itself for Papercutz to obtain the graphic novel rights to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, we jumped on it! We've got a few other properties in development and hope to announce those in the months ahead.”

For the younger set who are thinking “Hardy who?” and “Nancy what?” at this point (and don’t have fond…er, at least memories of Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson and Pamela Sue Martin in the ‘70s), Salicrup offered up a quick primer.

“The Hardy Boys are all-American teenagers Frank, eighteen, and Joe, seventeen. They're the sons of former New York City detective Fenton Hardy, who is now a successful private investigator. The boys are following in their Dad's celebrated footsteps and are amateur detectives. They're quick-witted, and very athletic, and tend to get into all sorts of trouble. The Hardy Boys first appeared in their still-running book series in 1927 and have appeared on TV and in comics.

“The Hardy Boys are as timeless as Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man -- and they've even been around longer. And as Hardy Boys comics writer, Scott Lobdell points out, ‘The fun part of pretending to be a Hardy Boy is -- let's face it, at the end of the day you're not going to bend steel in your bare hands or outrace a speeding locomotive. Chances are there aren't that many vines around your neighborhood or apes that you can wrestle. But Joe and Frank? With a lot of studying and hard work you and I at least stand a chance of aspiring to being a Hardy Boy!’

”The Hardy Boys have been thrilling generations of kids since they first appeared back in 1927. And just as super-heroes have changed with the times, the Hardy Boys are changing as well. I can't tell you exactly what those changes will be, that will be revealed in the new Hardy Boys novels coming in 2005 from Simon & Schuster, but I can say that it creates a whole new level of adventure for Frank and Joe Hardy.

“If Hardy Boys fans want to know how Joe and Frank get to where they're going to be in their new series of novels, they'll have to read the Papercutz comics. In other words, the comics will fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle!”

“The stories are all-new, but feature all the classic characters from the original series. The Simon & Schuster Hardy Boys novels, by the way, is still an ongoing series. So, while we're tied into the same world of the original novels, we're not planning to adapt or update any specific original stories. We feel the fun is in presenting new stories that involve Frank and Joe in adventures they couldn't possibly be involved in either 5 or 50 years ago.”

And on the female side of the teen detective coin?

“Nancy Drew was just recently relaunched by Simon & Schuster in an all-new series of novels, the first landing on the New York Times bestseller list. The Papercutz Nancy Drew graphic novels feature this new exciting and fun version of the world's most famous girl detective.

“Like Superman and Batman both being owned by DC Comics, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are owned by the same publisher, so the characters have met each other several times in the past and no doubt will again. It's just too hard to resist!”

While it’s been years since the last comic book version of the Hardy Boys (the four-issue Walt Disney’s The Hardy Boys from Dell in 1956 and the Gold Key Hardy Boys miniseries in 1970), the Papercutz Nancy Drew digest will mark the first time the girl detective has appeared in comics.

“As far as format goes, every three issues of the Hardy Boys will be collected into an 84-page full-color graphic novels,” Salicrup added. “And each graphic novel not only features a complete Hardy Boys adventure, but starts out with Frank and Joe wrapping up a previous case, guaranteeing that each graphic novel starts off with plenty of action. In addition, each graphic novel will feature a six-page preview of the next graphic novel.

“As for the stories themselves, the Hardy Boys start out rescuing a kidnapped Kentucky Derby contender named Jackpot. No sooner do they wrap that case up, then they're trying to clear their best friend, Chet Morton, of international smuggling charges. It seems Chet's been framed of somehow stealing the ‘Ocean of Osyria,’ a priceless work of art taken from an art museum in the war-ravaged Middle East. Future cases involve missing windsurfing tourists at a Club Med-type resort, and a truly strange case of identity theft involving an extreme plastic surgery makeover in ‘The Girl Who Wasn't There.’

“Nancy Drew starts her graphic novel series off literally hanging from a cliff. Nancy, along with her friends Bess, George, and Ned, is involved with student filmmakers who are exploring the ‘Demon of River Heights’ urban legend and discovering it may not be a legend after all. Then Nancy and her friends must recover a shorestone marker -- which supposedly proves the Chinese discovered America in 1421, before Columbus -- and a missing little boy!

“Like the recently relaunched Nancy Drew novels from Simon & Schuster, Nancy now narrates her adventures, has a cell phone, drives a hybrid car, and solves the cases that baffle Police Chief McGinnis, amongst other changes.”

As for the creators involved, like the original novels, the comics will be collaborative processes. Instead of a group of writers though (there was no “Franklin W. Dixon” or “Carolyn Keene,” rather they were pen-names for a group of writers put together by Edward Stratemeyer, who came up with plots and farmed them to his ghost writers), the comic versions will have, as Salicrup mentioned, their own individual writers, Scott Lobdell and Stefan Petrucha, whom the Editor in Chief has known for years.

When it comes to the artists, Salicrup sees Lea Hernandez and Sho Murase as the master and the superstar, respectively.

“I've known Scott ever since he was first breaking into comics and doing standup comedy, and in fact, I predicted, in front of witnesses, that he would one day be writing the Uncanny X-Men years before the fact. While Scott's been busier than ever with his comics, TV, and movie projects, we've been meaning to work together again for years. Scott's ideally suited to handle the Hardy Boys -- he's great at combing action-packed cinematic stories with insightful human drama. As the creator of Marvel's Generation X, Scott's also great at understanding and portraying teen-aged characters.

“I've known Stefan Petrucha even longer than I've known Scott. Stefan and I lived across the street from each other back in the Bronx when we were kids! Not only would we buy and read comics together, we created our own comics together too. Back then, Stefan would write and I'd draw. It wasn't until many years later that we were finally working together professionally at Topps Comics, where he wrote the very funny, and now forgotten Duckman comics, and the well-remembered X-Files comics. We recently worked together on another project that we created, that he wrote and I drew. While that project is currently in limbo, I immediately thought of Stefan as soon as we started working on Nancy Drew. It's amazing how effortlessly he's able to capture the voices of established characters -- whether it's Duckman, Mulder and Scully, Kolchak the Nightstalker, or Nancy Drew. He's such a great writer; I can't understand why he isn't doing more comics. While Nancy Drew is aimed at a tween female audience, I'm personally enjoying every page he's writing -- he's that good!

“Although I had met Lea Hernandez years go at a WonderCon, we hadn't had a chance to work together until now. It's easy to see why everyone, from Kurt Busiek to Warren Ellis, has raved about her work, it's filled with such gusto and obvious affection for her characters that it's virtually impossible not to be pulled into the wondrous worlds she so brilliantly creates. If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of the creator of Silky Warrior Tansie. Since NBM is publishing her Rumble Girls graphic novels, both Terry and I agreed she'd be perfect for The Hardy Boys. Especially since we're trying to give all our Papercutz titles a very contemporary look -- which for many young comics readers today means manga. Clearly we're not trying to create authentic manga material, just trying to present classic characters in today's most popular comics style -- and clearly, Lea's a master of that look.

“As for Sho Murase, I was completely blown away when Terry first showed me her work! I knew instantly that we had found our Nancy Drew artist! We were trying to find someone who would re-imagine visually Nancy Drew for a new generation, and Sho's cutting edge style does just that. In fact, when I think of Nancy Drew now, it's Sho's version I think of first! There's no way you can look at her work and think this is old-fashioned or corny. I predict Sho's going to be a superstar.”

Other than The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, what other plans do Salicrup and NBM have for this new line that caters to the younger generation of readers? “We will be announcing new titles in the near future. For the time being we're choosing to go with well-known properties from film, TV, video games, and books. Long-term we'd like to be able to present original properties as well.

“Right now all our energy is devoted to making the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew comics and graphic novels as compelling as possible to as many readers as possible. In a way, even though Terry and I have been planning Papercutz for years, Papercutz can be seen as our response to Michael Chabon's Keynote Speech at the 2004 Eisner Awards asking for ‘more great comics for kids.’ Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are just the beginning -- Papercutz is just getting started!”

For a preview of Nancy Drew, click here

For a preview of The Hardy Boys, click here

[Krishna Sadasivam]

As a fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I think it's a cool idea to bring them to the comic book format. I like the cover and art for the Hardy Boys - it has a nice, edgy feel. Nancy Drew looks a little too manga for my tastes, but I'd still give it a chance.

Now, it'd be great to see Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators as a comic book series. Those were probably my favorite mystery books in elementary and middle school...

-Krishna

[wolfpacker]

This is a great idea. I know I'll be buying my daughter the Nancy Drew ones.

[Libby]

Wow, this is really cool! I'm definately going to buy Nancy Drew for my little sister -- she loves Detective Conan and TP's mystery series, I forget it's title. Plus, she LOVES the art in Sei.

The line art and colors in the previews are amazing. Everything's so wispy and delicate. I love the incorporation of speedlines to add drama, it's so shoujo.

Hardy Boys looks awesome too! I love Lea Hernandez!

[jedifish]

Originally posted by Krishna Sadasivam
As a fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I think it's a cool idea to bring them to the comic book format. I like the cover and art for the Hardy Boys - it has a nice, edgy feel. Nancy Drew looks a little too manga for my tastes, but I'd still give it a chance.

Now, it'd be great to see Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators as a comic book series. Those were probably my favorite mystery books in elementary and middle school...

-Krishna

The 3 Investigators were some of my favorite mystery books also. Next up would have to be the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. And then I graduated to Agatha Christie.

[DCON]

Hardy boys?.... isnt that a wrestling tag team or something?

[RichieD]

Originally posted by DCON
Hardy boys?.... isnt that a wrestling tag team or something?

Where do you think they got the name from

[MattBrady]

Originally posted by DCON
Hardy boys?.... isnt that a wrestling tag team or something?

You make me feel old.

MattB

[tralfaz]

This is really cool.. maybe it'll get kids to read the actual books too

[Erik K]

Originally posted by tralfaz
This is really cool.. maybe it'll get kids to read the actual books too

I'd kinda hope not, really. Remove the veneer of nostalgia from those and try to read them. Kid's literature has changed a lot since those books were published, and I think a lot of young readers will find these too old-fashioned and tame for their liking. And then they might be put off the comic.

Me, I loved them as a kid, but upon rereading recently, I was disappointed. I read a lot of kid's books for my work (illustrator and editor) and some is vastly entertaining. I don't think The Hardy Boys (as originally written, anyway) would get a second look from an editor these days.

[Simon DelMonte]

Glad to see Jim Salicrup's name in the news. I remmeber his time at Marvel many years ago with some fondness, in part because I got my first No-Prize from him. He was a good editor, and he should do al ot to get this new endeavor off the ground.

And naturally, I find myself recalling the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries on ABC twenty-five or so years back, with Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy! Haven't seen either on TV in years. Anyone remember the name of the actress who played Nancy? I think she was on Dallas or Dynasty later on. (No IMDB cheating - I could do that, too.)

Now, how long before we see Tom Swift, Encyclopedia Brown, and Jacob Two-Two in four color form?

[Michael P]

I saw these is San Diego, but didn't know Jim Salicrup was involved. Too cool.

Big changes for Frank and Joe: Didn't they do that already with the Casefiles books, where Joe's girlfriend got blown up by a car bomb?

In any case, I'll definitely be forcing these on my ten-year-old cousins.

[BillReed]

Ahh, I loved the Hardy Boys books as a wee lad. But Lobdell? Grargh. Couldn't they be farcical and publish it under the 'Franklin W. Dixon' name? Hmm?

But... ahh, Chet's so the man, ain't he? Even though they killed off his sister. I think. It's been a while. I wonder if he still has his jalopy... Ahh, memories...

*ahem*

[EGWilliams]

Out of the two, the Nancy Drew book looks the more promising. I plan on getting it for my daughter as well. I'll give it a read after she's done.
Not sure about the Hardys, but contemporary Nancy Drew book are still being published by ghost writers under the Keene psuedonym. There is even a series based on the exploits of an eight year old Nancy Drew (the "NANCY DREW NOTEBOOKS") which my daughter has enjoyed. I agree that the originals are probably outdated enough that most kids would not find them as interesting nowadays.
And Pamela Sue Martin brought Nancy to to life in the TV show mentioned. Disney did a tele-movie about a year or two ago with Nancy in college. Was just sort of average.

Later,
EG

[petrucha]

Hi All -

Delighted to see folks excited about the upcoming Nancy Drew comic -as series writer I'm real pleased with the way things are going thus far.

Yeah, though I enjoy them both as history and fun reads, I can certainly see where the original ND books (having been written since 1930) might seem a tad dated, but I think the new novel series from S&S does a good job of updating the character and keeping things interesting for today's tween.

And, I trust the comic will do the same...

[Jer-el]

Originally posted by Simon DelMonte


Now, how long before we see Tom Swift, Encyclopedia Brown, and Jacob Two-Two in four color form?

Yay! Someone else remembers Encyclopedia Brown!! I loved those books.

[idkidd]

Another artist perfect for each of these would be the guy who currently is penciling the Mary Jane series for Marvel.

These do look cool!

[Greg T]

Another step (hopefully) in the right direction. I believe that there are 8 year old comic readers. Hell, my nephew is 5 and he loves the stuff. Just need to get enough out in the mainstream where kids can have access to them. Hope they can get these into somewhere besides just direct market comic shops.

[Ray Dillon]

Excellent! This is very good for the industry has the potential to push comics in a more popular mainstream arena of entertainment. I could definitely do without the manga style, but I'll pick them up anyway.

[Cray_ws]

Encyclopedia Brown, was my favorite books to read during my childhood, I remember countless hours devouring these mystery books while stuck in hospital bed.

Glad to see that Hardy Boys which were always popular icons for youngsters back in the day, get a revival as a comic book. I think Nancy Drew should do well too, I hope.

[Idiosylph]

This really looks great! Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are stories that I think are childrens' classics. I have to agree with BillReed about the name they're going to have on them. There was something about the psudonyms that gave a sense of everything belonging, from the original series to the ones that followed. Having them obviously written by someone else, even if it is great talent, is going to feel odd.

[petrucha]

<>

I sympathize - it also gives a sense of history, but, each ND cover will say "based on the novels of Carolyn Keene" - and if you go to the movies and TV show, individual writers were credited with their work there...

[zamuel]

Encyclopedia Brown owns you all. I've actually never read the Hardy Boys but I raided the library for Brown when I was young. I introduced my siblings to the books and they like them (though it takes them maybe 30 minutes at max to finish...). EB has also been a major inspiration to a script I've been trying to write.

[EMeadow]

Originally posted by Michael P
I saw these is San Diego, but didn't know Jim Salicrup was involved. Too cool.

Big changes for Frank and Joe: Didn't they do that already with the Casefiles books, where Joe's girlfriend got blown up by a car bomb?

Yeah they blew her up in the first book, and then went all comic book and had her brought back to life in book 4. Didn't they also use a twin/clone of her too? I used to have that book but don't remember the whole plotline.

I remember the Hardy Boys fondly (Only seemed to read Nancy Drew when they did crossover books.) Think I might pick up the GN's for myself when they come out.

Now bring along the Bobbsey Twins for the trifecta!

[Michael P]

Originally posted by EMeadow
Yeah they blew her up in the first book, and then went all comic book and had her brought back to life in book 4. Didn't they also use a twin/clone of her too? I used to have that book but don't remember the whole plotline.

Plastic surgery-altered double to screw with the boys.