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(More customer reviews)As a 26-year-old woman, it's been difficult for me to become too invested in any of the graphic novels being released by Papercutz--and rightfully so. The nearly six-year-old company is a graphic novel publisher for tweens and teens, and though Harry Potter has supposedly crossed all age groups, I never became a fan. So needless to say, Papercutz's Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring, a parody of the ultrapopular book series/move franchise, wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but even I could appreciate some of the subtle social commentary and tongue-in-cheek references that your average kid wouldn't have picked up. Also, just to be fair, it should be pointed out that my two young nieces, ages six and seven, thought Harry Potty was hilarious.
Apparently, this is just one of what will become a long line of parodies produced by Papercutz's Slices, a parody imprint "dedicated to cutting up your favorite pop culture icons." All of the familiar characters are here, though renamed in snarky fashion. There's Harry Potty (Harry Potter), of course, and Don Measley (Ron Weasley), Whiny Stranger (Hermione Granger), Dumb-as-a-Door (Dumbledore), and Frappe (Severus Snape), etc. The Deathly Boring is writer Stefan Petrucha's take on the tale of how Potty found his way to "Nosewarts," becoming one of the school's most beloved students, while also becoming embroiled in a battle after the killing of his mentor Dumb-as-a-door by the "traitorous barista" Frappe.
The title of Papercutz's parody would seem to imply that the entirety of the story will be based on Rowling's final tome, but that's actually incorrect. Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring provides a look back at each of Rowling's books, but of course all of them have been cleverly renamed (Omelette of Fire and The Border of Phoenix, among others). The retelling is cleverly done by Petrucha. Rather than break the book into sections for each of Rowling's books, it's presented as a flashback by Whiny Stranger, who uses the spell "rememberallthisstufficis" to recap all seven books in rapid succession.
My favorite feature of The Deathly Boring was the fact that all of Harry's rivals' names were based on big business, such as the incredibly creepy villain Value-Mart (Wal-Mart) (also known as He Whose Prices Can't Be Beat), Horbucks (Starbucks), and Odor Eaters, all of whom he defeats with his motley crew of crazy friends in this bizarre take on the much beloved series. Admittedly, many of the jokes are hit or miss and geared toward the younger set, but there's no denying that it's a take on Harry Potter that you won't read anywhere else. Plus, only in a Papercutz parody would Potty avenge the death of his parents and mentors with (prepare yourself) a toilet plunger.
-- Tina Vasquez
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Papercutz Slices #1: Harry Potty and the Deathly BoringThe creative team behind the hit Tales from the Crypt #8 "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" team up again to launch this new parody series from Papercutz! Following the killing of their mentor Dumb-as-a-door by the seemingly traitorous barista Frappe, Harry Potty, Don Measley and Whiny Stranger must find a way to defeat the nose-less dark lord Value-Mart (He-Whose-Prices-Can't-Be-Beat) and his followers, the Odor Eaters in order to avenge the death of Harry Potty's parents and bring balance to the world of magic.
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