The Unofficial Hardy Boys News

Undercover Brothers #20 Announced

# 20: Feeding Frenzy is slated for release next January
For Sale from Amazon.com
Mission: To uncover the truth behind a mysterious death at the first qualifying round for Football Frank's Super Bowl hot dog eating contest.

Undercover Brothers Graphic Novel #11 Announced

11: Abracadeath - December 2007
Author: Scott Lobdell Art: Paulo Henrique
Issued in Hardcover - Paperback
When some of the world's most amazing magicians start disappearing (and not in a magical way) Frank and Joe Hardy pit themselves against a trio of powerful young masters of illusion!

Artwork For New Super Mystery

Terror On Tour
Scheduled for a June release.
The Hardy Boys team up with Nancy Drew to investigate a mystery centered on the Rockapazooma rock & roll tour.
Can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com

Undercover Brothers #19 Announced

19: Foul Play has been announced for a November 2007 release.
For Sale From Amazon.com
Mission: Infiltrate Pinnacle College's top-seeded football team to investigate rumors that someone on the inside is being bribed to throw the championship game.

Hardy Boys Graphic Novel #10 set for September release

10: A Hardy's Day Night - Sept. 2007
Author: Scott Lobdell Art: Paulo Henrique
Available for pre-order in Hardcover - Paperback
Mission Unknown At This Time!
You younger fans might might not get the play on the title of the first Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" (your mother should know!)

Hardy Boys Season 2 DVD Coming

Order Season 2 From Amazon.com!
It's been a long wait for the second season of "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," but Universal has announced the release the 5 disc set on June 12, 2007.
22 episodes are included:
The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula (2 Part)
The Mystery of King Tut's Tomb
The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom (2 Part)
The Mystery of the African Safari
The Creatures Who Came On Sunday
The Strange Fate of Flight 608
Acapulco Spies
Nancy Drew's Love Match
The Mystery of the Silent Scream
Will the Real Santa...?
The Lady on Thursday at Ten
Oh Say Can You Sing?
The House on Possessed Hill
Sole Survivor
Voodoo Doll (2 Part)
Mystery on the Avalanche Express
Death Surf
Arson and Old Lace
Campus Terror
Episodes will be presented in Full Frame (1.33:1), along with English mono audio. Suggested retail price is $39.98 which will probably discount down to about $30.00 or so.
Order Season 2 From Amazon.com!
Season 1 is still available.

Bye-Bye Applewood

According to Paul Mular (co-author of Hardy & Hardy Investigations), Applewood Books has not renewed their licensing deal with Simon & Schuster and will not be releasing any new books.
Announced titles (#17 & up) will not be issued.
It is unknown at this time if the titles already in print (#1-16) will still be available.
This writer has long castigated Phil Zuckerman, the head of Applewood Books, as being an arrogant egomaniac and, well, just an obnoxious jerk. This latest news does nothing to change that opinion. In fact, to my surprise, it has even lowered my opinion of him.

"The Hardy Man" film project still alive!

"Hardy Men": Cruise, Stiller take on "Boys"
By Borys Kit
Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:28AM EST
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller are teaming up for "Hardy Men," a buddy action comedy based on the fictional teen sleuths known as the Hardy Boys.
The long-in-development project sees the Hardy Boys grown up but not speaking to each other, having been estranged for many years. They are forced to overcome sibling rivalry when they reunite to solve a mystery.
Shawn Levy is attached to direct the film for 20th Century Fox, which is hoping for a shoot in 2008. The project is out to writers. Stiller and Levy are stars on the Fox lot thanks to their collaboration on the holiday hit "Night at the Museum," which has earned more than $460 million at the worldwide box office to date.
"The Hardy Boys" was a long-running book series that began in 1927 and was written by various ghost writers under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon. The series focused on two teenage brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy, amateur detectives who often assisted their father, a private detective, in solving crimes.
The original series, which ran through 1979, encompassed 58 books, many of which were updated over the years. There also were subsequent book series as well as graphic novels and comic books.
In addition, the two brothers have appeared in several TV incarnations. Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk played the siblings on episodes of "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1956 and '57. Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy handled the title roles in an ABC primetime series "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," which ran from 1977-79.
Cruise and Stiller previously teamed up to shoot a behind-the-scenes spoof of "Mission: Impossible II" for the MTV Movie Awards.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

This project has been in the planing stages for at least 7 years!
See old issues of The Bayport Times for more info.

Hardy Boys Dolls

Manufactured by the Tonner Doll Company.
Their website describes them as follows:
Frank & Joe Hardy are ready for their latest mystery – also separately available are various adventure sets with sleuthing accessories designed for imaginative play and mystery-solving; their faces are hand-painted, and they come in clothing as shown; each includes a display stand. The Hardy Boys™ (using the Harry Potter-scale proportions) stand app. 17” tall (Frank is app. ½” taller than Joe) and are crafted of fine quality vinyl/hard plastic with hand-painted faces and synthetic wigs; they each have 14 points of articulation.
They are priced at an astounding $129.99 EACH!
Also offered for sale are several "Adventure Sets" which consist of different clothing and accesories for a mere $49.99 each!
In this writer's opinion these are the butt-ugliest, most over-priced pieces of junk I've ever seen. They both look like a couple of pre-pubescent girls - especially Joe! And what's up with those eyeglasses?

New Undercover Brother Titles Announced!

Three new Undercover Brothers titles for 2007 release have been anounced.
These titles are available for pre-order from Amazon.com
Bayport Buccaneers (#16)
Murder At The Mall (#17)
Pushed (#18)
I'll post more details as they become available.

Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys - Back Together Again!

Starting in June of 2007, everybody's favorite sleuths will be teaming up again in a new series of books co-authored by Carolyn Keene and good old Franklin W. Dixon!
The first title is Terror On Tour and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com.
No artwork is available yet.
I don't know if this series will continue the 1st person narrative style used in the Girl Detective and Undercover Brothers books.

Graphic Novel #9 Announced

9: To Die Or Not To Die the latest in the Hardy Boys graphic novel series has been announced for release in June 2007.
At a nationwide drama competition, Frank and Joe Hardy must go undercover to discover which contestant has been knocking off the competition by any means possible – including deadly force!
Like all the other graphic novels, this one is available in Hardcover and Paperback.

Shaun Cassidy Joe Hardy Watch

This watch, a collectable from the 1970s TV series, turned up on eBay recently.
There's no indication of the manufacturer, though it probably was made by M.Z. Berger as were other Hardy Boys watches of this period.

The Creature Of Kapu Cave

NEW: The Creature Of Kapu Cave

You, as Nancy Drew, go to Hawaii to serve as a research assistant to Dr. Quigley Kim. A devastating scourge is destroying the pineapple crop causing residents to whisper that a local research compound has awoken the legendary Kane 'Okala. Upon arriving, she discovers the camp ravaged with Dr. Kim missing. Coincidentally, the Hardy Boys are also on the Island to complete top secret mission, but it's up to Nancy to uncover this intricate web of mysteries.

For the first time, you can play as either Nancy Drew, Frank Hardy or Joe Hardy!

Undercover Brothers Super Mystery #2 Announced

Kidnapped At The Casino - Super Mystery #2 has been announced for a release in early May 2007.

Mickey Mouse Club "Tower Treasure" Coming On DVD In December

The Original Hardy Boys TV Series From The Walt Disney Mickey Mouse Club!
This will be a "limited" edition and is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com:
Hardy Boys Tower Treasure

Graphic Novel #8 Artwork

8: Board To Death Hardcover - Paperback

Due March 2007

The undercover brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy, go undercover at a major skateboarding contest in Venice, California to find out which competitor is trying to kill off the competition-literally!

2007 Undercover Brothers Titles

2 new Undercover Brother titles have been announced and are available for pre-order from Amazon.com

Hazed (#14)
Death and Diamonds (#15)

Collegeville Prototype Shaun Cassidy Mask

This showed up on eBay recently with the seller stating:

The Original Hand Painted Prototype Mask of SHAUN CASSIDY from THE HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES!!

Is it real? Is it fake? I have no idea but here it is. You decide!

Hardy Boys Graphic Novel #8 Announced

Board To Death, the 8th novel in the Hardy Boys graphic novel series has been announced for an early 2007 release.
Once again, the author is Scott Lobdell but there is a new artist, Paulo Henrique.
As usual, this title will be available in hardcover & paperback formats.
I will post the cover art and other details as soon as they become available.

Casefiles Recycled as Undercover Brothers

Cave Trap (Casefile #115) and Darkness Falls (Casefile #89) are apparently going to be released as Undercover Brothers titles.
According to Amazon.com, they have a 7/3/06 release date but are currently listed as "Out Of Stock".
Casefiles have been recycled as Undercover Brothers in Great Britain and it would seem as if that is going to happen here.
UPDATE: British Hardy Boys fan Ian Regan reports that these are, in fact, British editions. Why Amazon is listing them is a mystery.
7-22-06 UPDATE: Amazon is no longer listing these items. Truly a mystery worthy of Frank & Joe!