About Us: The Origin Story

Welcome one and all to the creative world of Handmadecardboardinnovations.com and the birthplace of Collectible Cardboard! Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to view the array of products made available by Zelpha Comics Ltd. and Carol Zelpha Novelties. Two companies under one umbrella, that specialize in producing unique independent comic books and 3D cardboard art created by Luanga Nuwame.

Everything on this website is individually made by hand, or created/written by, Luanga Nuwame. All comic books are published by Zelpha Comics Ltd. (named after Nuwame’s maternal grandmother Zelpha Watson). Any and all handmade toys, games and 3D posters are made under the Carol Zelpha Novelties banner (named after Nuwame’s mother Carol Gordon and his grandmother).

Zelpha Comics Ltd. started in 2016 as a way for Nuwame to publish his array of indie comic book titles like Paper Rock Scissors N’ Stuff Wars, The Adventures of Little Petalianne, Enter the World of Mephistopheles, and Dalf-Lo: A Cereal Worth Killing For. 

Nuwame is a lifelong geek/nerd who is inspired by great creative minds like Thomas Edison, Granville Woods, George S. Parker, Todd McFarlane, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. In 2008, Nuwame created the Homemade Game Guru YouTube channel to share his love of cardboard DIY crafting with viewers worldwide. Over 7 million people have watched his craft videos ranging from cardboard swimming pools to cardboard furniture and comic book crafts. Nuwame has also published multiple books including the DIY manual The Cardboard Bible.

In 2008, Nuwame won a Majorfun.com award for his YouTube cardboard craft videos. In 2009, Nuwame achieved a World’s Record Academy record for the Largest Board Game Made by One Person. In 2021, Nuwame was a finalist for The City of Mississauga (Ontario) Visual Artist of the Year. In 2022, Nuwame was awarded the inaugural Desjardins GoodSpark business grant.  

Zelpha Comics Ltd. and Carol Zelpha Novelties are strictly about handmade, small print batches that are unique to the buyer! This is absolutely NO overseas mass-production to be found on this website – every cardboard-based product or comic book on this website is Made-in-Canada using materials sourced from Canada and the United States. Everything sold is signed by Nuwame personally and many products are hand numbered as well. We want you to have that special something that has meaning.

This website is also the birthplace of a new idea! Cardboard is an amazing environmentally sustainable resource that can be used to create amazing and beautiful products. Starting in November 2022, we are launching an ongoing series of Collectible Cardboard products. Handmade, very limited edition, posters and novelties meant to become sought after collectibles over time. We want elevate cardboard crafts to a higher level by making intricate designs worthy of the collectibles market. The first Collectible Cardboard release is the Beautiful Canada 3D poster series. Take a look to see what cardboard can become!

Please note, due to the handmade-per-order nature of most of the items available on this website, each product has specified production turnaround times listed in the description area. There are copious amounts of personal time and passion that go into making each item, so we ask for your patience while an order is being made. E-mail updates will be provided as orders/releases become finalized.

If you are looking for something unique and made out of premium cardboard – a one-of-a-kind gift – welcome home!

THANK-YOU...

Thank you to Marsha (wife) and Azura (daughter) for always supporting and dealing with the inventive messes Nuwame makes when he creates these products in the living room and basement. You are the best family a man could ever wish for!

Also extending a ‘thank you’ to Mississauga-based Marwood Printing for their excellent work in producing the comic books offered on this site.

http://www.mbeasy.ca/

Thank you to Zelpha Watson (Nuwame’s Grandmother) and Carol Gordon (Nuwame’s mom) for being such amazing, strong and inspirational women. 

And a very special 'thank you' has to be given to the amazing artists who were instrumental in helping bring Nuwame's concepts to life. Zelpha Comics is truly blessed to have such amazing talent involved with the creation of its comics. Please, check out their individual pages to experience just how immersive and beautiful their portfolios are:

George Leon: https://www.instagram.com/customcomicshop/

Hugh Rookwood: http://chozenstudios.com/

Dan Hammond: https://www.pinterest.ca/supersetdan/the-art-of-dan-hammond/

Christina Deljanov: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaDeljanovArt/

Michael T. Gilbert: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_T._Gilbert

 

Cheers everyone and shop away. Contact us directly if you have a question, comment or custom request.