Fans of Nancy Drew will be happy but sad about Dynamite’s new title: The Death of Nancy Drew!
Issue #1 brings us into the world of young Nancy Drew and draws us further into the mystery surrounding her death. Oh, and Frank and Joe Hardy are ever-present, making this a retro ‘boomer’ cross over event! (For those of us old enough to remember the original hardcover mystery titles Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys).
Part One, written by Anthony Del Col (Canadian; and the writer of Son of Hitler, Kill Shakespear, Assassin’s Creed, etc) starts us off by time-stepping us through Drew’s short life as a detective. Her father’s death, her helping Frank and Joe track down THEIR father’s murderer. Oh, it’s dark and seamy, the current world of teen detectives. No comic relief from ‘chubby’ Chet Morton, that lovable sidekick from the politically incorrect 1950s…
Anthony Del Col nails the tense, suffocating atmosphere surrounding Nancy’s disappearance, the uneasy alliance of Frank and his younger brother Joe. There are times to question family and friends of Nancy, to follow the clues Past The Old Clock, Up The Staircase, Around The Tower Road, and so on. As a bonus, other storybook characters make appearances in amusing yet soberingly 2020 ways. Times have changed alright!
The artwork by Joe Eisma (Morning Glories, etc) and colouring by Salvatore Aiala (From Brazil: and colourist of Resurrected, Zorro Vol 2, etc) is moody and dark. This is a ‘film noir’ treatment of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: Evenings, dark rooms, black panel backgrounds, muted grey surroundings. Cafes with dim bulbs. The figures are a bit static; this is not your grandfather’s dynamic duo, busting through the panel borders, trouncing bad guys. Having said that, there are strong dramatic moments. There ARE twisting and turning vantage points, punch-ups, and aberrations in the art atmosphere. But overall, it’s a sunset, twilight world of mystery and a many-charactered adventure. Check it out!
Dynamite, The Death of Nancy Drew #1, $3.99 for 24 pages of content. Assume Teen rating
Newsdesk