Review: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys; The Death of Nancy Drew #5 (of 6)
By now, the most misnomered comic book title since, well, The Death of Oracle, quietly goes about its business, serving up more suspects even as the gang gets even closer to the truth.
Schemes are unfurling, with the rotten underbelly of River Heights finally giving Nancy and her boys some idea on the effects of Nancy’s recent troubles, if not the true cause. As quick as characters are introduced, acting as fulcrums to get to truth, the real culprit is still unknown, at least to Nancy.
Anthony Del Col is shuffling his pieces around, sacrificing a couple of minor players whilst keeping the big bad in the shadows. The list of suspects is growing; I have my suspicions one of which is totally out of left field. Del Col is also ramping up the whole unrequited love aspect in the Drew / Hardy triangle; with one issue to go, will Joe or Frank get their girl? It’s a credit to Del Col that he is able to switch from possible murder, nefarious plot and love triangle with seemingly ease, ensuring that the reader cares about all three aspects equally. The book reads like a true gumshoe all the way down to the ” I know who tried to kill you” moment which had to be the concluding panel of this issue, used here to generate satisfaction rather than cliché.
Joe Eisma’s art continues to fluctuate. At times the angular approach with the less is more facial stylings kind of falls flat. It isn’t that the art is bad, it’s just that the earlier issues in this series had more pop. Maybe it is more fun drawing the setup rather than the punchline. The colors by Salvatore Aiala remain seedy and dark which continues to fit the tone of the book well. It could be said that if I as being super critical, the colors at time lack nuance appearing too digital. Finally letterer Crank! utilises the fonts that have become the norm for this series.
Bearing in mind that over the last five months, we have had Empyre from Marvel and the Joker War and Detective #1027 from DC, this has been the book that I have looked forward to reading the most. True the art may not be “spectacular” in comparison to the bigger event books; but it doesn’t need to be. The art needs to tell the story in conjunction with the writing. That’s what you get from Del Col and Eisma; a conjoining of words and art in order to tell the best story that they can. I am eagerly awaiting the final chapter.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 4.5 Stars
Written by; Anthony Del Col
Art by; Joe Eisma
Colors by; Salvatore Aiala
Letters by; Crank!
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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