Review: Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys – The Death of Nancy Drew #6 (of 6)

The would be murderer or murderess stands revealed and its………. Like I am really going to tell you; go buy the book!

Nancy and her boys are finally faces to face with the person who wanted rid of Miss Drew.  Along the way there is the usual semi-flashback moments, leading to the an outcome, that for some at least, may well have been predicted.  However, I have to say that the destination here is equally as satisfying as the journey, for a nice change.

Anthony Del Col essentially wraps up his overarching twelve issue run.  In this concluding issue Del Col does a great job at subverting expectations, touching on all of the suspects that have been introduced during the run, giving those readers (like me) playing amateur detective a chance to say “Ah ha, I was right!” only to pull the proverbial rug from out under them.   Final issues can be a mixed affair, with pacing being the hardest element to capture; with some set-ups being so long, that the conclusion can feel rushed or chock to full of action.  Del Col demonstrates his excellent storytelling ability, proving that he had the pacing down perfect, successfully concluding all but one of the meandering threads.

Joe Eisma’s art has failed to capture my attention in the same way it did during the early part of this run.  Here, the consistent facial elements are lacking and some of the confrontation pieces still feel a but wooden at times.  Whilst form may be in doubt, Eisma is great at evoking style and drama suitable for a gumshoe story.  Part of this success will certainly belong to the colors of Salvatore Aiala; the rain soaked middle to third act is great.  The pair certainly bring the best out of each other.  Crank! delivers the font style that we have come to expect from this series.

This has been a fun read from issue one.  At no point has it let up, with Del Col twisting and turning Nancy through her detective paces.  Now that the big mystery stands unfurled, is it finally time to pull on the last remaining thread?   Is it finally time for Nancy to make her choice between her boys?  Maybe this is the one mystery that is going to get away from her.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors 5 Stars

Overall – 4 Stars

Written by; Anthony Del Col
Art by; Joe Eisma
Colors by; Salvatore Aiala
Letters by; Crank!
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes
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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