Review – Nancy Drew #1 (2018)

Nancy Drew #1 (2018) – 
Dynamite Entertainment
 
Written by Kelly Thompson
Art by Jenn St-Onge
Colors by Triona Farrell
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover by Tula Lotay
 
They say you can’t go home again.  I never really understood that one.  I’ve been “back home” a couple of times, it’s pretty easy.  The real trick, I think, is what do you consider home?  Nancy Drew has made a new life for herself, but that is about to be interrupted.  Let’s dive into this new comic book adaptation of the great crime solver.
 
First, don’t call it a reboot.  I say that because it doesn’t feel like one, even though that is the buzz word these days.  The story follows a 17 year old Nancy, who has found a life for herself doing her usual crime solving with a whole new set of friends.  That’s when she receives something disturbing that pulls her back to Bayport.  I won’t go into the details of what it was, or the circumstances, but it was jarring enough for her to drop everything and go.  If that wasn’t complicated enough, how about running into your friends that you haven’t seen or talked to in a while?  There are some familiar names and faces you will definitely recognize once she gets there and the case really starts.  I do love that this book really deals with the personal relationships first, and doesn’t really dive into the case until the latter pages of the book.  Dive is a very appropriate word, and once you read the book, you’ll understand.  We don’t get much in the way of details about the case, but I will say that this book ends on a cliffhanger (again, very appropriate choice of words.)
 
This book is very well updated and just has a very good vibe about it.  It’s easy to take for granted updating a character to modern times, but not everyone does it well.  Kelly Thompson takes a character you may already love, and makes he likeable to the nth degree.  I love the inner monologue on the notebook pages as well, a very nice touch and adds a lot to the story.  The group dynamic is also very fun and makes you want to read the story for the interactions just as much as the mystery itself.  The art is very solid throughout as well.  First you start with the cover by Tula Lotay which is out of this world good, they you get to the interior where Jenn St-Onge makes you feel like you’re watching a high end animated series.  This book really is for everyone, and is just a very enjoyable read.  Every piece of this story just feels like it belongs and falls right into place.  I highly recommend this, whether you’ve been a lifelong Nancy Drew fan or not.
 
RATING:  PULL / BUY