I wish I could have read and given this an honest review. However, my device would not load it so I did not have the pleasure of reading it. Do not hold this against anyone but me. I tried all that I could to find a proper program to read this but it was beyond me.

This was an interesting take on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Brothers. I wish the illustrations were a little less creepy as that is not what I remember picturing them as when I was a child. However, the story was engaging and mysterious.

I grew up reading Nancy drew and when I saw this in the read now section of NetGalley I knew I wanted to try it. This was a lot darker and edgier read. The mystery kept me wanting to keep reading!I also thought the artwork was unique and dark. I liked this and I plan on checking out the next volume.

I really enjoyed this crossover! I love a good mystery, and it was fun to read these classics in graphic novel!

I was so excited for this book! I’ve loved Nancy Drew my whole life, from the books to the video games to the movies.

I was pleased with this graphic novel. It’s a more adult story for older fans of Nancy and the Hardy Boys. Their friends the Bobsey Twins even made a little cameo. However, two people who were noticeably missing were Bess and George! I really missed them in the story! You can’t really have Nancy without her two sidekicks. I hope they will make an appearance in the next volume.

The graphics were quite simple. They could have been more elaborate and detailed. Since the story is very noir, the pictures were dark. The use of shadows was great at times for building tension but they sometimes made it difficult to distinguish between characters. Maybe this would be fixed in the final copy, since mine was an e-ARC of the book.

I enjoyed the mystery. The main story was that Joe and Frank were accused of murdering their father, which just seems crazy to me that they are suspected of murder. There is a lot of corruption in Bayport, which explains why the brothers were accused.

There was a major twist at the end of the story which got me so excited for the next one! I can’t wait to read more from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (and hopefully Bess and George too!).

This is not your grandma's Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys! It's a gritty, violent, crime-ridden world where people are murdered in bloody ways. Nancy is brilliant and kick-ass as expected and she's a real babe too! The Hardy brothers are good foils with complimentary personalities but I was a bit shocked at how much they physically fought with each other. I have never read the original series so I can't compare but this one is definitely for teens and adults. I'm really interested to see where this conspiracy goes!

The retro graphic style and colouring suited the darkness of this noir detective story while still keeping it fun, since these are teenagers. Nancy Drew is very femme fatale in this series and it's kind of awesome. The depictions of the Hardy boys remind me a bit of Jughead and Archie which fits with their personalities too.

Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

From the publisher: A Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery unlike any other you’ve ever read! When the teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy are accused of the murder of their father – a detective in the small resort town of Bayport – they must team up with Nancy Drew to prove their innocence (and find the real guilty party in the process) in a twisting noir tale, complete with double-crosses, deceit, and dames. Writer Anthony Del Col (Assassin’s Creed, Kill Shakespeare) and artist Werther Dell’Edera (Batman: Detective Comics, House of Mystery) bring the iconic teen detectives into the modern age, and redefine noir for a new generation of readers!

As a kid, I read every Hardy Boys book I could get my hands on. I also read a couple of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew team ups. I even occasionally read a Tom Swift story (no Bobsey Twins, though). I say all that in order to explain why I took a chance on Anthony Del Col's re-imagining of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys for the 2010's. The book he created, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie, follows some other recent updates of classic and beloved characters. So, as a former fan, I was interested to see what Del Col came up with. It turns out it was pretty good.

So, The Big Lie is the story of how the Hardy brothers were accused of the murder of their father, Det. Fenton Hardy, and how Nancy Drew helped them solve the mystery. However, it's much deeper than that, involving drug smuggling brothers (the Rovers), a broken relationship between Nancy and her father, Federal Prosecuter Carson Drew, the seedy underbelly of Bayport, and the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of seemingly idyllic towns. It's also about families, and quite possibly about the dreams and innocence of childhood turning into the reality of being an adult.

The mystery behind The Big Lie was interesting, and not to easy to figure out. It was an enjoyable story which sets the stage for bigger mysteries to come in future Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys mini-series. I think what I enjoyed the most, though, was the updating of the characters and their lives. The shine is definitely off Frank and Joe Hardy, and, really, Nancy Drew as well. The brothers bicker and fight, and see the world in grayer tones than they used to. They are sure not the simple, unchanging characters of my youth. Nancy is still very confident, but has lost her innocence too, through a broken relationship with her father (who used to be her best friend). It was neat seeing this more adult version of the characters, and while it's different seeing them as imperfect, it makes for a much more engaging story and allows the characters the potential to grow and change.

The other fun thing about The Big Lie is all the nods to the books these characters have been in, together and by themselves. There are allusions to solving mysteries on the beach as children, and how nothing ever seemed to change (over 100 books and the characters are still the same age). Del Col also throws in Tom Swift and the Bobsey Twins to add another nod to childhood reading.

Overall, I would highly recommend Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie, by Anthony Del Col, especially to readers who grew up with the original characters. Enjoy the Veronica Mars-ish vibe.

I received a preview copy of this book from Dynamite Entertainment and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read for any Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys Fan. It was fun to bring these characters back into our house and I really enjoyed it.

I had never read anything Nancy Drew before.
But it didn’t bother me when reading this. The story was well constructed, the characters complex and interesting.
I really enjoyed getting to know Nancy as well as both Joe and Frank.

This was such a fast read, the intrigue just took me and left me wanting more... I hope a sequel comes out soon!

Given that the last time I read a Hardy Boys book, I was probably 10, I didn't expect to be reading new stories in my 4o's and digging them. Del Col has definitely turned the series on its ear with the kids are all grown up now even though they are still in their teens. Joe and Frank's dad has been murdered and they are the prime suspects. So Nancy and the boys go undercover to find the real murderer. The end of the book also hints at bigger conspiracies to come. Del Col definitely steers the story into the crime noir genre. Dell'edera provides Tim Sale like retro art that looks like an extension of one of those pulp covers.

I was a huge fan of Nancy Drew as a kid, so I was drawn into this comic and appreciated the update to the modern day. It's definitely a much darker mystery than those she used to solve, and there are shout outs to other mystery series of that era that are fun to pick out.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!*

I love Nancy Drew! I have around 100 books, all the computer games, and own the movies and TV show. So, I was quite intrigued when I heard about this new comic series earlier this year. I hadn’t gotten around to checking out the individual issues yet though. So, when I found out all six issues of the series were becoming one volume, and that it was available on NetGalley, I was quite excited!

When I read the first issue, I was a bit unsure on how I felt about it. This isn’t the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books from your childhood. That being said, the more I read, the more this story grew on me!

While this mystery is more mature and darker than the books, I really felt like the spirit of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys was there. The characters were edgier, but really their personalities were the same, just amplified, and I really loved that!

The actual mystery, in itself, was really well done. It was a bit difficult accepting the fact that Fenton Hardy was murdered, but ultimately, doing something so risky as to kill off such a prominent character in the original Hardy Boys series really showed what this series was about. I don’t want to give away anything, so Ill just say that The Big Lie was filled with plot twists and suspense, and overall, it was just really good. The artwork was really great too. I absolutely loved how the back of the book featured all the various covers for each individual issue. My favorite cover is issue #3, which was created by Fay Dalton.

Another thing I really appreciated were all the references to other characters from the Stratemeyer Syndicate. You may not be aware, but Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon were not real people. All the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books were created by Edward Stratemeyer, as well as several other not quite as well-known series (like the Bobbsey Twins and Tom Swift) and ghost written by various people, under the Stratemeyer Syndicate. So, that was really fun to see those references!

Overall, The Big Lie was really well done. I’m quite new to graphic novels and comic books, so I’m still learning what I like and dislike, but I found this one to be very enjoyable. I plan on buying myself a physical copy to add to my Nancy Drew collection soon! I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, as well as to anyone who is a fan of mystery comics. I look forward to, hopefully, reading more titles in this series in the future!

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie will be released November 28th, 2017! However, you can check out the first issue for FREE on Amazon Kindle and comiXology now!

Being a fan of the Hardy Boys (as well as the Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew crosssovers) growing up, I was very excited when I saw this on Netgalley. I was expecting a more adult version of the books I was used to. However, I was disappointed to say the least. I think I had set my expectations too high. I think I may pick up the next book in the series and see if that manages to hook me.

I have to say I wasn't completely impressed - the story is suitably noir for an adult comic, but does the regular adult comic reader want to be seen with those names on the cover? It's a story that could have been attached to any franchise, or - of course - none at all, which would have been novel. As it is, it's not a particularly brilliant story, and seems geared up just to cram a 'Syndicate' joke in at the end. Passable.

I really liked how the graphics gave an old time feel, while the characters had clearly been modernized. The interplay of the characters was good, and the mystery too.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys investigate Fenton Hardy's suicide in this graphic noir thriller.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are all grown up. They live in Bayport, which also houses the Bobbsey twins. The art, coloring and lettering are great. The story less so.

There were 175 Nancy Drew books written between 1930 and 2003. As a reader of the first 41 as a child and a lover of all things noir, The Big Lie seemed like a perfect fit for my tastes. The look of the book is vintage noir. The updating of Nancy, Joe and Frank's appearance is spot on. Unfortunately, the plot is horrible. There is no mystery regarding whodunnit at all. There is absolutely no dramatic tension. The disagreement between the brothers didn't seem authentic. The setting for the ending seemed forced and overly referenced the original books. Overall, the story gets 1 star from me but the artwork and style get a 5 so the entire book gets 3 stars. Still I wouldn't recommend it to Nancy Drew fans looking for an homage to the original books.

Thanks to the publisher, Dynamite Entertainment, and Netgalley for an advanced review copy.

Just finished ‘Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie’.

Reading this brings back memories during primary school days. I couldn’t get enough of Nancy Drew back then. To see it reincarnate into a graphic novel and in a current modern setting, is a very good thing. I cannot recommend it enough.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors/Dynamite Entertainment and am providing an honest review.

When I was a child, back in the 60's I was introduced to the Hardy Boys books. Every month I would get the next one in the series. I fell in love with both mysteries and reading with those books. Never did read any Nancy Drew, those were for girls. After I had read a few my dad told me that he had read them growing up. That confused me because they talked about all sorts of modern things that would never be in existence when he was a child. I found out later that every generation had their version of the Hardy Boys written under the same pen name. And since Nancy Drew was from the same publisher, it was safe to assume that her books were the same.

I say all that because every generation did have their own version. I have read people say this was a bad mashup because it took something from the past and brought it current. I have no problems with that at all. This generation needs its own version and something that will appeal to it.

Trust me, this is not the Hardy Boys I grew up with. While they had a little grit in them, this is GRITTY. It is done in a noir style. While the three have cell phones and the like, it has a feel of a much different type. If you were to watch Rverdale on CW TV network, you would have the same feel.

Basic story line. The Boys are being framed for the murder of their dad, who everyone assumes was a crooked cop. The boys know they are not guilty and that their dad was not crooked or committed suicide. They team up with Nancy Drew, who is visiting with her dad, a district judge. Everyone, even our main characters, seem to have secrets that they do not want let out. Fun point, look for the side characters in this book. Clever winks and nods to our childhood stories.

Teens would be the lowest age that I would suggest this book for. I would recommend this to any one that enjoys graphic novels. I know some people would conciser 'comics' are not real writing, I would differ. Great read, will be looking for the others.

Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys:
The Big Lie

HB & ND - The Big Lie.jpg

by
Anthony Del Col

A Review

I grew up with the Hardy Boys - oh, I knew of Nancy Drew, but never read the books. I could not get my hands on a Hardy Boys book fast enough; it would be my first stop at the bookstore. Sadly, fifty years ago I outgrew them.

This past week Anthony Del Col renewed my interest. The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, and Tom Swift, have all been recreated in the 21st century. This reincarnation is not for the book-loving fans of the past, but for the graphic novel loving generation.

The story is top-notch - easy to follow and involved enough to hold this sexagenarian’s attention for the entire 162 pages of graphic art. Though the stars are definitely The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are the starts, but we also get a glimpse of the Bobbsey Twins and Tom Swift. Beginning with the suicide (or was it murder) of Frank Hardy, the Boys’ father, the story quickly shifts to the Hardy Boys being each (or jointly) being involved in the events surrounding the death. The police are quick to identify them as the wanted parties and give little thought to other possible suspects. The biggest part of the book focuses on unraveling the events of the night when Frank Hardy died.

Not a great fan or critic of comic art, I did find the art more remanence of the 60’s or 70’s than the more explosive style prevalent in much of today’s comic art. That may have made this reader feel more at home, but it should not drive away those more often exposed to the current style. Because I was reading an e-book, I am not in a position to evaluate how effective the artwork is reproduced with modern inks and paper. Having said that, let it be known the e-book is well done.

The book concludes with a number of special features - interviews with the author, the artist, the colorist, and the letterist. A number of close-ups are provided of the art found within the stories pages are also included. And finally, a hint - what is that about the Bobbsey Twins and a future mystery? We will just have to wait and see.

Read the book - whether you are current graphic art fan, a fan of the comic books of yore, or a fan of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. The reader will not be disappointed - I wasn’t.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.