I cannot get this book to my kindle, so I cannot review it. I comes to my computer as a file with an extension that Amazon said will probably damage my kindle if I put it on the kindle. Thus, no review. Sorry.

Hm. This is a tough one to review. This read definitely didn't live up to the hype that I had given it... but perhaps I just need to be patient and check out the rest of the series.

As a beginning to the series, I think this was lacking. The storyline seemed only like a very brief introduction. And to me it just felt rushed. Some of the dialogue didn't flow well, and in a few instances it seemed like words were missing, like, "And you kids even worse."

I don't yet care of any of the characters or what was going on. But we'll see how things change in issue 2!

The artwork was alright, but certainly not my favorite style. I greatly prefer illustration that is consistent from panel to panel, and I didn't think that was the case here.

Unfortunately I didn't much care for this comic. But I'm definitely going to give the others a try, as I think this has the potential to be really neat. Fingers crossed!

It was kind of interesting, but not at all what I was expecting. It was jarring to read characters from books I read as a child act this way and I couldn't really connect with it. Plus, all of the other characters are shallow cliches. I wouldn't be interested in reading the next one.

This is not the light-hearted mystery series we grew up reading but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The series kicks off with the adult versions of Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys coming together to investigate the murder of Fenton Hardy. The boys have been blamed but know they would never kill their own father. The trio end up tying things to a local drug ring and investigating Nancy's father, who is acting shady, on their journey to find the truth.
I loved Nancy Drew stories as a kid and read quite a few Hardy Boys novels as well so I was excited to read this. It's probably because of this excitement that made me even more disappointed when it wasn't great. The book isn't bad though. I felt like the story wasn't as well written as it could be and fell a bit flat but I did like the characters as adults and will give the series another chance once another book is released. It is very much a teen or adult noir series though, not a kids series.

I wish this had a more interesting story. Everything else about was rather interesting, despite the recent darker and edgier adaptations of things like Archie and the upcoming Sabrina, I thought this would be an interesting take on my old favorite book series. I didn't like the story line very much, I hope future volumes will be more interesting story wise. The characterizations could probably use a little fine tuning as well, but hopefully character growth in the future could take of that.

I have to be honest: I had a very hard time slogging through this dark and very boring mashup of of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys with noir. I know it is an interesting concept: meld crime noir with the young sleuths we grew up reading in our childhood. But something just doesn't work here: all of the personality and character of our intrepid teens have been removed in favor of a bog standard murder mystery with generic leads. The art is dreary. The plot is dreary. The characters dreary. Even the coloring is dreary. What was the point naming random characters after more famous ones if you don't keep any of the famous characterizations intact?

Story: The Hardy Boys are suspected of murdering their own father. Nancy Drew steps in to help the boys but becomes embroiled with her own family issues. As the boys are manipulated by Nancy, Nancy begins to doubt her own motives. Is she making things worse as they try to uncover the corruption in their city?

The whole plot was honestly silly - the Hardy Boys are just patsies for Nancy Drew's femme fatale machinations. Both come off as lobotomized and fractious - little sheep ready for Nancy's overwritten and over-the-top plotting. Clearly, everyone in the world is stupid because the three can infiltrate mafia gang sanctums as easily as they can steal evidence from the police station. The adults are all either complicit, evil, or pathetic weaklings that Nancy and her two drones can manipulate and outthink. TSTL (too stupid to live) syndrome comes to mind here.

As with all noir, a simple plot gets more complicated. Here, it just gets even more boring and implausible. The writing is heavy handed, thick, and overly wordy. The ubiquitous monologues drone on about the same things over and over, determined to really make us dislike or even hate Nancy, Joe, and Frank. The plot jumps all over the place without noir's escalating sense of dread.

The art is old school - think Bazooka Gum comics but dreary and modern and you get the idea. I think the cover image does an excellent job of showing what you will get in this graphic novel - odd, bland, and missing the entire point of using Drew and the Hardies in the first place. Fans of the novels will wonder where the characters are; those not invested in the novels will wonder why anyone read them in the first place. Certainly, the Hardy Boys were brothers that worked together instead of being sulky emo twits fighting each other all the time and too stupid to figure out the big picture.

There's a 'twist' at the end that most will see coming. But honestly, the question is really what was the point of mixing the sleuths with noir if they were just going to lobotomize the leads anyway? It takes more than just naming the protagonists Nancy Drew and Joe/Frank Hardy to do a tie in - you have to capture the essence of the characters, keep some of that intact while recreating their unique traits into a modern setting. That didn't happen here and it feels like a fail on the writer's part as a result. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

First I just want to say that I have never read anything with the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew in my entire life, but this looked fun so I thought I would give it a try. That being said I'm not sure how similar this is to the rest of the franchise, if everyone is more or less in character, or whether die-hard fans will enjoy this. But if you're just looking for a fun mystery comic with some noir influences I would definitely recommend this. The art has a classic feel that really helps set the whole mood and the plot is interesting and moves along at a good pace. There are some bits where the dialogue or inner monologue feels a little bit cliched but I understand what they were trying to do with turning it into a noir detective story and I still enjoyed it overall.

I absolutely loved Nancy Drew as a kid; while I was never a big fan of The Hardy Boys, I always enjoyed their crossover stories. Naturally, when I saw this ARC on netgalley, I was pretty eager to check it out, and once I heard that it was an edgy, modern take on the old gang, I thought for sure this would be a delightful trip down memory lane for me.

Sadly, I was mistaken. The artwork in this is muddy, dull, and dated; while a fan of classic comics may enjoy it, it wasn't for me in the slightest. The storyline was boring and I had a hard time believing any of it or attaching myself to any of the characters. I'd say that there's a chance I've just outgrown Nancy Drew, but just as likely, I think this graphic novel was a bust for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie is a graphic novel that brings to life an all grown up Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys. On trial for their fathers murder, the Hardy boys get a little help from their friends as Nancy shows up to help solve the case. Driven by a strong plot, the book excels at story telling while drawing the reader into the mystery. The art and colors create feelings of nostalgia with an old school drawing style that would have been great illustrations for the original books. The characters have been modernized while keeping the feel of the originals. An interesting take on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys that stays true to the mystery genre that the characters are known for. My voluntary review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

I really liked this graphic novel. It was really interesting to see Nancy, Frank and Joe in a more modern setting and with a grittier story. I really liked that each character had a different colour of box for their inner monologue. I loved that Frank felt authentic and true to the book series, as I treasured those growing up.

I was disappointed that Aunt Gertrude and Hannah weren't mentioned, I would have loved to see those characters modernised. The reason I can't give this the full five stars is that I was really disappointed in how some of the characters were portrayed. Nancy came across flat and petulant, she didn't feel like the smart, resourceful, capable amateur detective we know and love. Joe was really just a guy who talked with his fists and didn't have much going on upstairs. Fenton, Carson, and Collig were the worst, they felt like completely different characters, I could not reconcile their behavior with what I was used to seeing from them.

Overall I am aware that my issues may stem from the fact that I haven't read many graphic novels, and I certainly know even less about noir. I enjoyed the read, I flew through it and would love to read more of the story. If you enjoyed the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, definitely give this a go, but be aware this is not the books we grew up with, in much more than just the setting.

Yasssss! Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. Updated and edgier. The Hardy Boys' Dad is dead by apparent suicide after being accused of being a dirty cop. The boys argue over whether or not that may have been the case. Nancy Drew comes in to rally her friends to find their father's killer. But, she doesn't have the support of her father because she can no longer trust him.

This graphic novel revisits the legendary characters of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew and recasts them in a dark, edgy glib, modern tale. There is a snarkiness and an edginess that gives this story a bit of grit and nastiness. It, as advertised, is not the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew as you remember them. They are among the cool kids now with Nancy getting a femme fatale air about her. Some of the best artwork is saved for the bonus panels at the end. As someone who is not a huge graphic novel fan, I found this one to be tremendous fun, although there were a few places where the storyline was not clear. Recommended.

Well, there are no words.

Literally. There are no words on some of the pages in the e-galley that I got. One of those pages was crucial to the storyline and I had no idea what was going on! It was a bookish nightmare! I plan on checking out The Big Lie from my library as soon as possible to find out what I missed. Other than the blank spaces, I liked the graphic novel. The mystery and darkness was on an adult level, which was nice, but it still had the nostalgia of the old books that I read as a kid. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the art, but it fit the storyline so well that it was fine. The main mystery is solved at the end of the book, but it sets up for the next mystery (very Veronica Mars - love it!) which I am looking forward to reading.

Frank and Joe Hardy's dad had been murdered after being accused of being involved in a crime syndicate. Nancy Drew and her dad were in town on related business so she teamed up with Frank and Joe to find the killer. But the more strings they pulled, the more the normality of Bayport unraveled. Even with the aid of Tom Swift, the finish line seems to keep receding into the distance like a mirage. And even the end of one mystery just sets the stage for another noir mystery. Plenty of grit and fisticuffs to keep the adrenaline junkie entertained while the twists keep the brain cases employed. It will be interesting to see what comes next!

Thanks Netgalley and Dynamite for the opportunity to read this volume!

When I saw there was a Nancy drew and hardy boys graphic novel, I was on that so quick!! I am a massive fan of nancy drew/hardy boys books. This definitely had a more intense tone than the books have. It was more gritty, graphic, and just more adult. None of those things made it bad, it just took adjusting to it considering the change. Overall, I ended up liking it! Throughout it I was a little worried I wouldn’t end up wanting to continue on in the series, but the ending definitely left me wanting more! I liked how they had so much conflict to deal with and try to resolve. I liked the added grittiness and how much their characters had to grow up. The artwork was alright, it wasn’t something I loved or was really special, it was just kind of there.the plot was honestly the best part! It was well thought out and I was surprised by the ending which I wasn’t expecting. I gave it three stars and am interested to see how the rest of the series goes!

Although I read the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, as a kid, I also read the Alfred Hitchcock series of the Famous Three, which I liked better. Actually, I found that even though my grandfather wrote mystery novels, I was never that big on them, and preferred fantasy, or historic novels.

Saying this, as a way to explain that although I am familiar with the original Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I have no idea what Frank or Joe are known for, what sets them apart. I was hoping, because this was a modern version of these stories which are at least created 60 years ago, that I wouldn't have to.

Unfortunately, all I felt I got from this was a typical bad ass girl (Nancy) with two teenage boys who were just there to argue and fight.

This is the first six issues of this series of comic books, and does not complete the story, so we still don't know how this will end.

This is an ok story, a bit of back and forth, a lot of posing of Nancy, with her tight jeans, but not high heels, at least.

And why, oh why, did the artists, who are trying to give an updated version of this story, show the only woman of color, as dressed up in a traditional Chinese outfit, when everyone one else is contemporary. And why oh why, is guy, a young man of color, Tom Swift, who is helping the boys with their hacking, only a bit character?

So, perhaps this is more for fans of the original Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, but if they liked them, they might not like seeing them updated.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Never read the Hardy boys but Nancy Drew books were some of the books that got me obsessed with reading as a kid. I heard about this comic book because apparently it's written by an alumnus of my university and had to pick it up because it sounded like Riverdale (my fave tv at the moment) but with Nancy Drew (my ultimate role model).

I loved the plot of this comic, combining these two well-loved series and modernizing them. The main plotline this series will follow is solving the murder of the Hardy boys' dad, who was a detective accused of shady business. Nancy and the Hardy boys are trying to solve this murder and to do this, they have to do a bunch of illegal stuff to get to the truth.

I loved Nancy's relationship with the boys and even the brothers' relationship was very fun to read. This comic has a very noir vibe going for it and it's done really well with the art and the amount of murder that happens within an issue. I wasn't the biggest fan of the art but it did a great job of creating the perfect atmosphere for this dark story. If you're as obsessed with Riverdale as I am, you're going to love this comic book to bits.

Highly recommend to people who loved either Nancy Drew or the Hardy boys and want a new modern tale.

Sort of Noir

This volume collects issues 1-6 of "Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie", and is a complete story, ending with a hint of additional collections to come. It is being promoted as "a twisty hardboiled noir tale", which struck me as a bit of an exaggeration, but a fair enough description. I thought that compared to the original Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books this counts as hardboiled, but compared to actual hardboiled fiction this is more like hardboiled-lite. That's not necessarily bad, you just shouldn't get your hopes way up if you like classic noir pulp.

The authors do an excellent job of bringing Frank and Joe and Nancy into a darker and more grownup world. Fenton Hardy has been murdered, and there are dark doings in Bayport. This isn't low rent smugglers in caves and the other mainstays of the Hardy and Drew series. This is drugs and dirty cops and a body count. Frank and Joe can still be a bit juvenile, and they seem to be more on the cusp of moving into adulthood than they are actual adults. Nancy Drew just has hints of the sexy femme and also sort of wavers between being a grownup and being a teen phenom. That was actually O.K. by me because I'm not sure if I was ready for the Boys and Nancy to be really broken and dark noir heroes. As I say, noir-lite.

At first the drawing was a bit disappointing because it felt and looked mostly just like old-school classic comic drawing. But, that style actually worked for the story, felt right, (that is, not slick), for the characters, and nicely complemented the story being told. There were some sharp touches around the edges, some interesting and more impressionistic panels, and good handling of light and dark. I know this sounds simple, but I appreciated the fact that the lettering was readable.(There's an alternate cover gallery at the end of the book that is intriguing and well worth a close look.)

The upshot is that this was an entertaining and imaginative update and reimagining of some favorite characters, and that struck me as all to the good.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A nice revisioning of the original comic series. Fun art style as well.