Comic Review: Nancy Drew #3

Nancy Drew #3

Dynamite Entertainment

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Jenn St-Onge

I very much enjoyed the first two issues of this series, and this third one is no different. This issue is very character driven, but it works well. The trade-off for that though, is that the story moves a bit slower than I’d personally like. But it’s a trade that works out.

Picking up from the last issue, Nancy’s friends (Bess, George, and The Hardy Boys) find her at Deadman’s Cliffs. The site where Nancy and Pete found a dead body. Nancy explains what she knows to her friends and delegates jobs to them to help her solve the case. The group splits up and goes to work, and we end with an ominous silhouette looming over Nancy and Pete at the top of a staircase.

This issue mainly moves by the characters and their interactions with each other. Nancy has a vulnerable moment with George. It’s a big contrast to the Nancy we’ve seen so far. Instead of the strong, leader-type she’s been and continues to be after this, she breaks down and opens up to George. Bess and Joe Hardy have their moment in a car with each other, and it’s a very sweet moment.

The trade-off to this though, is that the story itself doesn’t move much at all. We know as much as we do at the end of the issue than we do in the beginning. There’s a couple of teases of trouble but nothing that pays off in this issue. On top of that, even though we’ve seen a little bit more of the rest of the group and who they are, Frank Hardy is still just “the smart one.” There hasn’t been much for him to do. It’s just a small nitpick, but I hope that that changes.

The art in this issue is good. I never really found myself liking the kind of cutesy style like this has, but it’s growing on me. Jenn St-Onge’s art compliments the feel of the story well. The colors by Triona Farrell are also pleasing to the eyes. In particular, the hair color on Nancy and Bess really caught my attention this issue. They both just blend the colors nicely, and I enjoyed it. I don’t have any problems with the art, all around it’s very well done.

While it is slower, this is still a good issue. Kelly Thompson is really good at dialogue, and with this issue being more character oriented really shows it. I have my gripes, but that’s all they are, just gripes. The art is good. The characters are good. Even though it didn’t advance much, the story is good. This is another good issue in a very enjoyable series.