Here’s a crazy idea: launch a new comic book series based on an iconic female character. Then kill said female character off before the first issue even hits the shelves, leaving the story to revolve around the men trying to solve her murder.
Sounds like a strange idea, right? Well that’s how Dynamite Entertainment is choosing to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Nancy Drew this April.
Yes, you read that correctly.
A Twisted Anniversary Special
The Death of Nancy Drew, is the sequel to the 2017 noir series Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie. Dynamite states that they’re both standalone series that don’t need to be read together. Written by Anthony Del Col and drawn by Riverdale artist Joe Eisma, the series follows Frank and Joe Hardy as they investigate Nancy’s mysterious death.
“Over the years, there have been a lot of difficult mysteries in the lives of Nancy Drew and the Hardy brothers,” says Del Col. “But I wanted to top them all, so I put together the ultimate case: solving Nancy’s death.”
Eisma adds, “Anthony and I have crafted a white-knuckle ride of twists and turns for Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Whether you’re new to these characters or a longtime fan, you won’t want to miss this book.”
Female Characters Are Disposable
Now, do I believe Nancy Drew is really dead? No. Even the dreaded “Women in Refrigerators” trope isn’t that powerful.
Yet the fact that Dynamite is willing to do something like this is unsettling. It’s very common for women in fiction to be killed (usually in brutal, gruesome ways) to advance the story of a male character. The man will channel his grief into a mission to find the people responsible and goes scorched Earth.
Maybe instead, the male character’s wife died of cancer. Her passing traumatized him to the point where he can’t even imagine being with anyone else. Until he encounters some lively, passionate lady to heal his broken heart.
You get the picture. Even if Nancy’s death is a fake-out, it doesn’t change the fact she’s been reduced to being a mystery that someone else needs to solve on her behalf.
Nancy Drew is More Than a Marketing Tool
Comic books, movies, television shows, novels, etc. can be a subtle yet powerful form of activism. They can change the way we perceive certain groups of people. How we should feel about them, the way they act, the spaces they’re allowed to occupy. Nancy Drew is a prime example of that.
She redefined what it meant to be a capable, clever female in the male-dominated genre. She has influenced countless women across the globe, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Hillary Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey.
It’s frustrating to Nancy’s anniversary and her death (whether it’s real or faked) as a promotional stunt for a comic book. Particularly one that has her name yet doesn’t feature her as a main character in the series. It doesn’t honor her legacy at all.
After ninety years of solving mysteries, Nancy Drew deserves to be more than a plot device in another character’s story. We’re reminded once again that even the most famous and recognizable female characters struggle to get the respect they deserve.
📌 Changelog
- January 1, 2026: Changed the formatting and re-wrote some sections to improve the flow.
- January 28, 2020: Date article was originally published.
