Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys get a hard-boiled makeover in this Dynamite exclusive

In a pop-culture climate where classic properties are constantly being reimagined for modern audiences, it was only a matter of time before teen detectives Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys received a bold new direction of their own. The new Dynamite Comics series Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie brings the characters into a hard-boiled noir atmosphere as the Hardy brothers, Frank and Joe, are accused of murdering their detective father. With their backs against the wall, they turn to local femme fatale Nancy Drew to help solve the mystery and clear their names, sending the trio on a twisting path of double-crosses and deception.

Writer Anthony Del Col has done exceptional work reworking Shakespeare’s character and concepts in the various Kill Shakespeare miniseries he co-writes with Conor McCreery, staying true to the core ideas of the source material while building something strange and surprising on Shakespeare’s foundation. That builds a lot of confidence that The Big Lie will maintain the charm of the classic Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys stories as Del Col’s story takes the characters to a darker place.

Artist Werther Dell’Edera joins Del Col on The Big Lie (with colorist Stefano Simeone), and Dell’Edera has shown a talent for gritty, intense visuals with his work on books like Vertigo’s House Of Mystery and IDW’s Cobra. This unlettered preview of March’s Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #1 brings considerable drama to Frank Hardy’s police interrogation thanks to Dell’Edera’s severe camera angles and Simeone’s strong contrast of hot and cold colors, giving a clear sense of the discomforting claustrophobia Frank is experiencing in the moment. Readers can uncover more of the mystery when the series debuts on March 8, but in the meanwhile, here’s a sample of what’s in store for these iconic characters.