Mainstream media from the New York Times to CNN are covering the Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys: Death of Nancy Drew comic series announced by Dynamite Entertainment last week (see “Nancy Drew Is Dead!”). The storyline, announced as a celebration of the character’s 90th anniversary, has unsurprisingly drawn strong reactions, both from those that are concerned about their beloved character disappearing to those that see the story as a diminishment of a strong female character in favor of the male characters the Hardy Boys, who are tasked with solving Drew’s murder. 

Some criticism of the storyline uses the term “fridging,” a term evolved from writer Gail Simone’s reaction to a 1994 story in which a female character was killed and stuffed in a refrigerator as a way to advance a male character’s storyline. The storyline, beyond the brief description in the original announcement, is not yet known, although writer Anthony Del Col promised "twists and turns that all fans -- new and old -- of Nancy, Frank and Joe will enjoy."

The Nancy Drew character has been getting high visibility recently, driven by the new series on the CW, which debuted in October (see “CW’s Fall Premiere Dates”).  “We’ve had incredible success with Nancy Drew, not only through initial release as periodicals but then as the collections thorugh comic stores, bookstores, and libraries,” Dynamite CEO Nick Barrucci said of the property.  “With the TV series doing so well, the awareness for Nancy is at an all-time high.”