Through numerous articles I have featured the work of comic book writing team Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, the team who first established themselves with their brilliant Kill Shakespeare series.
Since the end of the original Kill Shakespeare series they have stayed busy with several different projects, most notably the recent Assassins Creed mini-series.
Now the team is back tackling different titles at the same time.
While Conor McCreery returns to the Kill Shakespeare universe with the new Juliet feature, Anthony Del Col moves on to put a new spin on the classic character Nancy Drew in a current series which includes the Hardy Boys.
Traditionally these characters were clean cut, good two-shoe types who helped the local police solve mysteries in a wholesome family manner. That image is gone in the current Del Col handling of the characters.
Not only has Del Col brought the characters into the modern age he’s made them believable with realistic personalities and their own various flaws. The characters aren’t afraid to do some hacking, break into police stations and cruisers; they argue, disagree, get into fights and deal with the seedier side of life.
Something that, traditionally, the characters didn’t do.
Del Col’s reboot of the characters doesn’t end there, gone is the clean, polished ‘All-American Golden Age’ look that was previously associated with the characters.
The new series has a moodier, gritty look brought to life by artist Werther Dell ‘Edera.
Dell’ Edera’s new look works with how Del Col has written the characters and the heavy use of the character’s thoughts, through narration, ties the look and new character approach together making it feel believable.
The comics themselves flow evenly in the pacing moving from panel to panel with an uncluttered, although sometimes overly inked, look that makes the story easy to follow and credible.
This new take on classic series can be purchased through this link to – Dynamite Comics.