Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys: The Case of the Missing Adults

by Scott Bryan Wilson, Bob Solanovicz (Artist)

Eating candy nonstop and watching TV all day sounds great . . . until you actually do it, as the kids of Bayport High find out when all the adults vanish, and the world's greatest (high school) detectives--the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew!--have to team up to solve the mystery! Whether it's going under cover, sneaking out at night, chasing weird buses, or following a strange smell, they know it'll take all their wits and smarts to get their parents and teachers back . . . that is, if Joe and Frank don't kill each other first. Oh, and there's also the matter of the skeleton that can walk. And a major feud with a rival high school. And a koala-in-a-diaper costume. And lawlessness in the hallways. And an unrequited crush . . .

Written by Scott Bryan Wilson (Batman Annual, Star Trek: Waypoint) and drawn by Bob Solanovicz (Mister Meow), NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING ADULTS! is a high-octane, nonstop comedic romp full of action, excitement, mystery, and friendship. And mayhem. Lots of mayhem.


Written by Scott Bryan Wilson (Batman Annual, Star Trek: Waypoint) and drawn by Bob Solanovicz (Mister Meow), NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING ADULTS! is a high-octane, nonstop comedic romp full of action, excitement, mystery, and friendship. And mayhem. Lots of mayhem.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Mystery, Middle Grade, Comics, Childrens, Humor

106 pages, Unknown Binding

First published November 5, 2019

About the author

Scott Bryan Wilson is the writer of TRVE KVLT and KILL MORE (both IDW Originals) and THE LEFT-HAND PATH and THREE DAYS TO DEATH IS HERE (both Dead Sky), as well as Pennyworth, Batman Annual, and Batman: Gotham Nights (DC), Savage Tales, Elvira, and Altered Carbon: One Life One Death (Dynamite), Star Trek: Waypoint (IDW), Shadowman (Valiant), and many other comic books and short stories.

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd]

It’s Nancy Drew’s first day at Bayport High School, having moved from River Heights, and who should she bump into in the school library but Frank and Joe, A.K.A, The Hardy Boys. With these three young sleuths in the one place you know a mystery is on its way. Your first clue that something isn’t quite right with the adults in this town are the classic cartoon hypnotised spiral eyes Coach Strohm is sporting.

Nancy, Frank and Joe decide there’s a mystery to solve when they figure out all of the adults are MIA. What I found even more interesting was the Mystery of the Teenagers Voluntarily Attending School Without Adult Supervision. Surprisingly they all returned to school the following day even though the town’s entire adult population are still missing. This is briefly addressed

but I still don’t buy it. Even the skeleton in the science classroom had enough sense to leave the building before the students arrived for school on Day 2. Oh, wait. I guess a skeleton that wanders off is pretty mysterious too.

By the third day our resident detective kids have finally decided to ditch school to investigate. Joe feels bad about his truancy even though there are still no adults there to notice his absence.

Throughout the story Nancy spouts random facts about random things that no one else seems to care about, such as the type of driver’s licence and addendum required to allow someone with a learner’s permit to legally drive a bus. Nancy also goes undercover in Vansant; they’re Bayport’s rival school. This leads to one of those good ol’ ‘put on your disguise in the phone box’ sequences, not that anyone in Vansant knows who she is.

Nancy is a bit of a contradiction in this story; she seems to be smart yet she doesn’t know how to use the stove. Meanwhile Frank and Joe spent their spare time fighting one another.

While I already knew Nancy, I wasn’t acquainted with anyone from Bayport High so I was initially very appreciative of the early introduction to the usual suspects via a sneak peek at their yearbook photos. It turns out I didn’t need to use these as cheat sheets but still thought it was a good way to quickly introduce a number of characters.

After the mystery is solved there are some bonus activities for kids: a crossword, join the dots, spot the differences, find a word, memory test and colouring page.

I’d be interested in learning what kids who read this graphic novel think of it, specifically whether they want to read more about Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. Although I haven’t read a lot of Nancy Drew books (okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve read one, but I have watched the latest movie too), her personality in this graphic novel didn’t line up with what I expected, particularly when she had a dummy spit.

Their portrayal in this graphic novel doesn’t make me want to learn anything more about Frank and Joe Hardy but because Nancy’s personality didn’t ring true to me perhaps I’d find Frank and Joe more likeable if I read some of their books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dynamite Entertainment and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. I had high hopes but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I’m rounding up from 2.5 stars.

[Shreyas]

It was weird, it was cute. It wasn't the classic Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew story that I expected, but it was nice and fun.

[Audrey]

Oh nooo, I really didn't like this.
Considering it is a cross-over of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, I can't say I really recommend it for fans of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. This really doesn't remain true to much of the original mysteries besides the character names. I had a hard time understanding why the authors didn't just create their own mystery series with new characters, besides maybe in the hopes of selling more copies with the names of well-known characters.
The personalities of our protagonists are starkly different from the characters we've come to know and love. Even the type of mystery they were attempting to solve didn't really seem to match up with their typical cases.
Ignoring the fact that this book wasn't at all what I expected it to be, the changes weren't that enjoyable either. For a mystery, this book was so short. Obviously it is targeted at younger audiences, but it was so hard to follow even as an older reader, and it felt as though just when you were starting to figure out what was going on, the perp was revealed and it was over.
All of the main characters were very one-dimensional. Joe's sole reason for existing was to flirt with Nancy, Nancy was a bossy know-it-all, and Frank just beat up Joe. There were many, many side characters who were extremely forgettable (something that I discovered while attempting to solve the bonus crossword puzzle with their names in the back).
I did think the puzzles and mini-mysteries in the back were a nice touch. This book did earn its one star. It's not the worst thing I've ever read. I just won't be continuing the series or recommending this to anyone. There are enough better-written Nancy Drew spin-offs aimed at smaller audiences that I fail to see who this book would appeal to.

[Enat]

Suviše banalno.

[tony dillard jr]

Bayport High School has a new student. Welcome Ms. Nancy Drew! Only her first day of school is a strange one as all of the school’s teachers and adult staff have disappeared!

In fact- all of the adults of the surrounding town of Bayport have vanished as well!

On the case are the brothers Joe and Frank Hardy! Can these amateur gumshoes find out the truth behind all these missing grown-ups? Maybe if the two siblings can stop fighting each other long enough over all the silly stuff bros fight over! Okay- probably not! It’s a good thing Nancy Drew is along to help solve this mystery too!

I really enjoyed this reboot of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew! All of your favorite companions are along for the ride; including Chet, Biff, Ned and Callie. The Case of the Missing Adults is a massive team-up of epic proportions for fans of Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon.

Taking over the writing duties for those legendary authors is Scott Bryan Wilson (Batman). Wilson peppers in a hearty amount of humor and science in this graphic novel for readers 9-12 years of age. Sure, this book is rather silly at times, but there’s a fairly solid mystery involving missing parents and self-moving skeleton!

Don’t worry! The skeleton isn’t scary. But there is one clue in this mystery that never got solved. It involves the constant smell of the insides of a water pistol. Was that part of the mystery a red herring? Or did Scott Bryan Wilson take a page out of fellow mystery writer Dashell Hammett’s playbook and he forgot to get around to that piece of evidence?

So not all of the dots to this story connect. But The Mystery of the Missing Adults was an enjoyable read! The artwork and coloring was quite good and the antics of the brothers Hardy and Nancy Drew was enough for me to overlook it. Though I really want to know just what the inside of a water pistol smells like!!! Maybe some further adventures of these teen detectives will reveal that oversight!

[Bec]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really sad that I didn't enjoy this! I devoured Nancy Drew novels as a child, and I'm still always drawn to any books and movies that depict her in a modern light. I'm not very familiar with the Hardy Boys, although I did read a few of the crossover novels.

I didn't really mesh with much in this graphic novel, which although it declares it is for "all ages", I feel would work best with a younger audience.

I felt like odd choices were made across the novel. The characters were a little younger than the original novels, with all of them attending high school. Nancy was the brainy, sensible one, while Frank and Joe were depicted as quite juvenile and ridiculous. The characters felt very flat and unlikeable. Beyond character names (and location names), not much felt true to either of the original series.

I'm not going to go into much more, but there were a few comments that didn't sit well with me. Nancy having to deal with the boys fawning over her, a joke about a characters relationship with food, embarrassed to be discussing feelings and the constant punch-ups between the brothers.

What I did love, was the extra content at the end of the graphic novel. I know that I would have loved these additions when I was younger - puzzle pages and information on how comics are put together!

Sadly this wasn't for me. And even though younger audiences may enjoy it, it's not something I'll be recommending to friends and family.

[Jill Jemmett]

I love that there are so many new adaptations of Nancy Drew happening right now. I have enjoyed many of them, but this one didn’t really work for me.

The characters were quite exaggerated in this story. Joe was lazy and excitable. He got furious anytime anyone called him something other than Joe. His outbursts became quite repetitive after a while. Nancy was very secretive about her past life. It was strange and the reason was not explained in the story. Perhaps the reason will come out in future books, if this becomes a series.

I also thought the illustrations didn’t match the characters. Nancy looked like the main character from the cartoon Daria, but Nancy is nothing like that character. She didn’t look like any version of Nancy Drew I’ve ever seen before. The Hardy Boys looked like opposites, with Frank in a button down shirt and Joe sporting a mohawk hairstyle. We didn’t even get to see some of my favourite characters, George and Bess. George was illustrated once and Bess was mentioned in dialogue but they didn’t do anything in the story. I wasn’t familiar with the supporting characters that were in the story.

This graphic novel didn’t really work for me. The characters were too extreme and not true to the originals.

Thank you Dynamite Entertainment for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jake]

I've never really known anything about Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but I know that this is just trying to make things as kid friendly as possible. This graphic novel in my opinion serves best as a companion to the more mature Big Lie crossover. The characters here are more cartoony and zany than their usual depictions. That in and of itself is not a bad thing.

However, when it comes to plot, this series focuses way too much on LOL gags. The unusual events like hang-gliding to school with no apparent injuries and hi-sci-fi concepts just seem to be a regular thing for these characters. That's actually a decent part of this. But the amount of running gags with Joe's full name just drag the plot down. For that matter, the mysteries aren't even that great, neither does it explore the actual implications of being kids not having parents around. Okay not entirely anyway. I mean most characters are more concerned with going to school than anything else. I don't know any middle schoolers who would want to be in school as it continuously gets ransacked by students.

I'm all for humor, but it has to be done in a way people get emotionally invested with. I certainly couldn't do that with this series.

[Wayne McCoy]

'Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults' by Scott Bryan Wilson with art by Bob Solanovicz is a fun middle school level adventure that has a mystery.

When Nancy Drew moves to a new school in Bayport, she immediately runs in to the Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe (don't call him Joseph). Suddenly the adults have gone missing. This seems like a holiday for the kids, but there is only so much cold cereal you can eat. Nancy and the Boys head to a rival school that has a science fair going on. Everything in that town seems fine. What is going on?

It doesn't feel much like the characters I know, but I still had fun reading this. There is a sense of fun and craziness going on. I'm not so beholden to any of these characters that I can't see them remade for a new generation who might come to love the stories I did. I liked the art too. It keeps things lively and looking not too serious as well.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Jennie Seaman]

Nancy Drew moves to Bayport where she meets the Hardy Boys and teams up to solve a quirky mystery.

I was super excited to read this when I first saw it because I've been making my way through the original Nancy Drew books for the first time recently. I was actually really disappointed in this graphic novel. It almost felt like it was written by someone who has never read either Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. I felt like the feel of the story wasn't even close to the feel of the original stories. The personalities of the characters were completely different. The way that they approached solving the mystery was completely different. I almost felt like this was making fun of the original stories. I will not be continuing with this series, unfortunately. The mystery that was in this book felt rushed and just silly, like the characters weren't really taking anything too seriously. Overall, I really just didn't enjoy this story at all.

PS - in what world would a teenage Nancy Drew not know how to work a stove?

**eARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

[Katie]

Whatever you were expecting? This probably wasn't it.

I'm admittedly a sucker for anything involving a Hardy/Drew teamup, so even if I had read it first, I still would have bought it.

That being said...I've read crackfic that had better characterization. Nancy and the boys didn't feel like themselves at all - more likely massively overblown parodies.

I can buy the idea of Nancy transferring to Bayport for something - though why Ned, Bess, and George are there already, I don't know. But, okay, I can swing this premise.

But the mystery? Not quite one that works for Hardy/Drew - a little too out there, too cartoony.

The art is cute, and fun - though to be honest, looking at the cover, I hadn't expected the kids to be in high school. They made me think more of the middle-schoolers in Nickelodeon/Disney's Doug. And they don't really read like teenagers, either.

The story is ok - I think young readers will enjoy it. But as a fan of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, I would honestly have been happier reading this if it had involved a wholly original cast.

[Theediscerning]

Oh dear. Months on from a perfectly decent comic featuring the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, comes this re-re-reboot, where she's the new gal at school, they're entirely unlikeable, and something mysterious is going on that removes everything from the Internet, and all the adults from town. Knockabout attempts at humour that invariably fail, silly pointless fisticuffs and a peculiar crime all mean you're probably better off with the 70s Scooby Doo cartoons, which share far too much DNA with this tosh. It certainly looks like the lamest Saturday morning cartoon in style. Not what was wanted – this would put off young audiences before they got to discover what the characters are actually like elsewhere.

[Cori // ghostlightbooks]

*I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I thought this graphic novel was really cute! It was a quick read and a small adventure but I think that it did what it sought out to do which was entertain a younger audience and introduce them to these classic characters by applying a modern lens to the story. I really liked how they used the yearbook to introduce a lot of characters (that we later got to check in with) and provide some exposition. I think the author did a really good job of creating a town that seemed lived in.
At first I wasn't a big fan of the art, but it grew on me. I will say, however, that some of the text ended up being hard to read because it was so small.

[Donald Scott]

If you grew up watching animated TV series from the 1990's to the present, the "Saturday morning cartoon"-style artwork of this mashup of a graphic novel will appeal to the eye. Indeed, some of the images/art could be screen-shot from TV. If you grew up, however, reading and loving the classic Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys mystery novels, this volume may we be a huge let-down. Here, Nancy's the new gal at Bayport High where - soon after meeting the "great detectives" Frank and Joe Hardy - finds herself pulled into a mystery with the guys when all the adults in town disappear on the eve of a major science fair/contest Bayport has with its rival school. Could there be a connection? The road to finding out is a rather silly one, Frank and Joe Hardy (especially Joe) often doing or saying something that makes neither of them come off too bright - even to the boys physically fighting in a Wile E. Coyote ball of dust whenever Frank teasingly calls Joe "Joseph". Nancy comes across as the smart (mature) one, though all do contribute to solving the mystery ... but sadly, the characters you loved from the original novels are just dumbed-down and unrecognizable here. The story - even book - is fine on its own, and would have actually worked better with original characters in the leads. As a vehicle for iconic characters like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, it simply falls flat on the page. 2/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

[Marion]

As a kid, I always enjoyed both the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books. What a great way to keep these stories fresh and interesting by being able to view them in an illustrative format. The illustrations are colorful, eye-catching and easy to read while the story moves along at a good pace. At the end of the story there are different activities such as connect the dots, spot the differences, and a crossword puzzle. These activities are intertwined with the characters. There is even a section explaining how a comic is made. This is a great read for kids, and the activities offer an added engagement bonus. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review.

[Kristen]

In yet another reiteration of the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys franchise, Nancy is new to Bayport, where she meets Joe & Frank at the local high school. It also happens to be the day that all the adults in Bayport disappear. It's up to Nancy, Joe & Frank, with the assistance of some friends, to figure out where all the adults have gone and save the science fair. Not a bad effort and the art is fine, but I found it a little frantic. The target audience of 4th graders will probably like it better than I did.

[Emily]

The Mystery of the Missing Adults felt too young. It reminded me more of Jimmy Neutron than Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Even if these mysteries are aimed at a younger audience, I feel like the writers always feel that their readers are smart - but not in this book. The Nancy Drew character didn't ring true, either. I'm not very familiar with the Hardy Boys, but their characters seemed watered down and unintelligent, too. I wasn't a fan.

[Renee]

I'm guessing this was an attempt to make Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys relevant to todays kids. For those of us who grew up on the old books and TV show, the characters are unrecognizable. I also was bothered that Frank and Joe had physical fights with each other and that none of the main characters was capable of properly feeding themselves when the adults disappear. If anything, I would expect kids today to be more likely to know how to cook than how to fight.

[Sarah]

More like 2.5. I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I love anything Nancy Drew related so I was excited to read this, unfortunately it fell flat for me. I feel I am not the target audience, it is more for someone younger and I just couldn't get into it, I didn't enjoy the plot line or the art work.

[Jennifer M]

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

It was a pretty cute graphic novel. I had to look at it as brand new characters, and not the Nancy Drew I'm used to. I'd definitely be interested in reading the next story.

I can see this appealing to middle grade kids.

[Laura]

No. Nope, this didn't work for me.

And I used to read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

It was too convoluted, and weird, and not funny, and not good. Sorry.

It just didn't work, pushing the two together. It didn't have any of the elements the endured me to either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.

Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.

[April]

2.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 the biggest thing going for this graphic novel of a comic book is I genuinely didn’t know how it was going to end. As an adult, some of the humor and dialogue didn’t quite hit for me but I can see middle schoolers loving this read. Fun, colorful pages. It was longer than I expected which is perfect if you want to encourage more reading time for your young reader.

[Annarella]

It's a cute story, I liked the drawing and found the story amusing and entertaining.
The characters don't resemble those of the book but if was a fun read nonetheless.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Kimberly]

As someone who grew up reading the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories, I found this to be a refreshing way to reintroduce them to a younger generation. The story was fun and my daughter and I enjoyed reading it together.

[Marisa]

No substance or character building and the 2 mad science plots don’t seem that well connected. Eve with established and known characters you need to build the world and build up characters.
Too rushed.

[T Olsen]

I like the panels very much, both style and quality, but the plot and story are just messy. No suspense and no humor.

[Whitney]

DNF @ pg 82. I love Nancy Drew but this...this was painful

[Brian Smeltzer]

This graphic novel brings together two well known detective teams through a series of unusual circumstances that children will enjoy. More escapades will follow as kids will surely want more!

[Jaymie]

This was fun! I enjoyed this version of the characters and the mystery as well as the graphic novel format at the art work.

[Ricki]

This is an incredibly fun graphic novel but feels like it is a parallel universe to cannon.