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March 30, 2006
Nancy Drew: Girl Detective
A couple weeks ago, Jason and I were discussing the propriety of including Simon & Schuster’s new Nancy Drew graphic novel series in our comics collection given the way Nancy’s running around in all their ads wearing a t-shirt without a bra. While we’ve always had a no-sex policy in the Children’s Room (as I often say, that’s why we have a Teen Lounge), we haven’t taken an official stance on the subject of bras, but I got to worrying that bralessness might not be the only nontraditional behavior Nancy was engaging in and decided I better read one of her books to find out.
I ended up with #1, The Demon of River Heights. Nancy is recognizable with her strawberry blonde hair and long skirts, but her clingy purple t-shirt with “ND” emblazoned across her braless and well-endowed chest makes it clear that we are no longer in the era of smart tan suits and party frocks. Nancy’s also switched from a convertible to a hybrid car, which, in a most un-Nancylike way, she’s always forgetting to gas up. Comfortingly, Ned continues to be made of gossamer: he appears in exactly one panel and his name is mentioned three times thoughout the whole book. George and Bess take a big step up from window dressing, though. George has morphed into a hard-edged techie, while Bess… well... I guess one could say that Bess went and got all bootylicious. Nancy’s smarter than Bess and prettier than George, but she is not prettier than Bess or smarter than George. HELLO! George and Bess only exist to show how uber-perfect Nancy is. Everyone knows this – except, it would seem, Stefan Petrucha (writer) and Sho Murase (artist).
“Stefan.” Is this a... MAN? A MAN WRITING NANCY DREW??? And do not even start with the whole Carolyn-Keene-isn’t-real-and-some-of-those-ghost-writers-were-men nonsense. I don’t want to know.
At least the artist is a woman.
Of course, I was a huge Nancy Drew fan when I was a kid, happily reading my way through the original series when I ran out of Stephen Kings, Tolkeins (that’s no joke – I even read The Silmarillion), and Brontes. Like so many girls, I wanted to be Nancy: smart, accomplished, well-dressed. Totally together. As a nightcap to the graphic novel, I felt it was my duty to reread the original Nancy Drew #1, The Secret of the Old Clock.
And the thing is?
I like the new braless Nancy Drew way better than that old self-righteous, insufferable goody-goody. I mean, exactly why is the old Nancy so above gossiping with sales clerks about Ada and Isabel Topham? The new Nancy (who clearly never saw Grizzly Man) is fighting off bears while the old Nancy’s primary concern is how to discretely exit a conversation because she’s uncomfortable with the way an abused sales clerk is only rightly pointing out that those Topham girls are a couple of big meanies. The new Nancy would just be like, “I KNOW!” And then she’d get so obsessed with looking for clues that she’d forget to put gas in her cute little hybrid car.
I’m usually more of a traditionalist about this sort of thing, but, as far as I’m concerned, Nancy-Drew-as-graphic-novel is kicking butt and taking names, and she’s welcome to hang out in the Children’s Room as long as she likes.
I hope the kids like her as much as I do.
Posted by adrienne at March 30, 2006 06:40 PM
Comments
I think it's fine that Nancy skips across the pages sans bra . . . so long as the Hardy Boys are each supplemented with codpieces.
Posted by: Craig at March 30, 2006 07:01 PM
As I said to Jason, who CARES about the Hardy Boys? They're booooorrrrrring.
They have their own graphic novel series, too, though.
Posted by: adrienne at March 30, 2006 07:05 PM
I'm digging the new Nancy, too. I picked up Girl Detective #4 a couple weeks ago at the library and loved it. Then I happened to be browsing through a comics store in Village Gate last weekend and found a whole slew of Nancy novels that I just had to buy.
Posted by: Patty at March 30, 2006 07:26 PM
when reading this post, i thought two things
1)i can't wait to be a librarian.
2)i'm glad i know you.
Posted by: dot at March 30, 2006 11:16 PM
If Nancy is Uberperfect, then isn't it inevitable that she develop anorexia, bulimia or a self-esteem problem?
Posted by: Heidi at March 31, 2006 03:37 AM
New Nancy is so used to her 55mpg that it's only natural she'd not be eyeballing her gas gauge 24/7.
I'll bet the old Nancy only got 10 mpg and was constantly honking her horn as her bullet bra came in contact with the steering wheel every time she reached down to change gears.
BTW My friend Laura loves your children's room. Prefers it to Pittsford where she lives. Introduce yourself. Can't miss her, model gorgeous red head with two absoloutely beautiful curly headed blond twins. A boy and a girl.
Posted by: Sally at March 31, 2006 11:09 AM
I am so delighted that someone likes us better than Penfield! I'm always hearing about what Penfield has that we don't, so I always have that nagging feeling that maybe we suck. I'm going to keep my eye out for this woman. :)
I imagine the old Nancy would wind up with an old-fashioned case of pill popping instead of an eating disorder. (Eating disorders are so messy.)
And it's comforting to know I'm not the only adult reading Nancy. :)
Dorothy, I miss you! We're going to have to do something so you can get a job at WPL when you're done with school. That's all there is to it.
BTW, Dorothy, are you totally going to see Slither starring... NATHAN FILLION? I sooo want to go this weekend, but I think I'm uber-busy and will probably have to wait until next week.... But, yay! Nathan!
Posted by: adrienne at March 31, 2006 04:13 PM
Uber?
Nancy will be sorry for not wearing adequate support as a teen when she's 35.
Posted by: tonderdo at April 2, 2006 10:19 PM
I read one of the Hardy Boys comics today, and, just for the record, even in comic form, they're still stupid.
Posted by: adrienne at April 6, 2006 02:29 PM
I was a Boxcar Children boy, myself.
Posted by: chuck at April 6, 2006 04:01 PM
I really enjoy the treehouse kids mysteries. Richie is really into those and we have a good time reading them. I agree though, boxcar kids rule!
Posted by: chaleys at April 7, 2006 09:25 AM
What, no love for Trixie Belden? Tough room.
Posted by: Jen at April 7, 2006 11:50 AM
They're still writing Boxcar Children books today. They're on book number one million forty seven or something. I've only read the first one.... Well, actually, I *listened* to it, and the reader sounded like this sweet little old lady and she read it sort of like she was talking to an infant. I found this highly annoying and have held it against the Boxcar Children ever since. Perhaps I should try reading one of the books in an attempt to overcome my bias.
Incidentally, since you all were speaking so highly of the Boxcar Children, I put their two newest books on order yesterday: The Vanishing Passenger and The Giant Yo-Yo Mystery. I'd stopped buying the new ones on account of my prejudice, the fact we have a million of them on the paperback racks, and the fact that kids don't seem to ask for the new ones the second they come out. (This would be in sharp contrast to the Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones, Captain Underpants, and the A-Z Mysteries series. Letters "Y" and "Z" in the A-Z's came out at the end of the year last year, and I neglected to order them before I ran out of budget money. There were so many kids asking about them, I finally went to a bookstore and bought one coyp of each myself to add to the collection. I was afraid the children would riot.)
Trixie Belden is fun. They're reissuing her books, and I keep buying them for the Children's Room. We have people asking for her by name pretty frequently.
Is it the Magic Treehouse series Richie's reading? If so, they rock.
Posted by: adrienne at April 8, 2006 08:13 AM
Yes, it is the Magic Treehouse series. He LOVES them! I enjoy them too.
Posted by: Chaley at April 10, 2006 09:06 AM