Title: The Hardy Boys: D.A.N.G.E.R Spells the Hangman Volume 18
Author: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Paulo Henrique
Genre: Mystery / Adventure / Thriller / Crime
Year Published: 2009
Year Read: 5/29/2016
Series: The Hardy Boys #18
Publisher: Papercutz
Introduction:
Well, it seems that I am on a
“Hardy Boys” reading binge as I am
checking out almost all of the “Hardy
Boys” graphic novel series and I have stumbled upon another “Hardy Boys” graphic novel called “The Hardy Boys: D.A.N.G.E.R Spells the
Hangman” which is a pretty interesting volume dealing with the spelling
bee…in a murder plot!
What is this story
about?
The story starts off with Joe Hardy having to go to the
National Spelling Bee after Cassie London, the real spelling bee winner, was
unexpectedly called to London for a violin performance. It was then that Joe discovers that there is
a murder plot unfolding at the Spelling Bee and he has to do the case solo due
to Frank having to take their pet parrot to the vet. Meanwhile, while Frank is taking their parrot
to the vet, he discovers a bunch of burglars trying to steal dogs from the
animal shelter to make money off of them and Frank goes out to stop the burglars
from kidnapping the dogs.
Can Frank and Joe solve their respective cases?
Read this book to find out!
What I loved about
this story:
Scott Lobdell’s writing: Scott Lobdell’s writing is as usual extremely interesting to read
as I loved the way that Scott Lobdell
wrote each character and the relationships between them, especially the
relationship between Frank and Joe as it shows that they truly care for each
other when comes to solving cases together.
I really loved the fact that we have a storyline where Frank and Joe are
separated from each other and we get to see how both brothers manage their
respective cases without the other. I
especially loved the fact that we get to focus more on Joe Hardy’s intelligence
as we find out that he has participated in the Spelling Bee before and that he
was known to be really good at the Spelling Bee and this story shows much more
depth with the Hardy Boys’ intelligence in other areas besides the cases they
get involved in. I also enjoyed Joe’s
interactions with Tam, as it seems that they have a bit of a friendly rivalry going
on between them and I wished that this volume showcased that rivalry a bit more
in the story.
Paulo Henrique’s artwork: Paulo
Henrique’s artwork is as usual fantastic to look at as the characters are
beautifully drawn in the typical anime style and all the action sequences where
the Hardy Boys fight off bad guys are extremely well detailed.
What made me feel
uncomfortable about this story:
The reason why I gave this volume a four star rating was
because, just like the previous volumes, the story seems a bit clunky as the
ending was rushed and there was not enough build up leading to the conclusion
of the case. I would have liked this
story more if they had developed the clues to the mystery a bit better and
actually gave us some kind of closure to the case. Also, I would have liked to see more moments
between Joe and Tam as I felt that their relationship with each other would
have made a pretty interesting story and it was a shame that we do not get to
see more of their relationship in this volume.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “The Hardy Boys: D.A.N.G.E.R Spells the Hangman” is a great volume
starring the Hardy Boys and once again, I will try to seek out more “Hardy
Boys” graphic novels in the near future!
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