Goldie Vance #1 (2016) Review

The Secret of...

Written by: Hope Larson
Art by: Brittney Williams, Sarah Stern and Jim Campbell
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 13, 2016
Publisher: Boom! Studios

These are the kind of books that I'm glad we have our Just for the Hell of it Mondays review reprieve. If you are new to our site, we are a DC Comic site (hence the "DC Comics" in our name) and while we enjoy reading and reviewing every single comic from our favorite publisher, we...Okay, some of you are already rolling your eyes because in fact, we may read and review every comic that comes out each and every week from DC Comics, but we don't always enjoy them.  I even suspect that Eric may be going insane because of our strict review guidelines and his stable of books.  So, we decided a while back that we would open up Mondays up as a day to review whatever the hell we please.  Somehow, though, I can't always kick my DC habit and that's where this review comes in.  First, Hope Larson writes it and she will be writing Batgirl when Rebirth hits and I want to get familiar with her beforehand and second, there is a Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy first look in the issue, so I was going to buy it just for that anyway.  I guess there is a third reason...it looks kick ass!  So, how was it?  Let's find out...


The issue opens up by giving us a quick look at the Crossed Palms Resort before we are introduced to our lead, Goldie Vance.  Right away, the art made me smile and as we see Ms. Vance solve her current case, the smile got bigger and bigger.

I am going to confess to something that I have never told anyone before.  I mean, nobody!  Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Hardy Boys books...BUT, I was an even bigger fan of Nancy Drew.  I know there is nothing wrong with that now, but unfortunately, the 70s were a much different time.  I was a Nancy Drew junkie and that extended to the television show as well.  Sure, I liked Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson enough, but give me Pamela Sue Martin any day!  Okay, besides finally getting that off my chest, the reason I even brought it up was that this comic made me feel like I was seven years old again and instead of hiding it, I'm writing a review about it..."What a Country!"

Goldie lives in the Resort and because of that, Larson has an almost endless supply of people, situations and yes, cases at her fingertips.  We meet a couple of her quirky friends, her father and then the Resort Detective, Mr. Tooey.  It's obvious that Goldie is far from an official detective at the Crossed palms and while Mr. Tooey seems like he is not looking for a partner, the two are off on a big case..."The Secret of the Priceless (or maybe not) Jeweled Necklace".

I'm not so sure why Tooey is so upset with Goldie helping him because the early advances in the case are all Goldie with Tooey tagging along.  I do like the interaction between them a whole lot, though. However,  just as things are getting good, Goldie has to get to work...and things get better!  You see, life at the Crossed Palms can be complicated, especially if you're friends with Goldie.  Actually, it's pretty sweet being friends with Goldie.

The rest of the issue involves Goldie doing whatever it takes to make things right, but in the end, it looks like the real mystery has just begun.  Larson gives us a car race, a little matchmaking and a large dose of falling in love with Goldie.  The last is pretty easy because she really is that great.

I know it may sound like I'm gushing too much about this book, but I really enjoyed it because of one huge thing...Goldie Vance!  This issue may be more setup than anything else, but Larson has made me fall in love with her lead character which will get me coming back for more.

Brittney Williams' art sells the story as much as the script and if first impressions are a thing, then it may have done more.  I love the look of this book and I can't see why anyone would disagree.  Sarah Stern's vibrant colors help everything out as well and it all comes together to just look like fun.  Really, look at the pictures in this review...FUN!

Bits and Pieces:

Goldie Vance is a really good all-ages comic that feels like an updated Nancy Drew and that is okay with me.  Hope Larson uses this first issue to make the reader fall in love with Goldie as we see that like at the Crossed Palms Resort is full of mystery and adventure.  The story and art are a great combination of fun and I recommend it to anyone who wants to feel like a kid again.

8.8/10