What Is Fridging? #SHORTS

What Is Fridging? #SHORTS

If you’re not familiar with “fridging,” it’s a comic book trope. The death of a female character motivates the male character to do something heroic. Green Lantern being the first example when he finds his murdered girlfriend in the fridge.

A recent example would be the 90th anniversary of Nancy Drew in March 2020. A new comic book series begins with Nancy Drew being dead on page one. The Hardy Boys take it upon themselves to solve her murder. Only to discover that she was alive and well, and pissed off that they were stepping in on her investigation.

Anthony Del Col, the writer, thought it would be a neat idea to have the Hardy Boys investigate Nancy Drew’s death. He was unaware of fridging as a trope and wasn’t prepared for the backlash.

That’s not how you celebrate a 90-year-old character.

The “Fridging” of Nancy Drew

This is year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that allow women the right to vote in the United States in 1920. This year also marks the 90th anniversary of Nancy Drew, the teenage heroine detective created as a counterpoint to the Hardy Boys in 1930. A beloved character still popular with generations of readers and viewers today. Dynamite Comics recently announced a new comic book series called, “Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew.”

That’s right.

Nancy Drew is dead and the Hardy Boys solving her murder. She’s not only killed off but also fridged, invoking two comic book tropes to jump start interest and sales. Only a male writer could have thought of stuffing Nancy Drew’s dead body into a fridge was an exciting way to celebrate her 90th anniversary.

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