DC COMICS – @DCComics
STORY: Sholly Fisch; Scott Cunningham; John Rozum
PENCILS: Scott Jeralds; Karen Matchette; Matt I. Jenkins
INKS: Scott Jeralds; Karen Matchette; Matt I. Jenkins
COLORS: Rock Candy; Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Mike Sellers; Rob Clark Jr.
EDITORS: Courtney Jordan; Michael Siglain (reprint); Harvey Richards (reprint)
COVER: Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini with Silvana Brys
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (July 2020)
Rated “E” for “Everyone”
“Get on Board”
Welcome, dear readers, to my continuing journey through the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series, which began publication in 2010. I renewed my subscription (for a second time), and this is the sixth issue of my third subscription run that I have received.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 opens with “Get on Board,” which is written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Scott Jeralds. Mystery Inc.: Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma have responded to a call from Toni, a young woman who is running the skateboarding event, the “Z Games” (a stand in for the real-world extreme sports event, “The X-Games”). It seems the games are being haunted by a gremlin with the power to destroy the competitors' skateboards. Can Mystery Inc. put an end to this gremlin and save the games?
The second story, “The Creature from the Rainbow Waterpark,” is, as usual, a reprint and is written by Scott Cunningham and drawn by Karen Matchette. [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #121 (cover date: August 2007).] On the road and looking for a chance to get away from the heat of the summer, the gang stops at “Rainbow Waterpark,” and immediately discover that some kind of fish-monster is plaguing the park. The park's owners, “the Rainbow Twins,” brothers Allen and Alfred, blame a rival park. But is there more to this monster attack sabotage?
The third story, “Car-Tastrophe,” is also a reprint story and is written by John Rozum and drawn by Matt I. Jenkins. [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #153 (cover date: April 2010).] When Mystery Inc. is on the road and the Mystery Machine blows a gasket, the gang calls into the talk show, “Car Chat,” on the National People's Radio network. Brothers Tim “Cling” Thunk-It and Roy “Clang” Thunk-It dispense the automobile repair advice, and lately, Fred has had to call them quite often. However, when a mysterious caller, naming himself “The Phantom of the Air,” starts haunting them over the air, the Thunk-It brothers turn to Mystery Inc. Can the gang solve this radio mystery and catch a wily phantom?
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 is probably the best issue of this series that I have read in at least a year. “Get on Board” is not a standout story, although I like the skateboarding competition setting and having the “monster” be a gremlin that dresses like... a “skater boy.” The solution to “The Creature from the Rainbow Waterpark” involves one of those “mazes for kids” puzzles that are includes in some comics and magazines aimed at young readers.
“Car-Tastrophe” is what makes Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 an exceptional entry in this series. The “Car Chat” radio show is a spoof of the real-life “Car Talk” radio show that aired on National Public Radio (NPR) from 1977 to 2012. This story also spoofs NPR with National Peoples Radio, and the “Thunk-It Brothers” spoof Car Talk's “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers” (who were really brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi). If you, dear readers, remember “Car Talk,” this story will work for you and come across as funny. If you are not familiar with the show, I am not sure that this story will really work for you.
I recommend Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #104 to fans of Scooby-Doo comic books with a heartier-than-usual recommendation. So, until next time, Scooby-Dooby-Doo!
B+
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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