I Reads You Review: SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #50

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #50
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Georgia Ball, Dan Abnett
PENCILS: Scott Jeralds, Anthony Williams
INKS: Scott Jeralds, Jeff Albrecht
COLORS: Candace Schinzler-Bell, Paul Becton
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Jenna Garcia
EDITOR: Aniz Adam Ansari
COVER: Scott Jeralds and Candace Schinzler-Bell
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (November 2014)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

A little over a year ago, I bought a subscription to the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series.  The school my nephew attends was selling magazine subscriptions as a fundraiser, for the entire school or a for particular program – I don't remember.  While reading the fund-raising brochure, I saw that a subscription to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Was offered, and I thought, “I wanna read that!”  Well, issue #50 is the last of my subscription, and I am still deciding if I want to renew.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #50 opens with “The Scare Witch Project” (written by Georgia Ball and drawn by Scott Jeralds).  Mystery Inc. is in British Columbia for some skiing, when they discover that the ski lodge where they are staying is being terrorized by a “spirit.”  That spirit is “The Dzunakwa,” a witch of legend that haunts the woods of British Columbia.  And, of course, the gang won't let any witch or spirit mess up their vacation.

“The Italian Hellion!” (written by Dan Abnett and drawn by Anthony Williams and Jeff Albrecht) finds the gang overseas in Venice, Italy.  Velma wants to see the sites of an historic city.  Fred and Daphne are there for the romance.  Of course, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo look forward to spaghetti, meatballs, and the annual Gelato Festival.  Instead, they find their plans delayed by the mystery of the “Phantom of the Canals.”  This ghostly gondolier has apparently come back to haunt Venice, but Mystery Inc. plans to put this phantom out of business.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #50 offers two of my favorite kinds of Scooby-Doo adventures:  the mystery set in a snowy climate and the case set in an international locale.  “The Scare Witch Project” is the new story, and “The Italian Hellion!” is a reprint from the previous series (Scooby-Doo #56).  In fact, both stories feature the kind of faux-supernatural adversary similar to the types that appeared in early Scooby-Doo animated series.  I wouldn't mind seeing the Phantom of the Canals, again.

I also noticed something a little strange about the art.  Scott Jeralds replicates classic animated Mystery Inc. in “The Scare Witch Project.”  The Scooby gang members look like they should, and Jeralds also draws the other characters so that they are graphically and visually similar to the gang.  In “The Italian Hellion,” penciller Anthony Williams draws Mystery Inc. in their classic look, but the other characters look as if they were drawn by a different artist.  Odd, at least, I think so.

Should I continue past Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #50?  I am having a good time...

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #49

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #49
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Sholly Fisch, Paul Kupperberg
PENCILS: Robert Pope, Fabio Laguna
INKS: Scott McCrea, Fabio Laguna
COLORS: Candace Schinzler-Bell, Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Aniz Adam Ansari
COVER: Scott Jeralds and Candace Schinzler-Bell
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (November 2014)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

“Ruh-Huh!”  So you, dear readers, are back for another I Reads You review of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series.  As regular readers of this blog know, I bought a subscription to this latest Scooby-Doo comic book series via a fundraiser held by my nephew’s school last year, which involved selling magazine subscriptions.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #49 opens with “A Midsummer Night's Scream” (written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Robert Pope and Scott McCrea).  The Mystery Inc. gang is visiting a Shakespeare festival, “Shakespeare Outdoors,” for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Not long into the evening's performance, mischievous faeries suddenly appear to terrorize and scare the audience.  But are they real faeries?  It's the latest Scooby-Doo mystery.

“Attack of the 50-Foot Shaggy!” (written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Fabio Laguna) finds the gang at Westnorthern University, home of the country's best library of the supernatural, “William Hanna Library.”  Shaggy and Scooby, however, are not in the mood for a research marathon.  Looking for food (of course), the duo comes upon a scientific demonstration.  There, a delicious roasted chicken causes Shaggy to be zapped by a ray from the Archer Molecular Enlargement Device.  Now, Shaggy can't stop growing, but is everything as big as it seems?

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #49 is one of those issues of a Scooby-Doo comic book that I really enjoyed reading.  Even as a life-long Scooby-Doo fan, I have to admit that not all Scooby-Doo comic books are like that.  The plot for “A Midsummer Night's Scream” is an odd one for a Scooby-Doo story, and I think it would make a good plot for an entry in Warner Bros. Animation's line of Scooby-Doo direct-to-DVD films.  “Attack of the 50-Foot Shaggy!” this issue's reprint story (originally published in Scooby-Doo #159), is also this issue's better story.  It plays like an actual mystery in that the reader must play close attention to the story art in order to solve the mystery.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #46

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #46
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Scott Gross, John Rozum
PENCILS: Fabio Laguna, Leo Batic
INKS: Fabio Laguna, Horacio Ottolini
COLORS: Candace Schinzler-Bell, Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte, Nick J. Napolitano
EDITOR: Aniz Ansari
COVER: Scott Gross
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2014)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #46 is the most recent issue that I have received through my subscription to the title.  Join me as I continue my journey through the current Scooby-Doo comic book series with a review of the forty-sixth issue.  Why is this happening, those of you who are new might ask?  I bought a subscription to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? via a fundraiser held by my nephew’s school last year, which involved selling magazine subscriptions.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #46 opens with “Awesomelantis Rises” (written by Scott Gross and drawn by Fábio Laguna).  After Shaggy and Scooby, through their usual antics, dig up a mysterious artifact, The Mystery Inc. gang visits a local university.  In the Marine Archeology Department, Professor Varzi tells them that he believes the artifact to be a relic of the long-lost city of Atlantis.  When a group of creatures calling themselves “Atlanteans” show up, the gang has another mystery to solve.

“A Wolf in Creep’s Clothing” (written by John Rozum and drawn by Leo Batic and Horacio Ottolini) finds the gang at a monster convention, “Monster Mix 2004.”  This is the one place where Shaggy and Scooby can feel safe around monsters, because these monsters are only fans in costumes.  However, the ghost of Patricia Millicent, the late, famed movie monster costume designer, is terrorizing the contestants of the convention’s costume contest.  And Shag and Scoob have to solve this mystery on their own, as Fred, Daphne, Velma are trapped on a convention panel.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #46 offers two delightful tongue-in-cheek stories.  Both trade in classic Scooby-Doo scenarios, while gently poking fun at how Mystery Inc. solves cases.  “Awesomelantis Rises” is a mystery so obviously not about the supernatural, but the art by Fábio Laguna is a treat.  It is also funny to see what is essentially a children’s comic book making a pointed attack on commercial exploitation of history and on frivolous commercial real estate development.

“A Wolf in Creep’s Clothing” is a reprint from Scooby-Doo #92 (the Scooby-Doo series prior to this one).  I like Scooby-Doo stories that take place at conventions and at other behind-the-scenes locales like a movie lot, a circus, or a theatre where stage plays are performed.  Writer John Rozum spoofs figures that are well-known in monster films, television, and fiction, such as Hellboy’s Mike Mignola (as Mike Magnolia) and Stephen King (as Steve Kingman).  This story left me wanting more Scooby-Doo, and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #46, as a whole, makes me want to re-subscribe.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.