Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Scooby Doo, Where are You? #77

By Philip Schweier
February 7, 2017 - 13:53

I enjoy a Scooby Doo style mystery as much as the next man-child. And this issue more than usual, thanks to a tendency for the writers to work in a few good wisecracks. Y’see, I may be spineless, but I enjoy a good pun, making me an invertebrate punster.

Scooby and the gang are enjoying the dog days of summer down by the sea shore, where there’s a–doings transpiring. Rumors of pirate ghosts and sharks have driven off the tourists, and our man, Havanna, is very close to selling out to some real estate developers. But with the arrival of Mystery Inc., we may just get to the bottom of the who, how and why behind the irate pirates.

Sure, it’s a juvenile book, but it’s kind of supposed to be. One of the stories contains a glaring narrative flaw, but I'm willing to forgive, because the issue actually features three features. In addition to another pirate ghost story, there is a brief history of the kraken, courtesy of our own Velma Dinkly.

Sure, it’s a juvenile book, but it’s kind of supposed to be. The artwork is on model, in the tradition of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon we all grew up on. If I have a complaint, it would the heavy-handed inking in the first story. Varying line quality is a basic of rendering in ink, but there a few panels where it almost seems to get out of hand.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12