Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Scooby Doo, Where Are You? #80

By Philip Schweier
April 5, 2017 - 08:24

As an all-ages book, Scooby Doo is usually better than most. This issue however is 50/50. “Wash, Rinse, Refreak” is a lame entry in the Scooby Doo canon, with no real list of suspects, nor a finger pointing in any one direction. A monster in the car wash, and Mystery Inc. captures him easy-peasy.

The second entry, entitled “It’s a Mystery,” is a better selection, though it uses an unfair trope of the mystery genre. The Scooby gang has planned a surprise party for birthday girl Velma – complete with fake actors and a bogus murder plot to resolve. It’s based on her favorite author’s work, Cal Melvin Cullins (If that’s a nod to Max Allan Collins, I heartily approve). But Velma recognizes clues the reader can’t, because she’s read the books and we haven’t.

Artwork is appropriately cartoony in the Hanna-Barbera style. It’s not something I’ve ever objected too, from the Golden age Captain Marvel to Kurt Schaffenberger’s stories of the 1960s to the more recent title based on the DC Animated Universe.

It occurred to me the Scooby franchise was not among those featured in the Future Quest. But that may be due to grander plans. After all, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. But who wouldn’t want to see Mystery Inc pay a visit to Quest Labs?

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12