Review: Scooby Doo, Where are You? #76

DC Comics
Review: Scooby Doo, Where are You? #76
By Philip Schweier
December 29, 2016 - 14:20

DC Comics
Writer(s): Sholly Fisch, John Rozum
Penciller(s): Scott Jerralds, Leo Batic
Inker(s): Scott Jerralds, Horacio Ottolini
Colourist(s): Sylvan Bris, Heroic Age
Letterer(s): Saida Temofonte, Travis Lanham
Cover Artist(s): Carzon, Horacio Ototlini, Sylvan Bris

Scooby Doo is another comic book designed to appeal to the child in all of, as well as those of us who grew up on the franchise. It follows the basic formula: The Mystery Inc gang foils a crime involving culprits masquerading as ghosts, uncovering a crime that others failed to notice.

Two stories make up the latest issue, both involving the potential theft of valuable manuscripts. The first story arises when the ghosts of Edgar Allen Poe and William Shakespeare appear to be haunting a local public library. Librarian Paige Turner (ahem) calls in the gang to get to the bottom of it all. Later, the gang helps J.J. Pendleton, whose collection of dust jackets has rendered his rare books worthless.

The stories are elemental, providing at least two suspects to throw readers off the trail without providing much in the way of clues. Mostly, unmasking the culprit is a guessing game.

The art is serviceable, though in the first story, I found matters a bit confusing. Artist Jerralds failed to convey that the Scooby gang had split up, and one panel chops Freddy and Velma off above the waist. Are they running or walking away form the ghost? There’s no way to tell.

Overall, it’s an entertaining read for young fans, but anyone over the age of 10 is likely to be unimpressed.