When I was a kid, the coolest thing in the world was the team-up. I thought all-star games were wicked fun, especially the baseball one in which each player wore his own team's jersey. In keeping with that annual event, I feel in love with other types of team-ups, especially those in comic books. Every month Batman, Superman, the Thing, and Spider-man would match up with heroes, villains, even real life people in the pages of Brave and the Bold, DC Comics Presents, Marvel Two-In-One, and Marvel Team-Up.
And yes- I said real people meet up with these heroes.
In 1978, the Man of Steel faced off against the Greatest of All-Time, Muhammed Ali. Just a few months prior, Spider-Man and the Silver Samurai traded blows amongst the Not-Ready-For Prime-Time Players of Saturday Night Live! And let's not forget the original king of the team-up, and perhaps the one who inspired DC and Marvel to issue team-up comics, one Scooby-Doo!
It's the fall of 1972 and Scooby-Doo and his gang of human detectives have spent the last 4 years solving supernatural crimes. During those original episodes, the gang would team up usually with distant relatives or good friends to solve a slew of crimes while battling spooks, monsters, and aliens. Usually, the bad guy was really Old Man MacGregor in disguise. But on September 9th, Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma battled a giant Bat while teamed with the Three Stooges. Over the next two years, the team would meet up with Sonny & Cher, Don Knotts, the Harlem Globetrotters, and some fellow cartoon characters such as Josie & the Pussycats.
The most famous Scooby-Doo team-up are with a pair of superheroes, of course; the Dynamic Duo: Batman & Robin. They were so popular they worked together twice and have been parodied and tributed frequently, most recently on an episode of the animated Batman: Brave & the Bold series on Cartoon Network. There the Scooby-Doo gang, Batman & Robin, and Weird Al teamed-up to put the kibosh on the combined might of the Joker and the Penguin.
So, that brings us to today's Family Comic Friday selection- the new series 'Scooby-Doo Team-Up." Fittingly, the first match-up had Scooby with the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. Over time, the gang would team-up with Superman, Wonder Woman, and other members of the Super Friends. Last month the gang went back in time and solved a spooky mystery with the Flintstones. Well, if Scooby went back to prehistoric time, you know what's coming in the future...
Meet George Jetson, Jane his wife, daughter Judy and his boy Elroy.
This series has been on my radar for some time. I usually wait till my comics go on discount. But I'm glad I caved in. This issue was super nostalgic and it will delight both kids and adults alike.
Right now the series is only covering Hanna-Barbera properties. Yes, Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League are DC characters. But, Super Friends is the Hanna-Barbera version of those heroes. DC is owned by Warner Brothers so maybe we'll see Elmer Fudd or the cast of the Big Bang Theory. If this title decides to do like the original series did in 1972 and use real people, the skies the limit with possible team-ups!
I'm a fan of the series and it's now on my wish list. Even more, I'm seriously considering buying first run future issues at regular price. I might even start a subscription. That's how fun this series is.
(note: along with the story, there were about 5 pages of fun activities for kids. That included a pizza party with Teen Titans Go!, some secret files on a DC hero and a villain and a listing of other all-ages DC releases.)
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Scooby-Doo Team-Up was released in stores on 1/7/15 and is still available in stores. It is released bi-monthly.
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