Scooby-Doo #43

   Back in the day, we had these things called records. They were black discs with grooves on them in which once placed on a record player would produce a cacophony of sounds. Well, one of my favorite holiday records was a Scooby-Doo mystery album. The Mystery Gang was working at an orphanage when some holiday monster threatens to kick the kids out of the group home. Enter Santa Scooby to save the day...

    I must have worn that record out. So, imagine my joy when I found this Christmas themed issue in a bargain bin (Comics for a dollar or less. I love them...)

    In this issue, a ballet company is haunted by a ghoulish Nutcracker upset that they have switched the annual pageant over to a production of the Christmas Carol. Is the villain the hotshot Russian dancer whose been replaced? Or is it the production manager who smells this caper as the ultimate PR op? Or is it the costume designer, upset that he had to make a slew of new costumes on the fly? Only the combined might of the Mystery Gang will be able to get to the bottom of this mystery.

  Then in a non-Christmas themed story, Shaggy enters  a contest to change the design of a beloved college mascot. But when the mascot appears on the day of the bid unveiling, the Mystery Gang face a deadline of 60 minutes or the college will face the wraith of the Grinder!

    Both stories were very good and I thought that they were well written and born fantastic likenesses of the characters. The mysteries themselves weren't dumbed down either. But I wish that both stories in this comic were holiday themed, not just the feature. But this wasn't touted as a 'Christmas Special' so I can overlook it somewhat.

   With some scares, laughs, and winter fun, this is a great holiday themed issue anyone can enjoy. 

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.