The Batman & Scooby-Doo! Mysteries #2 (Family Comic Friday)

I got behind this week. As a result, I'm digging into my stack of books I haven't had a chance to review for today's Family Comic Friday. 

I'm going to a personal fav for this one. It's got Batman. It's got Scooby-Doo. And it's got mysteries galore! Let's take a look at an early issue of The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries.

In this issue, a ghost has taken up residence inside the Batcave. Could a real spirit have been unleashed into the Dark Knight's inner sanctum? Or even worse- has somebody discovered the location of the Caped Crusader's secret lair? With Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. on the scene, plus Robin, Batman will get to the bottom of this mystery for sure!

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries is a 12-issue maxi-series. It's solidly in the vein of a previous favorite series of mine- Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Only we explore the long history of Mystery Inc. and the Batman Family. In the first issue, Scooby and the gang went back in time to the days of just before Bruce Wayne became Batman. While it had a bunch of 1950s era Batman nostalgia, it was lacking something. 

While I still haven't figured out everything issue #1 was missing, I did put my finger on one thing. The great Sholly Fisch was not the writer of that premier offering. Thankfully, Fisch is back. But regular team-up art partner Dario Brizuela isn't. Yet, with the art of Randy Elliott, it's an adequate substitute. Elliott has the mystery gang down pat having illustrated many, many issues of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?. His Batman is classic DC. Robin looks more like Bruce Timm's version from Batman: The Animated Series. It was all very good.

I also liked the twist to this story. It felt very Batman '66. I don't want to ruin the surprise but I think Randy Elliott spoiled it with the cover. I just won't dig too deep into the Joker's role in this clever detective comic. 

While there are only 2 issues left in this series to hit store shelves, a Volume 1, collecting issues 1-6, is currently available. If the young reader if your life hated to see Scooby-Doo Team-Up disappear, this is the replacement series you've been needing. I just hope when this series ends that another round of Scooby parings will be forthcoming in comics form real soon!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.