Scooby-Doo Team-Up #25

The Mystery Inc. gang arrive at a small town hippie community for their next case. The ghosts of the parents of the town founders have arrived and their trying to guilt these social misfits to give up their dreams of peace and unity and join the real world. Thanks to the addition of the emerald avengers, Green Lantern and Green Arrow, Scooby and friends solve this mystery pretty kick. Only when everyone in town suddenly begins fighting with each other, there's another mystery to be solved.

A beautiful tribute to Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams' 'Hard Travelling Heroes' storyline that not only saw Archer and Ringbearer joining forces in search for the soul of America, but introduced the era of relevant comics in the early 1970s. The Guardian Appa Ali Apsa, who traveled with Green Lantern and Green Lantern, doesn't appear in this story. But we do get a cameo from a fellow Justice Leaguer who partook in some legs of the two green hued heroes' cross country travels. 

Another masterful triumph by Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela with 2 mysteries in 1 book! As glad as I am that DC has kept things going with it's 3 limited Batman and Scooby-Doo! Mysteries series, I really want DC to get back to pairing those meddling kids with the full A-Z lineup of the DC Universe. I miss Scooby-Doo Team-Up and I think it's time to bring it back!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #18

Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela pay tribute to just about every dog and cat character to ever grace a DC comic in this issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up! 

Krypto, Ace, the Bat Hound, the Super Friends' Wonder Dog, and Green Lantern G'Nort, along with Scooby, travel to an alien planet inhabited entirely by felines and canines. That planet's version of the Justice League, The SCPA (Space Canine Patrol Agents) are plagued by the ghosts of some of their original members. Taking a page (actually several pages) from the history of many JSA and JLA crossovers, these heroic pooches make contact with the original team only to be faced with a quartet of bewitched missing protagonists. 

Once Scooby and pals get to the bottom of this mystery, it will become a multi-species battle royale that must be seen to believed!

Even though this is a 7 year old comic, I don't want to spoil it too much. But if you ever wanted to see Scooby-Doo pairing up with Yankee Poodle from the Zoo Crew, you will get your wish. If you've ever wanted a Scooby-Doo story without those meddling kids, you will get your wish. This was a story that I never really thought in a million years that would ever transpire. 

Honestly, I feel like maybe some of these characters are made up. I know all characters are made up. I mean from the mind of Sholly Fisch just for this issue. But a quick Google search shows that a bunch of these characters are from the Krypto The Superdog TV show that aired on Cartoon Network in the early 2000s. Thus, I rescind any complaint about that. But really has G'Nort ever before been portrayed as a wise leader? That's got to be from Fisch's imagination for sure!

A Scooby-Doo story unlike any other I've ever read. Thank you SCTU creators for keeping this fantastic series fresh!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #33

The Mystery Inc. gang travel to the 31st Century to solve a caper!

The members of the Legion of Super-Heroes have been terrorized by the ghost of their departed teammate and friend, Ferro Lad. Working on clues, the teen detectives question Ferro Lad's twin brother. But he's not the culprit. After a series of red herrings and misdirects, the combined teams discover just who is behind this haunt and it's not just one foe, but five. A Fatal Five!

A great romp through the ages by Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela. There's so much Legionnaires lore packed into this book. So much, that the story felt like it needed a part 2 to give proper attention to the plethora of heroes who have been members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. 

The only thing I was really disappointed in was the ending. I pretty much knew from page 1 who the bad guys of this story were going to be. I mean, do the Legionnaires have any other villains than the Fatal Five? Yes, they do. But when compared to the Fatal Five, those other antagonists are nowhere near as memorable. I think a cliffhanger in which both Superboy and Supergirl pop up in the future instead of that cliched reveal who the villains were by pulling their masks off would have made this story have been a lot more interesting. I know I would have been shocked with appearances from members of the House of El sending me on to a 'To Be Continued.' 

That's got to be the shocking statement of the year. If you are a frequent reader of my blog, then you know that I am NOT a fan of cliffhangers. So for me to demand a two-parter to add an element of surprise to things is a big deal.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #31

The teen detectives of Mystery Inc. are summoned to Ivy University at the request of the Justice Leaguer, the Atom. In his scientist secret identity, Atom has uncovered evidence of a 'ghost particle.' He'll need to shrink down into the quantum realm to investigate this new molecule more closely. But since the Atom isn't an expert on phantoms, that's why Scooby-Doo and his pals are on the case! Armed with the same devices that the Atom uses to shrink, the detectives take a tiny trip through the subatomic universe and wind up in a medieval society!

This land is Archaea! That means we've dove into Sword of the Atom territory! These ghost particles turn out to be a sort of mystical barrier put around Archaea by a despotic sorcerer! Always one for adventure, the Atom hatches a plan to free the kingdom and it will take every trick in the hero's shrinking device to bring forth freedom!

The Sword of the Atom minis were a pair of fantastic fun reads that combined swashbuckling adventure with science fiction and fantasy. I was thrilled that Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela decided to pay tribute to that period of DC history! But Scooby, Shaggy and the rest just aren't needed for this story!

In reality, this is an Atom adventure through-and-through. I guess DC Comics figured they needed to include Mystery Inc. into this venture in order to make it interesting for the younger set. However, I think this tribute could have worked as a 3-issue miniseries without any presence of the Hanna-Barbera universe. Maybe the editors at DC might come back to this story-line with their line of graphic novels for middle schoolers. I really think they might enjoy it!

A great story in which Scooby-Doo is almost a NPC. Atom is the star and I didn't want the fun to end!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #50

This is it! The final issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up!

Naturally, Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela have selected Batman and Robin to pair with Mystery Inc. for this series' swan song. 

The story starts off with the teen detectives arriving in Gotham to answer a call for help. Only Batman and Robin didn't ask for help. But that doesn't mean that weird things hasn't been occurring around the Dynamic Duo.

All day, Batman and Robin have been approached by various incarnations of the Dark Knight. There's the Pirate Batman. The 1920s Mobster Batman. The Vampire Batman! It seems like the multiverse has gone Batman crazy all of a sudden. But when variants of a certain Great Dane start showing up, all of a sudden it's a CRISIS ON INFINITE SCOOBYS!

The cover spoils just who is behind the identity crisis. It's Bat-Mite and his 5th Dimension counter-part Scooby-Mite (last seen in SDTU #3). I think it's fitting to use the impish imp for this finale in many ways. For one, Bat-Mite is able to bring in characters from throughout the multiverse without destroying it. For another, Bat-Mite was the character who ushered in the end of Cartoon Network's amazing Dark Knight team-up series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold. 

This was a double anniversary issue. It celebrated Batman's 80th birthday as well as Scooby's 50th. The two franchises have come a long way since their first meeting on the small screen back in 1972. I loved seeing all of the incarnations of the Mystery gang including the live-action movie cast and my personal favs- A Pup Named Scooby-Doo! 

This issue should also be considered an Elseworlds tie-in!

If you are a fan of just one of these franchises, you will love this book. If you are a mega-fan of both like me, this issue was a dream come true. I hate that this series ended. But I am glad that DC brought the magic back with the 12-issue maxi-series Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries; which is still in it's current run.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9.999 out of 10 stars, because I'm still upset this series ended!

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1

 

As a huge fan of DC's previous all-ages team-up title Scooby-Doo Team-Up, I was first in line when I found out about this new miniseries. While extraordinary author Sholly Fisch doesn't seem to be attached to this project, fan-favorite artist Dario Brizuela is back!

In the first issue, Batman summons the Mystery Inc. gang to the Gotham City Museum when he discovers that an artifact from the Dark Knight's early days has been stolen. To get to the bottom of this mystery, the sleuths, along with Robin will split-up, naturally. But in a twist, Scooby, Shaggy and Velma will travel back in time!

Sadly, I was kinda torn with this issue. I loved the nostalgic nature of this comic what with the  appearance by Professor Nichols as well as seeing Bruce Wayne in his earliest attempt as a vigilante (which looks an awful lot like the millionaire's first crime fighting get-up in Mask of the Phantasm.) But as with many stories involving time travel, the perils of paradoxes cause, uh well, a paradox...

I had to read this story twice. Not out of love for the comic and wanting to relive it. Instead, I really felt like I missed something. And believe me, I am pretty sure I did. 

Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate this book. But Ivan Cohen (Beware The Batman) is no Sholly Fisch. However, I will say that I do very much enjoy Cohen's writing of Batman, like with his adaptation of BTB. He does seem to dig deep into the annals of Dark Knight lore. I mean Professor Nichols is pretty obscure if you've not familiar with Batman from the 40s and 50s. It's that I really can't connect all those dots...

There's also a big plot point that seems unneeded with Batman, Daphne and Fred going underwater into Gotham harbor. But I don't want to dig into that too deeper here without spoiling a surprise. (A surprise that seems rather superfluous) This mystery is filled with a couple red herrings. Maybe that scene was another turn to keep readers guessing.

There are 11 issues left. And low and behold, guess whose coming for dinner next month?! It's Sholly Fisch in a caper that promises a ghost haunting the Batcave! Zoinks! I can't wait for issue #2! It's gonna be epic!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #48

A few days ago, I reviewed the 50th anniversary Scooby-Doo special. In that appraisal, I lamented the lack of another Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Well, it was like fate felt sorry for me!

I've gotten way behind on my inventory and cataloging. I always seem to do other things than work on my collection. For some reason, I made time and I found this in my brief efforts. It was like discovering a lost episode! Why, I barely remember buying this. And I've pretty much read all of the series. And then Boom! Here's another awesome issue to be read!

In this Sholly Fisch/Dario Brizuela collaboration, the Rogues of Central City have called upon the Mystery Inc. team for help. It seems that their most recent schemes have been thwarted by fellow Rogue: The Top. Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't appear to fall under the caseload of those meddling kids. But The Top has been dead for years! So it's a ghost Rogue behind it all! It most certainly is something that the detectives how experience with!

A great story that didn't fall for the same plot line traps or very bad jokes which plagued the first 7-8 issues. Plus, I finally get to encounter a story with Golden Glider! She's often mentioned in the Arrowverse shows. But I've never had a chance to see what she looked like or could do in the comics. 

A fun-tastic surprise that made me smile!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo 50th Anniversary Giant #1

A wonderful mix of all-new and classic DC mysteries starring Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. Gang. 

My love for Scooby has been rekindled  over the years thanks to Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Unfortunately, it was cancelled just as Cartoon Network and Boomerang announced an all-new team-up cartoon series. I'm hoping that the popularity of that series might bring back SDTU. 

The Scooby-Doo Team-Up duo of Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela usher in Scooby's birthday/anniversary in 2 of the 3 all-new stories. I loved the mash-up of voice actors names in the first story. But that second tale was quite predictable. 

In my heart of hearts, I hoped for a team-up story. My favorite of all the Scooby TV shows was The New Scooby-Doo Movies in which stars from the 1970s and way before that meet up with those meddling kids and their dog to solve mysteries that more often than not were fronts for crime. Dick Van Dyke, Mama Cass, Laurel and Hardy, The Harlem Globetrotters and of course, Batman & Robin were just a handful of celebs who joined forces with Scooby and friends. 

While we didn't get a Batman & Robin style superhero team-up (which episodes inspired SDTU), one of the reprinted stories was indeed a crossover. This one adventure has Shaggy finding a Hawaiian tiki while getting ready for a garage sale. It turns out to be the very tiki that cursed the Brady Bunch all those years ago. And the professor who seeks it, played by Vincent Price, returns to purchase it fair and square, along with a fashionable lamp...

One character that I was quite glad not to see was Scrappy Doo. The cousin Oliver of the Mystery gang; if I never encounter that annoying pup again in my life, it will be too soon! 

Sadly, for this 50th anniversary special, one member of the team was notably missing- The Mystery Machine. That flower-powered trusty ole' van didn't appear in one single panel- new or classic! Shame, DC! SHAME!

I would have liked one or two classic pre-DC stories in this anniversary special. Or even a fun reprinting of Laff-A-Lympics in which Shaggy and Scoob star. But I guess, I will just have to try and find those in my hunts of bargain bins and comic conventions nation wide someday.

A fun but slightly incomplete celebration of Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #16

With only two issues left to collect my run of Scooby-Doo Team-Up, I really thought that this would be the last issue I'd locate. The resurgence in popularity and interest in Shazam and his Marvel family has made the prices of key issues of other titles on my wish list, jump sky high. But, being the bargain bin hunter that I am, my perseverance paid off at a used book store!

This was one of the best issues in the entire series. Sholly Fisch is the writer and he's been almost perfect when it comes to the issues that have Scooby teaming up with the DCU characters. Dario Brizuela adds his patented touch to the artwork. His characters remind me so much of the old Alex Toth inspired Super Friends cartoons. The only problem with this book is that there's very little of Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel or Captain Marvel Jr to be found in this book!

The Mystery Inc. detectives are called to find the Marvel Family when they are kidnapped by Mister Mind and his Monster Society of Evil. There's plenty of Shazam villains in this book including IBAC and those crocodile people. (Yes, I was right that they were really characters from the old Fawcett Comics based on their cameo in last year's awesome live action flick!) Just as there's very little of the Big Red Cheese, don't expect to see very much of Dr. Sivana and his family here either.

I loved the twists in this book. I thought that while it's occurrence was a tiny bit predictable, this issue stayed away from a lot of the worn old cliches that pepper the Hanna-Barbera crossovers. Still, I felt that for an issue supposedly starring Captain Marvel, there's very, very little of him to be found in this issue. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #49

The Scooby gang are summoned to Stagg Industries to investigate what is described as a monster terrorizing the staff. 

No, it's not Metamorpho, the Element Man. And no- it's not Stagg's caveman bodyguard, Java. Whatever it is that is giving Simon Stagg fits, it's something other than the usual unusuals that is amiss in the workplace.

Sadly, this was one of the weakest stories in what I consider one of my favorite comics series of all time. I knew who the monster was from the beginning. Based on the clues, if you're familiar with the 1960s Metamorpho comic, you'll probably figure it out too!

While I felt that the big reveal was telegraphed, I did enjoy how the story was framed. Writer Sholly Fisch channels Agatha Christie here, having the entire take take place in only 1 room. But some of the dialogue got old as the same jokes were recycled over and over. I really thought we were over this trope. 

Dario Brizuela's artwork was perfect as ever. Metamorpho and crew looked great in the Scooby-Doo style. And the coloring was spot-on as it can be really difficult to capture the essence of the Element Man in the style of the legendary Ramona Fradon (my vote for the quintessential artist of the world's weirdest superhero.)

An enjoyable read but far from perfect. This was a bit too silly like some of the Hanna-Barbera guest star issues.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Batman and Harley Quinn

Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett were who you wanted to be in charge of writing and art duties when the newest issue of Batman Adventures dropped. Both talents return to the Batman: The Animated Series universe in this pair of stories starring the Dark Knight and Harley Quinn!

The Joker has belittled his girlfriend for the last time! Feeling completely ignored, Harley Quinn betrays the Clown Prince of Crime to Batman, only to find that The Joker is too pre-occupied with defeating the Caped Crusader! Thus, once 'rehabilitated' by the staff at Arkham Asylum once again, Harley plans on going on her way and she winds up with her supposed BFF Poison Ivy. Sadly, this time around, Harley's role is to become the villainess' lackey! 

Enough is enough for Harley Quinn and she decides to go straight and alone. But with Poison Ivy and The Joker seeking revenge for previous double-crossing, it will take the combine efforts of Batman and Nightwing to keep the Maid of Mischief on the path of righteousness. 

The two stories reprinted in this volume are both a prequel and sequel to 2017's direct-to-DVD animated feature Batman and Harley Quinn. If you've not seen the film, you're okay as the first half of this book is a prequel. But as quite a bit of the movie is referenced in the sequel half of this book, if you haven't seen the film, YOU WILL GET LOST!

Both tales were originally published as web comics on DCComics.com. The first act is 7 chapters long and the artwork is really good up until chapter 5. At that point, the cleanliness of the art drops and everything looks like the very rough computer generated stuff of 2000's Gotham Girls. I really wonder why Burchett's work suffered. Was it due to having to rush to meet deadlines?

A team of artists and writers tackle the production of the second story. Jeff Parker and Amanda Deibert pen an awesome tale that explains some of Harley Quinn's earliest meetings with Task Force X. The art is split among some great Batman talent including Sandy Jarrell and Dario Brizuela. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read for fans of Harley Quinn and Batman: TAS. But it really helps to have watched the Batman and Harley Quinn movie in order to get the full effect.

Worth Consuming but not without it's flaws!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Super Hero Adventures: To Wakanda and Beyond

This book collects several one-shots of the all-ages title, Marvel Super Hero Adventures. This is a rough off-shoot of the early 2010's series Marvel Super Hero Squad. Instead of taking place in Super Hero City, these stories take place in the Marvel 616 universe. It's only through Spider-Man's storytelling do the characters resort to looking like their Squad counterparts.

Penciling the action is Dario Brizuela. If you follow my blog regularly, you'll know that I am a huge fan of his work on the DC Comics title Scooby-Doo Team-Up. While the bodies of the characters are kinda squished like those on MSHS, you can tell that this is a Brizuela work by the faces. He's got this unmistakable quality in all of the vizages he draws, much like that Steve Ditko or George Perez. 

The framing scenes really look like SDTU. I love Brizuela's Spider-Man. I would love to see a Marvel Team-Up series in which some Disney or Fox cartoon property interacted with other characters of the newly shared Disney Empire. As long as it didn't take Dario Brizuela away from doing the Scooby-Doo series that I love so much, I'd be on-board with his as that Marvel series artist. 

 Return of the Dapper Men's Jim McCann pens all of these stories. They are quite well written in that exciting Marvel fashion. Though some of the closing scene jokes are a bit stale. And on at least two occasions, things just seem to end abruptly for no reason at all.

This is the type of series parents and teachers would love. Spidey's stories all have a moral such as how to overcome bullying and learning teamwork. Featuring some of the House of Idea's most popular properties such as Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Ms. Marvel, this is a great combination of classic and modern Marvel.

Speaking of which, Marvel must really be putting all of it's eggs into the Marvel Rising basket. This is the third such recent collection I have read that has the same intro to the new Disney XD/Hasbro series. I've actually seen very little concerning this new series. I keep hearing that there's a TV show and a line of toys but other than these massive ads and a FCBD offering, I've not seen anything but negative criticism over this New Warriors related property. 

Based on what I read with this collection, I think Marvel should stick with Marvel Super Hero Adventures as their flagship all-ages property. Each issue has an educational wholesome message. The series can feature a wide range of characters. Plus, it doesn't have to focus on some very controversial, and to some families and civic leaders, age inappropriate characters. And even if the characters in question do appear, those elements, considered to be in that moral gray area, don't have to be hyped upon!  That is because fun and excitement is the focus of these one-shots; not gritty character development drama such as with Marvel Rising.

Marvel Super Hero Adventures knows what kids really like. It's not having to worry about the troubles of the world. Yes, there's elements of learning here. But at the heart of it, kids wanna be kids and this trade allows them to be just that!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #20

The Mystery Inc. gang go intergalactic in this exciting issue! But this time the phantom is real!

Space Ghost- that star of dramatic cartoon and late-night buffoonery, teams up with Scooby-Doo to defeat a pair of his greatest foes. 

Normally, the Hanna-Barbera team-ups are done by other artists. But this time, it's DC team-ups master, Dario Brizuela, on pencils. It makes logical sense as Space Ghost and Super Friends were both designed by Alex Toth, of which Brizuela is an apt pupil of. 

I loved this issue. It's so unlike the other HB pairings. Those tend to be very silly. And while there's some dry wit and one-liners, this issue is done more in the serious tone of the original Space Ghost. 

Now that a toned-down crossover of Space Ghost and Scooby has been done, I wouldn't mind a silly sequel. I loved Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast. It was utterly surreal. But should that ever occur (as this back issue is over 2 years old), they've got to have Space Ghost's co-host, Brak!

Lots of sci-fi fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars!

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #46

The Mystery Gang are participating in career day at the school in which Jefferson Pierce teaches. There, the detectives witness an underclassman being targeted by members of the 100, Tobias Whale's gang. This sort of thing isn't usually what Scooby and his friends deal with. thus they stay out of the way. So Black Lightning appears instead to save the school from the bad influence. But when a pair of ghostly gangsters from the 1920s pop up at the same school, Scooby is on the case!

This is perhaps the most different Scooby-Doo Team-Up I have ever read. In the DC heroes crossovers, the gang will usually encounter comical versions of baddies like The Joker or Solomon Grundy. But here, Tobias Whale is extremely deadly. This issue's villain is no caricature. He's a carbon copy of the villain actor Marvin 'Krodon' Jones III plays on the CW hit Black Lightning. 

Though quite a bit grittier than any other issue in this series, I enjoyed this read. Sholly Fisch pushes the envelope about as far as one can with an all-ages title while staying true to both the Scooby-Doo franchise and the Black Lightning realm. Dario Brizuela continues to put out top rate art. The only thing that was a disappointment were the activity pages at the end of this book. 

Because of the Christmas holiday, DC delayed issue #45 until the beginning of January. This issue which came out at the tail end of January, has the same activity pages as issue #45. I feel a little cheated. I know that I don't buy this book for those extras. But apparently, I have gotten used to them and missed having them here because I disliked not being presented with an all-new set of things to do. 

I don't care if two issues came out in the same month, readers deserve all-new material if they're expected to pay the full price of $2.99/issue. Something to keep in mind for the future, DC. Reward your loyal readers. Don't be stingy especially when you need us the most!

A good read that is a little bit edgy for an all-ages Scooby-Doo romp.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #36

The Scooby gang are called to a studio to investigate reports of a huge beast terrorizing the production of a charity telethon. There, the teen detectives run into the private investigators of the O'Day & Simeon Detective Agency-the Angel and the Ape! But these two are on the case as well! So who or what is the beast wreaking havoc?

It's up to Scooby, Shaggy, Angel and Sam and the Inferior Five!!!- to get to the bottom of this mystery!

A great DC/Hanna-Barbara crossover. With the mystery guests behind this caper, this issue was a great nod to some of the more oddball DC titles of the late 1960s. All of which did not last very long at all. But all are ones that I fondly remember reading as a part of my dad's comic book collection growing up!

Amazing work by Dario Brizuela and Sholly Fisch! 100% perfect!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #37

The Detectives of Mystery Inc. are summoned to National City. It appears that Supergirl has been troubled by a pair of ghosts. Scooby and the gang are used to this sort of thing. Only these ghosts are of Zor-El and Alura- Supergirl's parents!

Could they have survived the destruction of Argo City by seeking refuge in the Phantom Zone? Will Scooby-Doo and Streaky the Super-Cat get along? And what about the cousin of Lex Luthor's who has been sneaking around in the background? Is she behind these ghostly apparitions? 

Next to cousin Kal-El, Kara Zor-El is my favorite superhero of them all! I loved this issue. It's classic DC Comics, all thanks to writer Sholly Fisch. Lots of great twists and turns and shocking surprises. Plus we've got the marvelous artwork of Dario Brizuela here. 

I read this book the day that it debuted in stores back in June of 2018. But I got behind on my reviews. There was no love lost or lack of interest in this issue or series. I just got overwhelmed. At least now I'm finally catching up!

A must for fans of the Maid of Might or Streaky!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #45

Hoping to study up on future escape techniques, Fred and the Mystery Inc. gang attend one of the extravaganzas of the reknown escape artist, Mister Miracle. Backstage, the detectives meet Scott Free, his apprentice Shilo Norman, hype-man Oberon and Scott's wife Big Barda. It's here that minions from Apokolips attack Mister Miracle and wind-up kidnapping Daphne, Velma and Barda. 

Despite knowing full-well that the attack is a trap and that Darkseid wants Scott Free back on Apokolips for good, Mister Miracle returns to his home world  to save his wife. Shaggy and Fred make the Boom Tube trip as well in hopes of rescuing their missing partners. However, it all appears too late as the girls appear to now be under the power of that dastardly task master, Granny Goodness!

There is a very large chunk of Fourth World characters appearing in this issue. However, other than a few images of Darkseid on posters and other media, don't expect the baddie to be in this issue. I thought having Shilo in the story was another one of those faithful nods to the original source material on the part of Sholly Fisch. But in terms of other New Genesis heroes like Orion and Lightray, it appears that Fisch may be saving them for a future issue! One can only hope.

Let's talk about something else that was curiously missing: Jack Kirby. Kirby was the creator of all things Fourth World, including Mister Miracle. While a large portion of those characters, settings and tech were used in this book, there was no legal mumbo-jumbo acknowledging Kirby's creation of said characters. 

I double-checked on this. In the DC's Nuclear Winter Special, there's a blurb on the inside cover stating that Kamandi was created by Jack Kirby. It's right under the list of credits given to Siegel and Schuster for creating Superman, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson crafting Batman, and so forth. Those such honors have been in other Scooby-Doo Team-Ups past. But somebody forgot to honor The King in this book!

After a one-month holiday absence, I was so eager for this series to come back. It did not disappoint. Dario Brizuela's art was as perfect as always. The plot and jokes were fresh. It didn't feel like a typical Scooby-Doo comic book. It felt like a missing 1970s script of Mister Miracle with directions by Kirby, script by Fisch and finished by Brizuela. 

A must for fans of DC's Fourth World!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43

Scooby and the gang find themselves in the middle of a mystery right in the middle of the Doom Patrol’s headquarters. The world's strangest heroes have been constantly attacked by some of their most fearsome foes! Can Mystery Inc discover who's behind the assaults before time runs out for the Doom Patrol?

Sholly Fisch pens another instant classic in this, the latest issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up. This story features both classic and modern cameos of friends and foes of one of my favorite DC superhero teams. But I won't reveal just who shows up as that might ruin the fun and surprises!

If you are a regular reader of Madman With a Book, you'll know that I absolutely adore Dario Brizuela’s stylization of the DC characters. Well Brizuela has really upped his game on several members of the Doom Patrol. Robotman looked so sleek and powerful. Elasti Girl was stunning. And we've got the mystery characters who really rocked. But what was going on with the stars of this title?

When it came to drawing the teen detectives, they didn't really match the DC characters very well. Velma and Daphne in particular had very thick ink lines compared to the svelte design of Robotman. Plus there were a couple of panels that looked pixelated. Normally, all of the characters have a very fluid design style. But in those other panels, they looked fuzzy; like somebody made copies from a 1990s Hewlett Packard printer.

One of the best stories out of the entire series. If only the art was consistent, this would be perhaps the best issue of them all. An almost perfect read.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #42

It's a case of serious monkey business in this issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up! Grodd, the super intelligent outlaw from Gorilla City has organized the evil simians of the DC Universe to take over the world! This is a case too big for the Mystery Gang along. So the teenage detectives call in for help. Enter Sam Simian, Congorilla and Detective Chimp!

I've praised how series writer Sholly Fisch has evolved this series away from the standard Scooby-Doo formula. Jokes about pulling the mask off of the monsters and goofy traps are still in the mix. But there's no ghosts or monsters in this story. Okay, there's a Nazi gorilla in the story. He's a monster. But how many episodes of Scooby-Doo do you remember Fred, Velma and Daphne battling agents of the Third Reich?

Dario Brizuela is on point in this story filled with more primates than the St. Louis Zoo! His technique is so classic. He's really the artist to go to in these DC crossovers.

A really exciting issue. It's jammed packed with guest stars. I'm a little disappointed that Detective Chimp wasn't used as much as he could have been. My hope is for him to return in another mystery, only maybe by himself. Or with Cain and Abel, the hosts of the House of Mystery and the House of Secrets. I'd be okay with a Halloween special with Scooby and those three supernatural characters.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up Volume 2

It's like this: I absolutely love Scooby-Doo Team-Up. But I came to the show a little bit late. In fact, I didn't even fully commit to this series until around issue #17. It was then that I wised up and subscribed through my favorite comics shop so I didn't miss an issue.

For one reason or another, this series is on fire. Kids and adults love it. The series is actually more popular than the regular DC kids Scooby comic. SDTU is a monthly issue. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? is a bi-monthly release.

For this very reason, (plus this is a kids comic book), it is nearly impossible to find back issues of Team-Up. That's why I broke down and finally bought this trade release despite having a couple of the issues in reprinted inside. It was more important to me to get to read all of the issues in this series than getting double-helpings of some tales. In fact, when I reread those issues, I still had a ton of fun reading them!

Along with a costume swapping caper involving Jimmy Olsen as Elastic Lad and Lois Lane as Superwoman, this volume contains the critically acclaimed 2-parter in which the Mystery Inc. gang go back in time to meet the Flintstones and then forward in time to pal around with the Jetsons. 

Writer Sholly Fisch is a master at this genre. And I just love Dario Brizuela's art-style. The characters are superior and his repetitive use of backgrounds and certain characters has grown on me. It's not that he's a lazy artist. Instead, Brizuela is trying to capture the feel of those early morning Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Very Much Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.