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 #29

The top dog meets Top Cat and his gang of felonious felines in this all Hanna-Barbera edition of Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Top Cat is up to his ways of playing tricks on Officer Dibble. This time, he's got one of his gang dressing up as the Ghost of Hoagy's Alley! With the Mayor making a real push to clean up the neighborhood, the policeman calls in the Mystery Inc. Gang to solve the mystery. 

In a twist on the corrupt land developer trope of Scooby-Doo stories, the detectives actually go out of their way to prove that the neighborhood really is haunt, least a pair of scheming real estate agents will buy up everything for real cheap and tear it all down to build luxury condominiums. This will not only evict Top Cat and his gang, it will put Officer Dibble on having to work a really dangerous beat. So cops and cat crooks work together to stop the plans of some modernizers from putting a lot of nice folks out of house and home. 

Community Gentrification. The only thing worse than monsters and ghosts. 

I'm not normally as much of a fan of the Hanna-Barbera crossovers as I am the DC Comics ones. They tend to be more formulaic and predictable. However, this story was such a switcheroo to the standard Scooby-Doo mystery that I actually felt like I was reading something entirely fresh and new. It probably helps that I know next to nothing about Top Cat. Still, what I know about Scooby-Doo, and I know a lot, is changed up so much to a point that everything was totally unexpected.

The writer Sholly Fisch is the reason this story was so original. He's a masterful writer who knows how to not just write for kids but the whole family! 

The only thing that I didn't like about the story was the unevenness of the art. But I don't blame Dave Alvarez for it. His renderings of the Mystery Inc. team is spot on. His drawings of the Top Cat universe of characters are great. However, the two franchises couldn't be any more different from each other. Shaggy, Fred, Velma and Daphne are drawn much more realistically than Officer Dibble and the developers. Scooby-Doo looks like a pure-bred next to Top Cat. Thus, when these two worlds of characters meet, it just doesn't gel. At least when the Flintstones meet up with the Jetsons, you felt like Fred really could have been George's long lost ancestor. The art styles of these two franchises are like Edward Hopper's Nighthawks meeting Picasso's 3 Musicians.

If you can get over how striking the artwork is, you're in for a treat. This really is one of the most original Scooby-Doo mysteries ever written and it's a ton of fun.

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 #32

Continuing from the last issue, the Mystery Inc. squad re-emerge from their adventure with the Atom in the subatomic realm in order, only to find themselves dwarfed by another diminutive superhero, Atom Ant! 

After restoring themselves to normal height, the detectives learn that a bunch of monsters have been terrorizing the local residents of the city park. Since monsters are a part of the Mystery Inc. wheelhouse, the gang is on the case! But their new partner might not be any help. A giant picnic spread has appeared and Atom Ant is under the creator of this feast's spell!

The Scooby-Doo Team-Ups are at their best when it involves a DC character. The Hanna-Barbera stories aren't bad as Scooby and his friends do exist in that shared universe. But only when the character is one that I am familiar with and the writer is Sholly Fisch, those stories are best. Issue #32 has one thing going with it- Fisch crafted this tale!

I'm not familiar with Atom Ant. I know he's a Hanna-Barbera character. He's a super hero. And he's got an arch-enemy known as Professor Von Gimmick.

Other than Atom Ant being a tiny hero, I don't really see much of a reason to select Atom Ant as the guest star of this compared to Captain Caveman or Dastardly and Muttley. Even Droopy Dog would have been a better selection as he was a private detective once. This issue marked the first time in 19 years that Atom Ant even appeared in a DC Comic. And the character wasn't in any of the Hanna-Barbera/DC crossovers. 

So why pick this C-list character? Was it another Dan DiDio pipe dream in tribute to his childhood Saturday mornings as with the former editor adding the Impossibles to the ranks of 2017's Future Quest? Or maybe a lifelong dream of Fisch's or artist Scott Jeralds? Either way, this was a good read. I just didn't enjoy this one as much as I could due to the lack of familiarity with the character.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 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!

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #34

While working a case with the fellas of Mystery Inc., Velma and Daphne are called to Gotham City. Taking Scooby with them, the girls have been summoned by Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress- the Birds of Prey. A gigantic bird known as a Roc, a mythical creature of Middle Eastern origin, has been attacking the city. 

Since Velma and Daphne have a background in dealing with monsters, they've been approached to act as interim members of the Birds of Prey. It's a good thing, now that a thunderbird and a phoenix have begun attacking Gotham as well!

A really great issue. Another masterpiece by Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela! Fisch adds those little Easter eggs of DC nostalgia; like with the mystery villain that Mystery Inc. is originally on the search for before the girls go to Gotham City. Dario Brizuela just has an art-style that echoes the original Scooby-Doo cartoon as well as Alex Toth's take on Super Friends. They're like an all-ages duo for the ages!

The inclusion of Huntress was the only down-side of the story. I've never really been a fan of her. She never felt like an appropriate heir to Batman and/or Catwoman. And then Post-CRISIS, I never really got into her crime-family Catholic heritage background. She always felt like a vigilante nun to me. And in this issue, she's like a grumpy Debbie Downer. If we could have replaced Huntress with a different Bird of Prey like Katana or Hawkgirl, that would have been great!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 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 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.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #23

The Mystery Inc. gang take a road trip to Gopher Gulch. But instead of a thriving small town in the middle of the American West, the detectives find a ghost town! That is, except for it's sheriff, Quick Draw McGraw!

It turns out that the town is actually being haunted by a ghost and it scared all of the residents away. Desperate to catch the varmint, Quick Draw and the Scooby join forces to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

And if they can't get the job done, then McDraw's alter ego (and cheap Zorro imitator) El Kabong might. But don't count on it. 

This issue was entertaining. But it doesn't rank among the best of the Hanna-Barbera pairings in this series. Sholly Fisch falls into some of the traps that almost put me off this series when it first began. The jokes were stale. Plot was a little bit on the predictable side. But at least he artwork was very good. 

Looney Tunes' Mitch Jeralds captures all of the characters very, very well. At least he doesn't use Photoshop in order to make shortcuts with he background and all. That was a big no-no that other Team-Up artist, Dario Brizuela is often guilty of. 

A fun read. Just not one of my favorites in this series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #47

After years of trying, Peebles Pet Shop has finally sold Magilla- to a mad scientist! Good thing Mystery Incorporated stopped by to give Scooby-Doo a good washing after a bout with a marsh monster. As the teen detectives and Mr. Peebles head to the foreboding laboratory, they run afoul of a score of creatures that have had their heads switched. Could this be the fate of our pal Magilla?

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I think that the Hanna-Barbera are the weaker stories for Scooby-Doo Team-Up. But I really enjoyed this 2019 issue. It may have something to do with the fact that I am not very familiar with the antics of Magilla Gorilla. Grape Ape- I've got a doctorate in stuff involving him. But not so much Magilla. So, maybe the whole concept was more fresh to me. 

Another thing that made this issue a winner was just how well Sholly Fisch did with the story itself. The idea of the mad scientist was a welcome change to the detectives solving another whodunit involving someone in a ghost costume. Plus, the jokes were funny and not as worn out as my walking shoes.

Walter Carzon did a great job on the art. His pairings of animals with different heads was really well done. Plus, I like how the Scooby characters and the Magilla characters meshed together. Sometimes, the HB characters don't look quite right next to Fred, Daphne and Velma, who are drawn more like a realistic teens. But the way Carzon crafted Mr. Peeples, Magilla and the mad scientist, you still got the original look of the characters but without a sense that someone was out of place.

Another great issue of this fun series. SCTU is one of my all-time favs and this issue issue is yet another fantastic reason why!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #27

Trouble has always followed Plastic Man and his sidekick Woozy Winks. But when a fortune teller places a curse on Woozy and things start getting really dicey, it's up to the Mystery Inc. gang to determine if there's really something to this voodoo! Or is their a criminal mastermind element to these threats to Woozy's life?

A very fun team-up of two of Saturday morning cartoons greatest detective teams. Some many remember the Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show from 1979-81. It was on TV and not comics where I was first introduced to Plas and his friends. 

Dario Brizuela does a masterful job turning Plastic Man into a ton of cool things. Thank goodness, writer Sholly Fisch didn't have him become the outfit of either Daphne or Velma. I just can't believe that DC Comics has allowed the character to pull off that bit of sexual assault still to this day. It doesn't mean we need to ban Plastic Man. Just keep him away from the ladies dressing room.

Another gem from a couple of years ago. I bought this new and read it within a day or two of buying it. But for some reason, I got behind on posting my thoughts on it in my blog. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 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 #26

I'm way behind on single issue reviews. This Scooby-Doo Team-Up is from 2017. I read it the day or so after it dropped in stores. I just didn't get to it for one reason or another until now...

The Mystery Inc. gang team-up with kung-fu expert Hong Kong Phooey to investigate a plague of dragons terrorizing Chinatown.

This issue almost made me give up on SDTU. It wasn't because of the story. Sholly Fisch continued to amaze with his story. Fisch had gotten into a small rut around issues 3-10, using the same jokes over and over and over. But, he fixed that pretty quick after myself and other reviewers started to complain. Fisch also switched things up with having the villains not always be a ghost and sometimes not a guy in a mask either. So in terms of the storyline, things were fresh and fun.

What disappointed me was the artwork. In a lot of panels- and I mean A LOT!- the dragons are all cut and paste copies of one another. There's no originally. It's all Photoshop of the same image. And no, switching it to where some baddies face left and some fact right doesn't cover up the lazy artwork.

But what kept me from leaving this title was the fact that the artwork was by a guest artist. Scott Jeralds is the artist for this issue. The Muppet Babies and Krypto The Superdog cartoonist obviously utilized the animators trick of using the same image over and over to bypass artwork delays. But with the speed of a moving image, such a shortcut is able to fool the eye of the viewer. You can't pass off 7 dragon clones in a static comic book. Maybe in one or two panels. But it will get caught eventually!

I'm so glad I decided not to give up on this series. The last dozen or so issues have been awesome. Tomorrow, a new issue debuts with Scooby team-up with Black Lightning! I can't wait for it. One good thing about it is that regular artist Dario Brizuela is doing the art! The guy's vision of the DC/Hanna-Barbera universe is awesome!

A funny issue of which I hope to see Hong Kong Phooey making a return visit. Just maybe with a different artist.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 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.