Teen Titans Go! #12 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air at Titans Tower. First Robin attempts to woo Starfire with his over-the-top antics, which includes wearing a diaper dressed as Cupid. Then there's the mysterious package that has shown up in the living room. Sent from a secret admirer, the gigantic gift isn't for Starfire. It's for Raven! And it comes with a massive flaming heart wrapped thorns. 

Written by Sholly Fisch with artwork by Dario Brizuela, this 2026 issue is based on the long running animated series from Cartoon Network. After a popular run with 2003's Teen Titans, which was much more serious and action packed in nature, Cartoon Network followed up with Teen Titans Go! in 2013. Using the same cast of voices and fairly similar character designs, the show was controversial amongst viewers. Some die hard fans of the Titans didn't like the new show's slapstick tone. Others were okay with the humor but they found the sing-along episodes rather annoying. 

This issue has none of the musical interlude, lots of laughs and subtle touches to nearly 60 years of Teen Titans legend and lore.

Cover by Brizuela and Franco Riesco.

Completing this review completes Task #37 (A work released in 2026) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? #131

I don't know how I missed this. I don't know know how my favorite comic book shop missed this. A new Christmas issue of Scooby-Doo! 

In the cover story, the Mystery Inc. gang are visiting a toy convention where they're collecting toys for the annual Christmas toy drive for the nearby orphanage. Getting donations is going to be tough because an evil elf is terrorizing the attendees of the convention and stealing the toys to boot.

The secondary story is a reprint from the 2010s. It's not a Christmas story. But it features a character that has become affiliated with the holidays thanks to a nearly 60 years old holiday special. An indoor climbing facility is being terrorized by an abominable snowman! 

Derek Fridolfs wrote the main story. While it's set around Christmas, this was a mystery that could have occurred anytime of year. Christmas just happens to be when the story occurs. Except for a festive book-ending, you wouldn't know that the this was a holiday story. I mean Die Hard is more of a Christmas story than this tale.

But those first couple of pages were so Christmasy. I want to live in that world! Plus those supporting characters were so dynamic. I forgot that this was a Scooby-Doo comic. Major praises to artist Walter Carzon.

The Yeti story was kinda silly. Like why would a Bumble haunt a climbing wall? However, this was one of the most un-Scooby-like mysteries I've ever come across. It must be because of the writing talents of the amazing Sholly Fisch! To craft a mystery that has a trio of suspects that have nothing to do (directly) with the story and to make this primarily a story about the plan to take the culprit down - that's a true sign of this Hanna-Barbera comic master's mastery!

Not 100% Christmas. And some of the content is debatable. But I enjoyed the heck out of it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

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! Where Are You? #126 (Family Comic Friday)

From the romantic looking cover between Daphne and a vampire as well as this book being released just this week, I was expecting it to be a Valentine's Day special issue. Instead, the theme of the pair of mysteries contained within, is books.

The first story does kinda reflect the cover. Daphne and Velma attend a midnight drop party for a highly anticipated book at a local bookstore. The reclusive author of the work makes a special appearance at the book shop, as does the star of the book: a dreamy vampire/zombie hybrid that wants revenge on the scribe for penning a second rate sequel novel.

Mystery #2 takes place at a library. Some rare manuscripts are going on display very soon and the Mystery Inc. gang have been hired in to prevent the tomes from being stolen. What no one expects is that not one but two ghosts are threatening to steal the antiquities. And there not just any old ghost but the spirits of famed bard William Shakespeare and Gothic novelist Edgar Allan Poe!

The opening adventure written by Derek Fridolfs was so unlike the standard Scooby-Doo formula. For one thing, Scooby barely makes an appearance. Fred and Shaggy take off to investigate a spirit haunting a buffet leaving the girls to solve the mystery for themselves. Plus instead of a ghost, it's a monster! And for once, the real villain isn't a businessman trying to buy real estate for cheap dressed as a ghost!!!

The second tale by Sholly Fisch, is a little more formulaic. But with the presence of a pair of ghosts instead of the standard solo spirit, the ending, while still predictable, was enough to make the reader feel like there was a real whodunnit to be solved. I only wished that the lettering of this story was a little more legible. One of the suspects is an experimental writer who goes by a unique name. Only I couldn't tell if their name was 'Z' or '2'. I think if the characters name was a little more easier to read, maybe I could have enjoyed the story a bit more. Plus if I knew that characters name, I would understand if Fisch was trying to use rhyme to make parts of the story flow better or not. Context is everything...

A fun all ages read that generations of Scooby-Doo fans will enjoy. A great opening story that skewers the Twilight series while satirizing it's fans. A decent follow up caper from one of my all-time favorite children's authors that was marred by indistinguishable font choices.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 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.

Batman's Mystery Casebook (Family Comic Friday)

If you ever wanted to solve crimes like Batman and his cohorts, then have I found the book for you! Batman's Mystery Casebook is a young adult graphic novel that I've been looking forward to for a while. The book is so many things wrapped into 144 pages of crime fighting starring your favorite members of the Batman family. 

There are several cases in which readers are tasked to examine the clues. Can you solve the case before turning the next page and letting Batman do it? It's a lot like Donald J. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown books. In fact, one of the cases is a total swipe of a famous case involving a Civil War era sword. Only this time, the mystery is set during World War I and it guest stars Hans Von Hammer: the Enemy Ace!

Batman's Mystery Casebook is also educational and a bit like an activity book! In between cases are segments that involve crime solving techniques used by Batman and your local police force's unit of crime scene investigators. Readers get to learn about finger prints, foot prints and tracking criminals. Fun is added to the education as young readers are encouraged to explore activities like practicing fingerprinting with household tools like tape, flour and a brush. Readers even get to test their skills as an eyewitness by helping the Gotham City Police Department with a crime scene involving the Penguin!

A lot of your favorite Batman villains are featured in the book. Along with Penguin, you get to help Batman apprehend The Riddler, Catwoman, Mister Freeze, Harley Quinn and the Joker. Since there are many more villains out there to be caught like Clayface and the Mad Hatter, I really hope a second casebook might be forthcoming. I just hope if this happens that the cases are a bit less loose with the clues. 

The amazing Sholly Fisch wrote this book. I've been a fan of his since Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Overall, this casebook was a dream come true for me. I've always wanted a Batman video game that was less about fighting and more about mystery solving. This casebook is probably the closest I will ever get to that wish. But I feel that in at least 2 of the cases, the solutions were more based on making assumptions about the crimes and not actual facts. I will admit that I totally goofed on the Riddler mystery and that one was my fault. But the Mister Freeze and the break-in at Wayne Enterprises didn't seem to play fair with the readers. To be fair- Donald J. Sobol was guilty of doing the same thing with some of his mysteries. 

The artwork by Christopher Uminga was awesome. Now I will admit that if you have a Batman story by Sholly Fisch, only Dario Brizuela should be doing the art. However, I can now say that Christopher Uminga is a perfect second if Brizuela isn't available. Uminga's work reminded me of that of the L'il Gotham series by Dustin Nguyen in which all of the characters are of diminutive size and just a touch on the adorable side. That is except for the Joker!

Christopher Uminga's Joker is one of the most terrifying versions of the character ever. Those dark, dead eyes. That frenzied mouth that looks part clown make-up and part hideous scars. The credits in the back of this book list Uminga's art style as one that 'blends together creepy and cute.' I couldn't agree with this assessment more!

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, a couple of cases tripped me up. For the most part, I felt that the mysteries were fair. But there are a couple that are really tricky and might just be a little too difficult. Heck, if a 45-year old Madman like myself can think things are arduous, can you imagine how tough these cases can be for the recommended readings ages of 8-12? Regardless, I really hope that this isn't the only book in the series. There's so many more crimes in Gotham that need to be solved and Sholly Fisch and Christopher Uminga are the creative team to get it done!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 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.

Teen Titans Go! to Camp! (Family Comic Friday)

It's Summer time and the Teen Titans are going to camp- on Apokolips! But the heroes of Jump City won't be going alone. The twisted teens of the H.I.V.E. Five and the ideal junior heroes of Titans East will also be spending their Summer vacation with the Teen Titans on Darkseid's home world.

The youngsters' activities will be planned by the director of Camp Apokolips, Granny Goodness. Their camp counselors are Kalibak and Mad Harriet! Their lunch consists of several dishes made of various bugs. Their swimming hole is a lava pit. And the rumor around the ol' campfire is that unlucky campers will be eaten by the Terrifying Beast of the Pit!

As usual, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg are trying to make the best of a bad situation. As for Robin, he's got it in his head that the title of Camper of the Year is his to win. Only, there's no such award at Camp Apokolips. Instead, those campers who survive this 6 week ordeal will find themselves as the newest troopers in Darkseid's army!

This 2020 graphic novel was hilarious! It felt like it should have been a movie! In fact, if DC ever decides to bring TTG back to the silver screen, this is the plot that they should use for inspiration! Mixing the zany members of the Teen Titans, H.I.V.E. 5 and the straight-laced Titans East with the residents of Kirby's Fourth World was just so fun to someone like myself who is a huge fan of the New Gods! 

The great Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up) pens this awesome script. I didn't know that he was a child psychologist until I read the'About the Author' section in the back of this book. But that fact explains why it feels like Fisch can write from children while not dumbing things down for the enjoyment of adults. 

The main illustrator of this book is DC Super Hero Girl's Marcelo DiChiara. The artist does a fantastic job making every main panel look like it was ripped straight from my TV set- set to Cartoon Network, of course! 

Each chapter ends with one of the main characters writing a loved one back home. The artwork for those segments are by a host of great talent including Franco, Jamal Igle, and 3rd generation member of the Kubert art clan, Emma! Each artist adds their own deft touch to the story. You see their art style and a little bit of tribute to both Jack Kirby and Teen Titans legends Nick Cardy and George Perez.

I did not want this book to end. I had a great time reading it. It combined my love for Jack Kirby, comic book nostalgia and zany comedy. Kids who are fans of TTG will love this book because it captures the spirit of the animated series perfectly. Adults will love it because it reminds them of classic DC lore. But also because it's a wholesome read that stimulates that imagination of young readers everywhere!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

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.

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!

Marvel Comics Presents #8

The Shang-Chi story comics to a merciful end in this issue. Of course, it finally gets good right when everything ends. I truly think that if this story was set in the 1970s, when kung-fu ruled instead of the karate 80s, this would have been a much better story. But what do I know? I've only been reading comic books since I was 3...

The Man-Thing story still continues to be the best story of the 4 features. But it did have some competition with the Master of Kung-Fu conclusion.

I really don't feel very much connection to the Wolverine tale. At least when it comes to the hero. The sexy villainess, Sapphire Styx, is alluring but deadly. The mercenary Razorfist is pretty cool looking. But a bad guy who has his hands replaced with retractable swords makes very little sense. I mean, when it comes to the bathroom how does he wipe? How does he get his pants back up? How does he aim without becoming a soprano? 

Truly, the mind boggles at these mysteries.

The one-and-done story stars Iron Man. It's written by one of my favorite writers, Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up). While it involves Tony Stark's battle with the bottle, it's got that nostalgic positive slant that is prevalent in all of Fisch's stories. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable chapter in the early days of this anthology series. The past couple of issues had been duds, as the stories had been 80s era downers. Great to see things perk up a bit.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Vol.1

This is another book that I could have finished a month or two ago. But it had a holiday issue inside and I just couldn't pass up the chance to feel the intended yule tide feelings inside. 

The Christmas themed story has Billy Batson taking a shopping trip to Gotham City. Billy is expecting something out of the ordinary since Gotham is the playground of Batman's rogues gallery. But when Billy and Tawky Tawny step off their bus they are faced with the citizens of Gotham trying to kill each other! It's all due to the Psycho Pirate! Turning into SHAZAM!- The REAL Captain Marvel, it's up to the visiting superhero to find Batman and bring back that holiday spirit!

Along with the SHAZAM story, there's several more very fun team-ups. First, Batman heads to the bottle city of Kandor with Superman to solve the motive behind a break-in in a society that hasn't faced crime in centuries. Then Batman and the Flash are sent through the looking glass by the combined efforts of The Mirror Master and The Mad Hatter. J'onn J'onzz, The Martian Manhunter challenges Batman into helping the extra-terrestrial become a better detective. Plus Batman joins forces with Guy Gardner to help a troubled alien on the lamb from those dreaded Manhunters!

Those were all great stories. But besides the holiday story, the best adventure was an epic crossover that puts Wonder Woman in the arms of the Caped Crusader. The gods have paired the two unlikely lovers together on a sort of bet. In what becomes the wedding of the century, countless heroes arrive to witness the nuptials. But then a near unlimited line-up of villains crash the blessed event! If you thought Fantastic Four Annual #3 was the ultimate wedding day battle royale- think again! They've got nothing on the exploits of the Brave and the Bold.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold was a feel good TV series. Though it may be long cancelled, I get to relive that magic in the pages of this amazing volume comics based on the Cartoon Network hit. 

Total fun for the whole family. Full of a nostalgic cast of characters, this book didn't feel old at all. Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo Team-Up) has that magic touch in his writings drawing upon the stories I grew up reading as a kid but adding original twists and turns that keep the book from ever feeling stale.

The only thing I hated about this book is that it ended!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Volume 2: Help Wanted

I don't seem to have good luck with team-up titles. I find one I like and then BAM! Cancelled!

It happened with Scooby-Doo Team-Up and it happened with this amazing series based on the Cartoon Network series of the same name. The Caped Crusader joins forces with well established characters such as Superman as well as more obscure heroes such as the Alan Scott Green Lantern from the JSA. 

This book was my official entry into my 2020 Halloween comics readings due to the final story of this volume. It stars magician Zatanna joining with Batman on Halloween in order to solve the puzzle behind just who broke into the House of Mystery. It's a delightful romp that features some of the most evil as well as mischievous characters to occupy the DC Universe.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up's Sholly Fisch is the scribe behind these gems. He's a proven master at
all-ages storytelling that is rooted deeply in the 80 year plus history of DC Comics. The House that Superman Built really needs to give Fisch a monthly legacy title for all generations of readers. His being greatly underused in his bi-monthly offerings of DC's lone pair of all-ages titles (Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and Looney Tunes.)

A great read that I hated to see end. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 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.