Review: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #97

DC Comics
Review: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #97
By Philip Schweier
February 20, 2019 - 08:12

DC Comics
Writer(s): Sholly Fisch, Darryl Taylor Kravitz, Scott Peterson
Artist(s): Karen Matchette, Scott Neely
Penciller(s): Walter Carzon
Inker(s): Horatio Ottolini
Colourist(s): Silvana Bris, Heroic Age
Letterer(s): Saida Temofonte; Randy Gentile, Travis Lanham
Cover Artist(s): Walter Carzon, Horatio Ottolini, Silvana Bris

With all-ages comic books, the bar is set pretty low, and this issue of Scooby-Doo lives up to that bar (barely). It starts with “The Gang’s All Here,” as a trio of ghostly bank robbers from the gangster era attempt to rob Mystery Inc.’s bank. But they quickly give themselves away as frauds, and the gang is able to easily trap them.

There’s a four-page interlude in which a displaced ghost tries to haunt the Mystery Machine. It’s a playful, juvenile story, suggesting it might be the winning entry in a kids’ contest. Some of the writing is awkward, and not what I would expect from a more seasoned writer.

The third entry is entitled, “UFO-No,” as the gang crashes a concert to solve the mystery of a jewel theft. It’s a cliché-ridden entry only a pre-teen could relate to, and some of the character designs seem a bit off-model. But I don’t mind that. I think the Scooby gang could use a bit of an update.

Three simple entries, all in color for slightly more than a dime. But while the rest of DC is focused on the upcoming 1,000th issue of Detective Comics, leaves us not ignore Scooby-Doo, which is a few issues away from hitting the 100 mark. And is celebrating his 50th anniversary as well.

Rating: 4/10