Review: Scooby Doo, Where Are You? #86

DC Comics
Review: Scooby Doo, Where Are You? #86
By Philip Schweier
October 11, 2017 - 04:01

DC Comics
Writer(s): Ivan Cohen, Paul Kupperberg
Artist(s): Randy Elliott, Fabio Laguna
Colourist(s): Sylvana Bris, Heroic Age
Letterer(s): Saida Temofonte, Travis Lanham
Cover Artist(s): Derek Fridolfs, Sylvan Bris

This issue brings us two Velma-centric stories, which is not a terrible thing in general. It’s just that one of them was previously published within the past year, In Scooby-Doo #80. But here’s my justification: as a kid, I watched cartoon every Saturday morning, and the network animated programs had notoriously low production runs. Which means I saw the same episodes several times during the course of a single season.

The first story in this issue is the “Medical Mystery Tour,” as Velma is laid up in the hospital due to a bee sting. But even from her bed, she is able to help her team solve the mysteries before them.

The second story is “It’s a Mystery,” previously published in Scooby-Doo #80. The Scooby gang has planned a surprise party for birthday girl Velma, themed around solving a mystery from her favorite author. But instead, Velma encounters a genuine mystery to solve.

The bar is not set very high with all-ages books such as Scooby-Doo or Looney Tunes, and I’m fine with that. As long as the stories engage the reader (however old they may be), I would argue, “Mission accomplished.” But I appreciate it when the writer and/or artist make an effort to elevate the material however slightly above the 8-year-old reading level.

Rating: 4/10