Scooby-Doo Team-Up #34 – Sholly Fisch, Writer; Dario Brizuela, Artist; Franco Riesco, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Corrina: ZINDA! ZINDA!
Ray: Scooby-Doo Team-Up, DC’s longest-running all-ages book, has always been at its best when writer Sholly Fisch (who I believe has written thirty-three of thirty-four issues) gets to show off his deep knowledge of DC history and characters. And in Scooby-Doo Team-Up #34 he gets to bring in one of the most popular DC teams of the last twenty years – the Birds of Prey. After a prelude where we get a cameo from Brother Power the Geek (not really a monster or ghost, just a weird hippie), Daphne and Velma get called away to assist on a case in Gotham. They take Scooby, because why not? The Birds of Prey – the core team of Batgirl, Black Canary, and Huntress – have been chasing down strange giant mythological birds attacking Gotham, and Black Canary’s previous team-up with the Mystery Machine gang put them on her radar.
I will admit, every time I see a version of the Birds of Prey that includes Batgirl and not Oracle, I get a little annoyed – the entire thing is Oracle’s brainchild and she’s in many ways the defining member. But we’ve been litigating that issue since 2011 and Fisch likely could only use Batgirl. His version of her is competent and smart, and I like her interaction with the rest of the Birds (including a surprise last-act cameo by Lady Blackhawk). The threat, while definitely still kid-friendly, is a bit more complex and menacing than previous issues – the three mystical birds (Roc, Thunderbird, Phoenix) pose a serious danger to Gotham, and the villain behind them is smarter than your average Hanna-Barbera villain. The absence of Shaggy makes this issue a bit more of a straight-forward adventure and less jokey, but that works here. I can see this issue being a great way to introduce young readers to the Birds.
Corrina: I had a blast reading this issue. Aside from Batgirl not being Oracle (which I suspect I will remain unhappy about for years), this was a terrific adventure for the familiar and classic Birds of Prey team.
Bonus: ZINDA! Lady Blackhawk has been MIA in the regular DC Universe for years now and I miss her and having her in this was icing on the cake.
All Birds of Prey fans should buy this.
Note: I still don’t like the belly window Huntress costume.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
