Scooby-Doo Team-Up #49 – Sholly Fisch, Writer; Dario Brizuela, Artist; Franco Riesco, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: It’s been a fun run for what’s now one of DC’s longest-running title, as Sholly Fisch (with art on most issues by regular collaborator Dario Brizuela) has sent the Mystery Machine crew around the DC and Hanna-Barbera worlds to hilarious effect.
Scooby Doo Team-Up #49 is the penultimate issue, so the team spends it solving a mystery for one of the weirdest heroes in the DCU – Metamorpho the Element Man. The story takes place at Stagg Industries and features the whole cast of characters from Rex Mason’s bizarre world – maybe too many, as not everyone here really fits in an all-ages book. The corrupt Simon Stagg has had his business haunted by a giant monster that seems to have the same powers as Metamorpho, and there’s no shortage of suspects. Java is envious of Metamorpho’s romance with Sapphire and may want to frame him, while Simon fired a bunch of scientists who might be out for revenge.
Things take a weird turn with the addition of Element Girl, a vaguely insane stalker of Rex Mason who duplicated his powers and believes she’s meant to be with him. The subject matter is a little darker than in most issues of this series, with several characters being obsessed with others romantically and Simon Stagg’s cruelty rarely played for laughs.
There are real villains here, and the powerful monster is a lot more dangerous than most fake ghosts. The actual villain reveals himself semi-randomly, but the story has a few more twists and turns after that. I don’t think it’s the most inventive issue of the series, but visually it has some fun surprises and a genuinely impressive monster. For those who are loving The Terrifics and wanting to get younger readers into these characters, this is a suitable tribute. It’s a shame that this series only has one issue to go.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
