The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1 – Sholly Fisch, Writer; Dario Brizuela, Artist; Franco Riesco, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This all-ages series by Sholly Fisch and other writers returns for a third volume, following up on the long-running Scooby-Doo Team-up, and while it might be geared towards younger readers, it’s always been impressive how many deep cuts it finds from DC continuity. This issue kicks off a new run by taking the action to Haly’s Circus, where the current trapeze artist nearly dies when a specter shows up in the middle of his performance—a specter who looks exactly like Deadman. Of course, Deadman isn’t visible to everyone and usually isn’t in the business of trying to kill people, so it kicks off our mystery. Is it a shady employee at the circus? A rival circus owner trying to scare the owner into selling? Or an actual vengeful spirit? It’s the perfect setup for a classic Mystery Machine case—and one that has the entire crew taking on roles in the circus to get closer to the truth.
The eventual reveal here is a little predictable—aren’t most Scooby-Doo reveals, at the end of the day?—but that’s not really the point here. There are a lot of great little details here, such as more than one unmasking at the end. Nightwing really plays the starring role here, returning to the site where his parents died to play a key role in solving the mystery. Despite the colorful all-ages vibes, Fisch isn’t afraid to delve into characters’ trauma, but he always has a great handle on character voices. Nightwing may be going through a dramatic storyarc, but Shaggy and Scooby are just having a great time except when clowns show up. I feel like as long as the creative teams keep drawing on the rich history of Gotham and beyond, there are an endless array of stories to be told, and this volume is back as an ongoing—which means we could be in for a run as long as the original.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
