The show opens with the Mystery Inc gang teamed with Batman and Robin to solve a riddle that's been ongoing since 1969 - who provides the costumes for all the evil janitors and fairground park owners they encounter? The answer amusingly cements Scooby-Doo and Batman continuities by bringing back a couple of decidedly non-classic Gotham baddies.

No wonder they've been so quiet over the years! The original Scooby Gang can't resist a spot of unmasking and things get very strange, very quickly. Cue 'Batman's biggest fan' Bat-Mite, the magical imp. There follows all sorts of genuinely funny nonsense, as writer Sholly Fisch masterfully balances self-awareness with a simple love of all things Bat and Great Dane.


Dario Brizuela's art is bright and breezy, with everyone the essence of their classic selves, and it's easy to imagine the action 'live' on screen. A world of colour is provided by Franco Riesco, with wonderfully well-chosen tones that make the world of Scooby-Doo and Batman terribly inviting. Saida Temofonte's lettering sits nicely atop the artwork, always adding to the fun feel.
Editors Kristy Quinn and Jessica Chen are running a brilliantly entertaining all-ages comic here, and it hope it runs forever.
There's a great episode of Mystery Inc where Scooby and the gang team up with the old Hanna-Barbera character Blue Falcon, who's written exactly like the Dark Knight Returns version of Batman. Which is probably why I did not make it very far into the animated version of DKR a few years later.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds strangely interesting, a-clip-hunting I will go.
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying the heck out of this series. Glad you're covering it!
ReplyDeleteOne correction (I think.) As I understand it, Scooby-Doo Team-Up isn't being released digital-first. The print issue and the first digital chapter hit at about the same time, and then the subsequent chapter is released. It's a different schedule DC is experimenting with, for whatever reason.
Rob
Thanks, I was wondering about that when I saw a physical copy was coming ... I should have followed through!
Delete