Zatara has been kidnapped. Again. The first time saw his daughter, Zatanna, seek help from members of the Justice League of America. This time, with the League offworld, she turns to the members of Mystery Inc and a plan is formed.
There follows a splendidly amusing tour of the magical corners of the DC Universe, taking in villains and heroes alike, but while plenty of people have also had things go missing, no one knows where the Golden Age magician is.
Regular writer Sholly Fisch and artist Dario Brizuela are two of my favourite talents in comics. Issue after issue they produce terrifically plotted. amusingly scripted and great-looking stories blending Scooby, Shaggy and co into guest continuities. While the tone is super-whimsical, events referenced are always spot on. This time we're deep in the DC Universe, playing with 80 years of comics history and it was a treat to come across a couple of characters I've never heard of - here's one of 'em!
Zee is a great guest star, with her fun backwards magic, while the cliffhanger in this digital edition - the whole story drops in print in the now monthly Scooby-Doo #19 on 26 October - features a great Golden Age villain.
Buy this digitally, buy this in print, just buy this - if Christmas were a comic, this would be it.
We've talked about this before, but it can't be said enough that Sholly Fisch is such a great writer and really should get more titles (and ones in DC continuity). These are always such treats, so packed full of clever in-jokes for long time comic fans like me but also fun for young people like my kid. Thanks for the review Mart!
ReplyDeleteIt's brilliant to hear your young 'un enjoys the comics too. What a good parent you are!
DeleteAnd I hope Sholly knows how much we appreciate him!
Not gonna read this review till I get my paper copy of the story -- but I'm looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteWith luck, the conclusion will drop digitally this week!
DeleteI love this book so much. Fisch is an absolute master of finding commonalities with the Scooby gang and the heroes and villains they encounter -- everything from Daphne & Poison Ivy's similar hairstyles, to the constant utility of pulling off a mask.
ReplyDeleteI so want to know more about Sholly Fisch. I thought he was going to be a main DCU presence when he started doing Action back-ups, but sadly not. He's probably busy enough elsewhere, darn.
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