Written by Sholly Finch
Art by Dario Brizuela; Franco Riesco; Saida Temofonte; & Deron Bennett; and Heroic Age
Cover Art by Dario Brizuela
SUMMARY:
Released in 2015 by DC Comics, this 126-page paperback reprints the first six issues of Scooby-Doo Team-Up from 2014. Consider it a comic book mash-up of two 1970’s Hanna-Barbera cartoon TV series: The New Scooby-Doo Movies and The Super-Friends.
Starting with three consecutive Bat-capers, Mystery Inc. reunites with the Dynamic Duo. The Scooby gang first helps the Caped Crusaders thwart four Man-Bats at a shopping mall, but only one of them can be the real deal. The sequel has Mystery Inc. in Gotham City as Batman & Robin’s guests for a gathering with other DC Comics detectives. It’s soon up to two caped canine crusaders (Ace the Bat-Hound & Scooby) to pursue Scarecrow & his crew. Batting third in the line-up is a spoofy tale of Bat-Mite & Scooby-Mite egging each other on as to whose idol is superior: Batman or Scooby?
The fourth story is a crossover with Teen Titans Go! (Robin, Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, & Cyborg), as Mystery Inc. investigates a ghostly mystery at Titans Tower. Refusing to leave, one of Raven’s unwanted relatives ups the ante in this sitcom. On Themyscira (Paradise Island), guests Daphne & Velma undergo Wonder Woman’s Amazon training while the gang tackles a case re: disappearing monsters. At the Hall of Justice, Mystery Inc. & the Justice League (Aquaman, Batman & Robin, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, & Aquaman) are confronted by foes with some old scores to settle from Challenge of the Super-Friends.
REVIEW:
Loaded with in-jokes, this book is a delightful diversion for readers who adore the concept of Scooby + DC Super-Heroes. The Scooby gang’s Man-Bat case is nicely done. An amusing in-joke pays homage to the incessant team-ups that both Mystery Inc. and Batman are prone to. Their Bat-Hound caper is even better, as writer Sholly Finch cleverly ‘translates’ Scooby & Bat-Hound’s dialogue from barking. This book’s worst, however, by far is the Bat-Mite groaner. It’s a matter of how a little Bat-Mite really goes a long way. There’s few chuckles, as the dubious Bat-Mite/Scooby-Mite concept wears out any welcome fast with older readers.
Fans of Teen Titans Go! should be amused seeing the Scooby gang mingle with the cartoony Titans (including a nice gag re: how different this version of Robin is to the one they’ve already met). If one plays along with the eye-rolling Daphne & Velma-in Amazon-training premise, the Wonder Woman tale holds up well. A LOL gag is Scooby’s warbling of Lynda Carter’s TV series theme. The story itself is nicely written, as it should be potentially appealing to boys, too. In part due to its Wendy & Marvin and The Wonder Twins references, the Super-Friends appearance is comic book magic. Still faithful to Hanna-Barbera’s minimal violence policy, it’s cool nostalgia pitting the Super-Friends vs. the Legion of Doom
Consistently well-played by writer Sholly Finch (who has an impressive knack of cartoon history) and a capable art squad, Scooby-Doo! Team-Up, Vol. 1 is a gem worthy of discovery. As a recommendation, this one is absolutely kid-friendly for youngsters who dig super-heroes and Scooby.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The covers are included.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
