“Yesterday’s” Comic> Scooby-Doo #11 (DC)

No wonder this massage place gets such low reviews.

Scooby-Doo #11

DC Comics (June, 1998)

EDITOR: Bronwyn Taggart

“Hajj Dodger”

WRITER: Terrance Grief, Jr

PENCILER: Joe Staton

INKER: Andrew Pepoy

LETTERER: Ken Lopez

(oddly no colorist credited)

“Behavior Modification”

WRITER: Chris Duffy

PENCILER: Bill Alger

INKER: Bob Smith

COLORIST: Trisha Mulvihill

LETTERER: Phil Felix

In the main story a businessman is dealing with some unusual events and brings Mystery Inc in to help. The owner, Ahmad Simon, about to turn the business over to his protegé, who isn’t sure he’s ready to take over from Simon, while he goes on the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and plans to leave the company to fulfill his Muslim duties. While they’re there, the gang sees a ifrit (a Muslim version of a genie I guess) who tells him the company will fall if Simon steps foot in Mecca. As the gang uncovers the real culprit Simon learns that how he runs his company satisfies his requirements under Islam. (And this is before 9/11 so it’s not pro-Muslim propaganda from that period to fend off unnecessary attacks on Muslims who weren’t in favor of the attack.) This is actually a pretty good mystery and it’s too bad they decided to take time away from it to do the back up gag story.

Said story has Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby (oddly not the girls, though I guess they wouldn’t have fit into the story anyway) investigating a ghost at a science lab. However, the lead scientist, and the story itself, pretty much ignores all that to focus on the scientist’s failed attempts to cure Shaggy and Scooby’s cowardice. It’s not a bad story but not worth taking space away from making the main story better.

Overall, it’s a pretty good issue. Worth looking into but it’s a shame they keep thinking kids can’t handle a full comic length story.