“Groovy Ghoulie”? Is that what Wolfie looks like in the daytime?
Scooby-Doo #16
DC Comics (November, 1998)
COLORIST: Paul Bectin
LETTERER: John Costanza
oddly, no editor credits
“Almost Live From Big Puce”
WRITERS: Joe & Hilarie Staton
PENCILER: Joe Staton
INKER: Scott McCae
“Guest Stars!”
WRITER: Chris Duffy
PENCILER: Manny Galan
INKER: Mike DeCarlo
I have to preface this week’s dive into Scooby-Doo by saying some very odd choices were made, and yet the comic is still pretty good. The first one finds the gang helping a band in not-Woodstock record an album at their famous studio when the ghost of a rival performer tries to chase them out. I don’t usually reveal how the villain does it, but in this case I have to. He’s using astral projection, which considering the DC version seems to be staying away from the actual supernatural elements that occasionally popped up feels like the writers just wanted to keep the reader guessing as to how he was pulling it off. Otherwise it’s a solid story, but where the colorist think the sun was? Taking from someone who is still trying to up his own shading game but the shading in most of the panels of this story just seemed to be slapping them everywhere.
And yet he’s also the colorist of the second story and outside of a panel or two I could point to does fairly well. This one has a different odd problem. While the mystery is strong it seems like the writer wanted to do a parody of The New Scooby-Doo Movies in a story where Daphne’s dad hires a publicist for the gang. His plan is to team them up with various (parodies of) celebrities but the gang soon realizes he’s really boosting the celebs’ image while he still has any left. The mystery part is better here but the concept doesn’t quite work as well as I’d like. A fun story, don’t get me wrong, but it just feels off.
Overall the comic is good. It’s just some strange decisions that make recommending it outside of completists and die-hard Scooby fans a bit difficult.
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