Scooby-Doo Team-Up #37
DC Comics (June, 2018; as posted to comiXology, or Kindle Comics or whatever it is now)
“Nasty Tricks”
WRITER: Sholly Fisch
ARTIST: Dario Brizuella
COLORIST: Franco Riesco
LETTERER: Saida Temfonte
EDITOR: Kristy Quinn
Supergirl has a mystery so confusing that she has to tell the gang her secret identity so they can help. Ghosts from Argo City have started appearing around her. In the confusion of the latest haunting, Scooby stumbles upon Streaky’s “X-Kryptonite”, a failed experiment by Kara to counteract Kryptonite, that now gives non-Kryptonians superpowers. The fake hauntings (because of course they are, what series is this?) are by Nasthalthia Luthor, trying to prove that Linda Lee is Supergirl. With a little help from the super-powered pets they manage to trick “Nasty” and chase her off just as the powers wear off. Supergirl decides to let Streaky keep his powers but these fake ghosts of her parents made her miss her real birth parents…but they’re able to watch over her.
What they got right: There’s some actual mystery-solving with clues and everything for the reader. Not a strong one but when it comes to DC’s Scooby I’ll take it. I really like Supergirl and her family drawn in this style. Seeing Scooby get to have superpowers was fun and he shows a bit of cleverness in foiling Nasthalthia’s plans.
What they got wrong: I like happy endings and all but having Linda’s parents still alive in some kind of phantom state (not necessarily the Phantom Zone) just feels like trying too hard. At least her Earth parents are a loving family and I think they’d get along. I admittedly don’t know Streaky’s origin and this is the first time I’ve heard of any Luthor relative besides Lena so maybe Nasthalthia is from Supergirl’s books but if so…that’s the name you went with for Lex’s cousin? Oh yeah, cousin versus cousin…I get it.
What I think overall: This is more like the Supergirl and I know and had a crush one when I was young enough to crush on a fictional teenager. It was a rather good story and as close to an actual mystery as Scooby-Doo is allowed to be from DC. I wish there were more like that and stronger mysteries but overall I enjoyed this one.