The universe has many constants. The sun will always rise in the morning, it will set at night, and every month, a new issue of The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries will release. This month sees the return of artist Dario Brizuela to the series, whose art featured in the first issue of the series I reviewed! Let’s see if this issue can hold a candle to that one.
Bad-man
This issue’s setup is pretty traditional but well executed. The Mystery gang are bored, so when an invitation for a sleuthing competition comes their way, they can’t wait to go. Things go a little awry when they are caught stealing by none other than Batman! Insisting on their innocence, they vow to catch the real culprit and clear their names. Not anything new, but as I’ve said many times, that isn’t what I expect from this series. Actually, this issue does do something that none of the others had as far as I can remember. It includes Ace the Bat-Hound! You’d think he would be a frequent character with this being a Scooby-Doo crossover and therefore pretty dog-centric comic but no, this is the only time he’s shown up!
Aside from Ace’s very minor cameo, this is pretty formulaic. I’ve come to terms with the fact that this series doesn’t feel like it will ever wow me. It does the most I can ask though. The story is tight, no real plot holes to speak of and everyone acts as they should. In a world where so many heroes are written very out of character, this is a welcome refresher. Speaking of characters, Cluemaster makes an appearance! He may be relatively well known, but it’s nice to see villains other than the main rogues be used. This series is a great way to introduce younger readers to a wider berth of characters.
To me, my Mystery Gang
I have a real soft spot for Brizuela’s art. It is very reminiscent of the art on toy packaging for kids. I think his work on the series would fit really well into a children’s anthology. His character designs and attention to detail don’t blow me away, don’t get me wrong, but they are just pleasant. Ace’s costume may have been a bit lacklustre in this issue, but given his limited appearance, I don’t mind it. All the new characters fit perfectly into the world of Scooby-Doo and don’t look out of place at all.
I think my biggest issue with the series as a whole is the fact that it’s ongoing. As I already mentioned, I think some stories would work better in an anthology. To have an a mystery span over a few issues would be nice, but the revolving creative team doesn’t allow for that. I think that it would be a better idea to have it as a graphic novel. DC have a lot of output for young adults and mature readers, having this as a bi-yearly graphic novel or even revolving the creative team less to have enough time for an arc or two would really help the series. Kids can follow stories over a couple of months, I’m sure they would enjoy it.
Recommended If…
Dario Brizuela’s art is something you find oddly nostalgic
You need to buy a present for a child
A little light-hearted mystery is in order
Overall
I’m someone getting a bit fatigued in this series. “Good enough” is fine, but not something that can be kept up indefinitely. I really think allowing some longer mysteries would really help and be great for young readers, easing them into reading big arcs as they get older. Other than my general feelings towards this series, this issue was one of the better ones. Not enough for it to be great, but definitely a solid entry.
Score: 7/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
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