One of the great things about comic books is that they’re educational, teaching voracious readers such useful words as ‘invulnerable’, ‘telekinesis’, ‘excelsior’, ‘tatterdemalion’ and, if you’re reading Hitman at far too young an age, ‘defenestrate’. And in this latest issue of the series teaming the Gotham Goliath with Crystal Cove’s greatest teen detectives, I learned that a word I already know has a meaning I didn’t.
Well there you go, sometimes a gargoyle is a grotesque.
Velma and Batman want everyone on the same page because Gotham is seeing a plague of people turning into garg… grotesques.
Jinkies!
Longtime Scooby-Doo writer Sholly Fisch comes up with the perfect plot to meld the worlds of Scooby-Doo and Batman. Again. Mystery Incorporated have been invited to town by the mayor, they assume it’s because he has a mystery to solve, and insta-grotesques would certainly qualify. Not quite. The flying freakery is something separate, and we don’t learn why the presence of Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and Freddie is requested until the end of the issue, and it is just perfect.
Before that we see our heroes use their crimefighting skills to work out just who is behind the mysterious goings on. Fisch, being as fair as he is clever, gives readers a brilliant clue as to which Batman villain is causing chaos on, and above, the streets. I’m proud to say I worked it out before Mystery Inc… I suspect I’ve read more Batman comics. As well as the fair play mystery there’s action aplenty and gags galore.
Drawing the issue is Megan Huang, an artist I’ve not seen on Scooby-Doo comics previously. Mostly everyone is on model; when they aren’t it’s because she’s having a crack at something other than the stock poses, a different dynamism, and that’s commendable. I hope she gets more assignments on this book so we can watch her take on the DC-meets-HB world become more confident. For now, Huang shows good storytelling sense, and gives us a Harvey Bullock who looks like a classic Hanna-Barbera authority figure. And dig that Batman 66 car!
Huang also colours her work, hewing closely to the classic Scooby and Batman vibe. Regular letterer Saida Temofonte adds to the drama and fun, while Huang’s cover is an instant classic.
I’ve not found many DC books I fancied this week, but this one I couldn’t pass up, and I’m delighted I took the plunge. You should too.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 