The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #4 - DC Comics

THE BATMAN AND SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES No. 4, March 2023

Whilst there’s understandably an almost childlike sense of fun with this comic’s scary shenanigans, as well as a number of opportunities to wrong-foot its audience, Amanda Deibert’s narrative for Issue Four of “The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries” probably struck many a bibliophile as being a little too contrived for their liking. Indeed, this twenty-page periodical’s plot is absolutely packed full of manufactured moments, ranging from the Dark Knight inexplicably appearing at an old-age pensioner’s home in Beach City just as the dear old lady is about to fatally fall down the stairs, through to him suddenly capturing a heavily-disguised Catwoman simply because “no one else could crack the code” to Bruce Wayne’s safe.

Furthermore, the story never explains just how the felonious fortune teller Madame Clare Voyante is able to make her ghostly three-dimensional projections suddenly grasp hold of a rope pulley so as to ensnare the various members of Mystery Incorporated during this book’s finale. The intangibility of the long dead loved ones’ holograms is established straight from the publication’s start and is actually one of the main causes of Missus Richards’ terrifying trip down her bedroom steps. Yet later on, when in the guise of poor Velma Dinkley’s giant pet goldfish, the green-hued light show is both affectionately patted on the head by the turtle-neck sweater-wearing teenager and later depicted tugging away at one of Fred Jones’ infamous traps.

For those readers able to overlook these quibbles though, there are still plenty of laugh-out-loud opportunities to be had with “Goldfish”, predominantly in the form of Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo running around like scared, headless chickens. In fact, one of this comic’s funniest moments debatably comes when the ‘dynamic duo’ are seriously spooked by the spirit of “legendary surfer Kamalii Akana” whilst secretly tucking into a great pile of hot dog snacks; “Like, this is a great idea, Scoob. No one can see us back here.”

Definitely helping to give this book the look and feel of a “Hanna-Barbera Productions” cartoon from the Seventies are Scott Jeralds’ drawings. The “thirty plus year animation industry veteran” does a good job pencilling this publication’s quite considerably sized cast, with a splash-page set inside the clairvoyant’s tent proving especially eye-catching, courtesy of some heavy shadows by colorist Carrie Strachan.

Written by: Amanda Deibert, Drawn by: Scott Jeralds, and Colored by: Carrie Strachan