The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #8 - DC Comics

THE BATMAN AND SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES No. 8, July 2023

Arguably containing some of the corniest and contrived subplots imaginable, even for a narrative partially based upon one of Hanna-Barbera’s most successful animated franchises, many a bibliophile may well have been put off by Sholly Fisch’s storyline for Issue Eight of “The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries". In fact, the comic’s opening featuring an utterly disagreeable Dark Knight and his second-rate Mystery Incorporated rip-offs is genuinely unappealing, particularly when it’s made crystal clear by the Caped Crusader that he no longer values the original “meddling kids” anymore; “No! This is our case, and we’ll handle it. Have a safe trip home.”

But for those readers who manage to clamber over this hurtful hurdle and dig deeper into the twenty-page periodical, the desire to discover just what on earth is going on in Gotham City to cause such a notable change in its cowled vigilante actually becomes enjoyably palpable.

Foremost of these ‘hooks’ is debatably just how unconvincing the thieving Bat Spirit is which is behind all the book’s supposedly spooky shenanigans. It seems reasonably clear straight from the start that ‘Batman’s most fearsome foe’ is an utter fraud, notably once the giant flying mammal starts waxing lyrical about “ridding the world of these pretender bats” and subsequently steals “Rube Bluth’s historic baseball bat!” However, the revelation that it’s actually “one of the greatest and deadliest assassins in the DC Universe” comes as a complete, jaw-droppingly genuine surprise, as does the cold-hearted criminal’s main mission to mercilessly murder Fred, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma and Scooby Doo if given half the chance.

Similarly as surreal are the American author’s Wraith Wranglers, who bear such a striking resemblance to the real Mystery Machine’s crew, that it’s difficult to take any of the “paranormal investigators who recently came to Gotham” seriously in any shape or form. Erich Owen’s pencils admittedly imbue the quintet with a modicum of interest, courtesy of some different hairstyles, clothing and skin colour swaps. Yet, it is the burning question as to just why Batman has teamed-up with the implausible party to fight the metropolis’ supernatural menace which remains at the forefront of the audience’s mind throughout, with Duke, Sensei, Specs, Bongo and Ranger’s origin never being explained until the publication’s very end.

Written by: Sholly Fisch, Drawn and Colored by: Erich Owen