The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries [2024] #3 - DC Comics

THE BATMAN AND SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES No. 3, May 2024

For those Bat-fans who enjoy seeing the Dark Knight team up with the ever-seductive Catwoman and explore the duo’s complicated love–hate relationship, Ivan Cohen’s script for “Shiny” certainly should have been quite the hit. True, Selina Kyle’s anti-heroic alter-ego is once again “blamed for another string of robberies in Gotham” which she did not commit. But this fairly familiar plot still allows the “media-development executive at DC Comics” to pen a few surprises to catch his audience off-guard - most notably the true identity of the book’s lead antagonist stemming way back to the mid-Eighties and John Byrne’s run on “The Man Of Steel”.

Sadly however, the former editor doesn’t do quite as well writing for Mystery Incorporated. Disappointingly both Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo are practically non-existent. Whilst Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley are incredibly irritating as they repeatedly question the Caped Crusader’s decision-making when it comes to the cat burglar's motivations. Indeed, the two female amateur investigators arguably come across as a right arrogant pair of holier-than-thou do-gooders, who apparently know far more about criminal catching than the Justice Leaguer ever will; “No offense, Batman.”

Commissioner Gordon also appears to fall under the two teenagers’ implausible spell far too willingly, unconvincingly preferring to believe them over the Dark Knight when it comes to Catwoman’s innocence and even relying upon the ‘meddling kids’ to keep Kyle incarcerated overnight rather than ‘one of the greatest comic book superheroes ever created.’ This contrivance genuinely grates upon the senses considering the trust which has built up between the two men since Batman first saved the police officer’s city single-handedly, and subsequently sits rather uncomfortably in the subconscious as the storytelling unsatisfactorily progresses.

Delightfully, what this twenty-page publication lacks in credible drama, it somewhat makes up for with the wonderful layouts of Dario Brizuela. In fact, the Argentinian illustrator’s ability to seamlessly combine aspects of the classic “Hanna-Barbera” cartoons and the “Batman: The Animated Series” together, alongside his own take on the Caped Crusader, debatably makes Issue Three of “The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries” worth the cover price alone. Furthermore, his pencilling of the Penguin is so spot on that many a bibliophile will find it impossible not to hear actor Paul Williams’ voice reading out Oswald Cobblepot’s dialogue.

Written by: Ivan Cohen, Art by: Dario Brizuela, and Color by: Franco Riesco

DC's Terrors Through Time #1 [Part Two] - DC Comics

DC'S TERROR THROUGH TIME No. 1, December 2022

Supposedly depicting “the story of the Gotham City Sirens’ first sorta true meet-up”, Peter V. Nguyen’s "The Pueo Promise" possibly pleased some within this anthology’s audience with its abundance of “Scooby-Doo” flavoured antics and girl-powered high jinks. But considering that the Honolulu-born writer pens a story featuring the “fourth pillar” in “DC Comics” publishing line there arguably isn’t much for Harley Quinn to do except scowl from the side-lines whilst both Poison Ivy and Selina Kyle take the lion’s share of the tale’s limelight; “Pamela, wake up! We need you in this fight -- Catwoman won’t last long out there…”

Furthermore, due in part to the author’s lavish art style, many a bibliophile would debatably have been utterly bemused as to what is actually going on within this yarn’s narrative, especially towards the end of the adventure when there’s the distinct suggestion the three anti-heroines are battling an army of undead ‘somethings’ who are all under the thrall of some Greek-looking deity. Such a scenario probably made a lot of sense to Nguyen considering his background in Hawaiian folklore. But for those unfamiliar with the Owl Prince and just how the god somehow conjures up ghosts from one moment to the next, the premise of Kyle subsequently having to relocate “roughly two million cats” to Gotham City in order to save the day is a real head scratcher.

Similarly as bizarre, though much more followable, is “Half-Life” by Zac Thompson, which follows the exploits of two survivors eking out a living in a post-apocalyptic Washington Exclusion Zone. Wary of eating radioactive berries, the pair inadvertently wander into the lair of a truly-mutated Chimera and are only saved from a gruesome death by the Swamp Thing bravely allowing himself to be eaten instead.

Pencilled by Andy McDonald, this ten-pager’s artwork definitely provides the futuristic fable with some pulse-pounding pace, as the multi-headed crocodilian crashes through a man-made shelter in its eagerness to consume human flesh, and subsequently slices Alec Holland’s alter-ego to pieces using the aeroplane rotor engine it inexplicably has lodged in its chest. The design of so grotesque a creature really is highly memorable, so it’s something of a shame that the grisly brute is finally only laid low by getting old, and having its mechanical maw defeated by one too many entangling vines.

The regular cover art to "DC'S TERRORS THROUGH TIME" #1 by John McCrea & Mike Spicer

Harley Quinn #8 - DC Comics

HARLEY QUINN No. 8, December 2021

Considering that this twenty-two page periodical plunges its audience smack bang in the middle of “DC Comics” crossover storyline “Fear State” without any warning or explanation, it is arguably hard to understand just how Issue Eight of “Harley Quinn” managed to sell over three thousand more copies than it did the month before. Sure, die-hard fans Of the Dark Knight were always going to turn out in force to collect as many Bat-titles as possible concerning the Scarecrow’s “plan to control Gotham City through the power of fear”. But for those readers solely settling upon the adventures of “Harls”, much of this publication’s plot debatably doesn’t make much sense.

Of course, that isn’t to say that one-third of the way through this comic Stephanie Phillips doesn’t attempt to bring the book’s audience somewhat up to speed with what has taken place since the end of this ongoing series’ previous edition. However, this double splash-page flashback sequence spends half of its time focused upon Quinzel’s childhood and early romance with Pamela Isley in a heavy-handed attempt to be humorous, rather than explaining how the titular character ended up canoodling with a clone of Poison Ivy at the Grove Street Terminal, in Alleytown, alongside Catwoman, Gardener, and the criminal super-team - the Caucus of Corruption.

Fortunately, what this magazine lacks in continuity with its predecessor, it possibly makes up for with an intriguing sub-thread featuring Kevin as a have-a-go hero back in Gotham City. The rotund side-kick, donned in a conspicuously pink costume does his very best to defend a supposedly helpless unarmed woman, when she is attacked by a gang of the Magistrate’s heavily-armoured officers, and it's a shame the duo’s subsequent journey towards the increasingly damaged S.A.F.E. Tower doesn’t feature more heavily in this book; “Whoa… What is it they say about bringing hockey sticks to a gun fi--?”

Happily, this comic also contains some superb artwork by Riley Rossmo. The Canadian artist really nails Kevin’s evident awkwardness at being a vigilante with a heart of gold, who clearly just wants to stand up against injustice despite his excessive bulk and self-disbelief.  In addition, the instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design also does a stellar job in pencilling both the mysterious Sam’s kick-ass fighting technique, as well as capturing the sheer insanity of Professor Hugo Strange when he openly admits to Lockwood that he’s the one destroying his own high-rise hospital.

Writer: Stephanie Phillips, Artist: Riley Rossmo, and Colors: Ivan Plascencia

Harley Quinn #6 - DC Comics

HARLEY QUINN No. 6, October 2021

Featuring a somewhat run-of-the-mill storyline concerning the titular character successfully stopping Professor Strange’s importation of illicit drugs from Alleytown into the Secure And Fearless Engagement (S.A.F.E.) program, as well as the artwork of ‘guest’ contributor Laura Braga, it is perhaps easy to see just why Issue Six of “Harley Quinn” saw a disappointing drop in sales of some 4,000 copies during August 2021. Sure, Stephanie Phillips pens some truly exhilarating fight-scenes for Catwoman with which to showcase Selina Kyle’s formidable fighting skills, but so straightforward are the threats facing this publication’s pair of anti-heroes that it’s debatably hard to shake off the feeling that this particular comic is simply a ‘holding statement’ before the American author’s larger narrative resumes anew with the next instalment. Indeed, the actual ‘raid’ upon Hugo’s secret warehouse is surprisingly over before it has really started, due to Bill Finger’s whip-wielding co-creation almost single-handedly taking down the building’s balaclava-wearing malcontents within the space of just of a few panels; “There’s at least fifteen guys with guns down there… You can’t just expect to fight them all without some kind of distraction or --” 

Instead, what “Cat & Quinn” offers its readers is a disconcertingly discouraging tale involving an utterly inept Harleen Frances Quinzel, who would seemingly have been killed by a contingent of the Magistrate’s paramilitary super-soldiers in the East End at the very beginning of this book, if not for the timely arrival of Catwoman. Dull-witted, clumsy, and seemingly incapable of viewing the behaviour of her team-mate as anything other than some sort of sexual advance, the supposedly star-struck Gotham City Siren is arguably unrecognisable from the fast-thinking “trained psychiatrist” this ongoing series has previously portrayed her as, and sadly is given little to do apart from annoyingly wax lyrical as to how great she thinks Kyle’s black cat-suited alter-ego is.

Unnervingly adding to this twenty-two page periodical’s soporific storytelling are Braga’s aforementioned illustrations, which whilst being prodigiously pencilled, as well as eye-catchingly coloured by Arif Prianto, somewhat jar in their serious-looking aesthetic with Phillips’ rather blatant tongue-in-cheek adventure. The Italian can undoubtedly draw some truly superb high-octane action sequences, most notably that of Selina dispatching a number of Strange’s goons with a flurry of kicks and backflips during the book’s later stages. However, this style doesn’t debatably transfer over so well to those scenes in which a spellbound Quinn gets all ‘gooey’ over working alongside Imagine Games Network's eleventh 'Comic Book villain of All Time'.

Writer: Stephanie Phillips, Artist: Laura Braga, and Colors: Arif Prianto

Catwoman Annual #1 - DC Comics

CATWOMAN ANNUAL No. 1, July 2019

Any fans of Selina Kyle’s alter-ego who hoped this super-sized thirty-eight page periodical’s pulse-pounding cover was just a taster of the excitement to come within the comic’s narrative, must arguably have been bitterly disappointed by “Joelle Jones’ first Catwoman Annual” and it’s disconcerting over-reliance to tell a truly dreary murder investigation “through a variety of points of view.” Indeed, apart from an all-too brief confrontation between the titular character and the Immortal Man, absolutely nothing occurs whatsoever which even vaguely attains the adrenaline-racing illustration of the jewel thief, resplendent in her Michelle Pfeiffer cinematic costume, stretched out across the bonnet of a fast-moving police patrol car as it hurtles down the road at break neck speed with its emergency lights flashing.

Instead, this ponderous tome contains an unconvincingly contrived concoction of “conflicting stories” which would have its readers believe the female burglar would simply bring back a partially-dead drug addict to her private flat so as to help the young woman go ‘cold turkey’ and then inexplicably train Chesa’s unwelcome friends to steal for themselves simply so they can all ‘stick it to the man’? Such motivation debatably makes little sense whatsoever, especially when the likes of the truly detestable Amanda Burress are initially caught by Kyle trashing her lodgings, breaking her ornaments, wearing her jewellery and drinking her champagne; “A lot of people worked very hard to get all these things. People that always did what they were told. People that worked a job, made good investments, just so they could have these things.”

Lamentably however, this publication's plot only gets worse once the thieving fiends decide to strike out on their own and steal a valuable antique spear from a seemingly insecure mansion with “outdated security”. This building unfortunately turns out to be the home of Klarn, a caveman who has lived for fifty thousand years, and who just happens to be inconveniently sitting deep in the shadows of his living room when the hapless intruders enter. Three broken wind-pipes and a mystifyingly surreal suicide pact frame-up later, and Catwoman is suddenly being hunted for their murders by the Villa Hermosa Police Department.!?!

Sadly, Jamie S. Rich’s decision to utilise the talents of a number of different artists only seems to add to this storyline’s sheer sense of befuddlement, with Elena Casagrande’s pages in particular proving a real disappointment. In fact, only Scott Godlewski’s clean-lined sketches seem to really imbue Selina with any of the dangerously lithe grace associated with her nefarious nocturnal activities, and even this prodigious pencilling is put to the test by Jones’ decision to have Superman make a bizarrely artifical cameo at the publication’s very end…

Story: Joelle Jones, and Artists: Elena Casagrande, Hugo Petrus and Scott Godlewski