Spooky Scooby Stories: Film Frights And Venice Sights In ‘Scooby-Doo’ #56
by Tony Thornley
Look, we’ve talked about all sorts of horror comics, but there’s two universal truths about horror. We all started somewhere, and sometimes horror is just a little too spooky for all of us. So to balance the fights and give little horror fans a start, we’re going to dive into the deep catalog of comics featuring everyone’s favorite mystery-solving, monster-hunting pup, Scooby-Doo, all through October!
Scooby-Doo has been appearing in comics continuously for decades. His comics are absolutely timeless all-ages stories for any Scooby fan- and frankly who isn’t? (If you’re not a fan of Scooby-Doo… seriously, what’s wrong?) Scooby-Doo #56 from 2002 is a great example of the versatility of the character.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the Warner Brothers Animation team changed things up a little bit. After decades of the Mystery Inc. gang unmasking fake ghouls and goblins, the franchise began to face ACTUAL monsters and ghosts. The lead story in this issue, from Chuck Dixon, Joe Staton, Mike DeCarlo, Paul Becton, Digital Chameleon, and Sergio Garcia, balance the classic Scooby unmasking with that dose of supernatural.
When Daphne wins the make-up case that once belonged to a black and white film star, the gang is pulled into a new mystery. It appears to be haunted by the ghost of its owner! But the case’s owner is still alive! What’s actually happening and how is it tied to Hollywood’s golden age?
At this point in the series’ history, each issue contained two stories, so they’re both brief and to the point. The lead story here feels full length though. The conflict is established quickly, the mystery moves at a quick pace, and the ghost leaves an unresolved point at the end that fits with the shift the franchise took. Staton’s art is perfectly on model, and he’s a fantastic storyteller.
Dan Abnett, Anthony Williams, Jeff Albrecht, Jenna Garcia, and Becton create the back-up story. It’s a very standard Scooby story, but set in Venice. It means lots of gelato jokes, versus the regular massive sandwiches you normally see with Scooby and Shaggy. It’s silly, has just enough frights for the kids, and nails the format in just a handful of pages.
These two stories are a hell of a lot of fun. They’re wonderful for kids and their parents. I was thrilled to see it was just as fun as what I remember.
