“The Show Must Go… Away”
Artist: Dario Brizuela
Color Artist: Franco Riesco
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Review by Lauren Fiske
We’re back, baby! It’s only been a couple months, but as I said in the final review of volume 2, I wasn’t sure this series would be coming back at all, but here we are! The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #3.1 makes a commanding start with the usual goofiness and hijinks but also some heart.
Read on to find out more, but beware of spoilers!
Spotlight
One of the biggest differences in this issue is the absence of Batman and the superb presence of Nightwing. I really didn’t know much about Dick Grayson before reading this issue, but this chapter does a great job of discussing his back story at length. The entire mystery takes place at a circus and is bookended with references to Dick’s origins.
The story wisely utilizes both sets of Nightwing’s skills from his days as a circus performer and his time as an amateur sleuth. While Mystery Inc. is present and helps set the trap for Deadman, Dick comes up with the plan and is the first to volunteer to take one of the performer’s places.
Fittingly, the most versatile member of Mystery Inc., Daphne, is also able to assist on the trapeze with Nightwing. Dick’s knowledge and talent are given a showcase in this issue and the various elements all come together really well for a circus mystery.
Getting to see more about another character from the Batman canon, like Dick, has been an extra cool experience for me. As established in previous reviews, I’m not very familiar with the Batman universe, but I’ve really been enjoying learning more and building up my nerdom. The emotional tag at the end of the issue even got to me despite my lack of knowledge (seriously, go read it with a tissue in hand).
Batman’s (almost) non-appearance isn’t a problem and I hope we get to see more of Dick Grayson in the future.
Conclusion
It’s so nice to have this series back. It’s been my favorite title to review and, so far, the third volume’s delivering on the usual fun. With such a solid start from The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #3.1, the rest of the volume will hopefully follow through and maintain the excellent quality of this issue.
I want to succinctly congratulate the creative team on the return of this series as well. Dario Brizuela and Franco Riesco’s work together is fantastic as always. I especially enjoyed the character Sando (IYKYK), even if he was just in the background. This was a good turnout for Sholly Fisch at the writer’s helm as well, but I specifically want to praise Saida Temofonte. The lettering for this issue looks great and really brings the action of the trapeze scenes to life. Temofonte’s work stands out much more than usual for this series and I look forward to seeing that continue in other issues.
If this volume follows the standard of its predecessors, there should be 11 more issues headed to readers everywhere. I, for one, am delightedly looking forward to more.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment