Fright Light One Candle is the first of two stories in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #28, by DC Comics. It was followed by the reprint, It's a Wonderful Fright.
Premise[]
A ghost is terrorizing a Chanukah celebration at Rabbi Mendel's synagogue.
Synopsis[]
Mystery Inc. visits Rabbi Mendel's synagogue to celebrate Chanukah, meeting the party planner, Nachum, as he teaches a child, Chana, how to play with a dreidel. However, as Mendel prepares to light the menorah, the ghost of Antiochus, the emperor in the Chanukah miracle story who tried to destroy the Holy Temple, appears and takes the oil and candles, preventing them from lighting the menorah.
Mystery Inc. searches the synagogue to find the place the oil and candles were hidden. Though the synagogue is too large to search thoroughly, they notice Hebrew letters on the doors and realize it is a clue. As the letters correspond to the letters on the dreidel, they deduce that the door with the gimel (ג) contained the oil and candles. They find the oil and candles, but the ghost appears. However, as Shaggy spills some oil on the floor, the ghost slips and his mask falls off.
The ghost is revealed to be Nachum, who worked with Rabbi Mendel. The ghost encounter was a planned activity in the Hanukkah celebration where the children invited to hunt for the oil and candles. With it, Mendel and the children light the candles.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
Villains:
- Rabbi Mendel (only appearance)(redeemed)
- Nachum (only appearance)(redeemed)
- Ghost of Antiochus (only appearance)(Nachum's disguise)
Other characters:
- Antiochus (only appearance)(no lines)(flashback only)(deceased)
- Maccabees (only appearance)(no lines)(flashback only)(deceased)
Locations[]
- United States
- Synagogue
- Israel
Objects[]
- Potato pancakes
- Jelly doughnuts
- Candles
Vehicles[]
- None
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Nachum | He left the room before the ghost appeared. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Nachum as the Ghost of Antiochus Rabbi Mendel |
It was part of the party. |
Notes/trivia[]
- The story's setting is not clear, but the reference of Rabbi Mendel to the "whole community" while talking to Fred at the begining, suggests that this story and the synagogue are located in Coolsville.
- This is the second Jewish themed story in DC's iteration after "The Truth".
Coloring mistakes[]
- None known.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- None known.