The Ogre of O'Hare (story)

Stranded at the O'Hare Airport due to bad weather, and looking for their lost luggage, Mystery Inc. gets involved in a case that includes an apparent ogre, a missing snow leopard, and a pilotless jetliner that Shaggy and Scooby have to land by themselves.

Synopsis[]

After losing their luggage at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Mystery Inc. looks for the missing luggage office but instead ends up at the weather station. There they meet airport owner Mr. Bussel, air traffic controller Mr. Eckblad, and pilot Crash Kovalchek in a frenzied state. A snow leopard was flown on a cargo airplane from Nepal to participate in a repopulation program at the Brookfield Zoo, but it disappeared from its cage when the airplane landed. Before they could investigate the aircraft, they are attacked by an ogre, who chases them and forces them to split into two groups.

Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Bussel run into the cargo terminal, and the ogre chases Fred into a security scanner. Though Fred passes through the scanner, the ogre gets stuck in the conveyor belt, and the scanner reveals the culprit's face through his mask. Kovalchek was using the ogre disguise to scare potential witnesses away as he stole the leopard and flew away. Despite exposing him, Mystery Inc. is unable to apprehend Kovalchek, who boards an airplane to escape with the leopard.

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby, having snuck into the back of a meal truck, is transported into the cargo hold of an airplane. There, they find the leopard kept in a cage, but the airplane suddenly takes off, being controlled by Kovalchek after he escaped Mystery Inc.'s pursuit. Kovalchek reveals himself to Shaggy and Scooby, revealing he stole the leopard and intended to sell it to collectors. Suddenly, the autopilot malfunctions, causing the airplane to jostle and knocking out Kovalchek.

The other members of Mystery Inc., Bussel, and Eckblad return to the weather station and monitor the flight. They contact Shaggy and Scooby and instruct them to landing the aircraft, but the leopard breaks free from its cage. Though the airplane lands safely (albeit without landing gear), the leopard chases Shaggy, Scooby, and Kovalchek out of the airplane, back into the airport, and into the baggage claim. After passing through the conveyor belt, Kovalchek surrenders to authorities, the leopard is returned to captivity, and Mystery Inc. finds their missing luggage, containing Shaggy's leftover food.

Characters[]

Main characters:

Mystery Inc.

Supporting characters:

Mr. Bussel ^{(only appearance)}
Mr. Eckblad ^{(only appearance)}

Villains:

Crash Kovalchek ^{(only appearance)}
Ogre of O'Hare ^{(only appearance)}^{(Crash Kovalchek's disguise)}

Other characters:

White Fang ^{(only appearance)}^{(no lines)}
Police officers ^{(only appearance)}^{(no lines)}

Locations[]

United States
- Chicago
  - O'Hare Airport
    - Weather station
    - O'Hare Tower
  - Brookfield Zoo ^(mentioned)
- JFK International Airport ^(mentioned)
Nepal ^(mentioned)
- Kanhiroba Himal ^(mentioned)

Objects[]

X-ray machine
Barrel
Corn chips box
Cookie box

Vehicles[]

Brookfield Zoo pickup truck
Meal truck
Plane

Suspects[]

Suspect	Motive/reason
Crash Kovalchek	He was the only one on the plane when the snow leopard vanished.
Mr. Eckblad	He was on duty when the snow leopard vanished.

Culprits[]

Culprit	Motive/reason
Crash Kovalchek as the Ogre of O'Hare	To steal the rare snow leopard.

Full credits[]

The following credits try to match how they are displayed in the comic as much as possible:

Terrance Griep, Jr. - writer
Bob Smith - artist
John Costanza - letterer
Trisha Mulvihill - colorist
Bronwyn Taggart - editor

Notes/trivia[]

This story is unusual because the culprit is unmasked and revealed before the story's climax.

Miscellaneous[]

Disguises: None.
Traps: A conveyor-based metal detector used as an impromptu trap for the ogre.
Clues: The snow leopard.
Scooby Snacks bribe: 0.
"Ruh-roh" count: 0.
"Zoinks" count: 2.
"Jeepers" count: 0.
"Jinkies" count: 1.

Coloring mistakes[]

On page 2, panel 2, Shaggy has white hair.
When attacking Mystery Inc. at the cargo airplane, the Ogre of O'Hare has a white bell on the end of his hat. However, in the next scene in the cargo terminal, the ogre's bell is golden.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]

On the first page, Mr. Bussel's name is spelt "Bussell" on his nametag.