The Tell-Tale Heartburn

This needs a stretch. (Feel free to remove when satisfied of completion.) Needed: Synopsis.

The Tell-Tale Heartburn
Description
Publisher	DC Comics
Date published	February 2007
Part of	Scooby-Doo #117
# of pages	8
Writer	Scott Peterson
Penciler	Robert W. Pope
Inker	Scott McRae
Colorer	Heroic Age
Letterer	Mike Sellers
Editor	Michael Siglain
Chronology
Previous story	Ravenous
Next story	This Old Haunted House

The Tell-Tale Heartburn is a story in Scooby-Doo #117 by DC Comics.

Premise

The gang helps look for a stolen artificial heart.

Synopsis

Insert details here.

Characters

Main characters:

• Mystery Inc.
  • Scooby-Doo
  • Shaggy Rogers
  • Fred Jones
  • Daphne Blake
  • Velma Dinkley

Supporting characters:

• Allie ^{(only appearance)}

Villains:

• Lenore Raven ^{(only appearance)}

Other characters:

• Researchers ^{(only appearance)(no lines)}
• Police officers ^{(only appearance)(no lines)}

Locations

• Hospital
• Lenore and Allie's house

Objects

• Artificial heart

Vehicles

• Mystery Machine

Suspects

Suspect	Motive/reason
Allie	She was very nervous.

Culprits

Culprit	Motive/reason
Lenore Raven	To steal the artificial heart and sell it to the highest bidder.

Notes/trivia

• TBA

Cultural references

• The story is a parody of Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart.
• "Lenore" is a name from Poe's The Raven.

Coloring mistakes

• None known.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities

• None known.

Reception

The third story does relate a mystery, a genre incidentally ushered into literature by Poe. This story offers the readers suspects and mostly plays fair. The neat twist on "The Tell-Tell Heart" just about keeps the story in Mystery Inc. monster unmasking territory, and there just may be lesbian subtext in the tale to give it a little mature boost. Robert Pope and Scott McRae depict the characters marvelously and with outstanding style that nevertheless adheres to the models. The clear conveyance of the clues benefits the story immensely, and it's interesting that Peterson takes a Poe story that wasn't a mystery but cleverly turns the basis of its plot for a really solid modern day detective story.

Despite there being only one story that behaves like a bona fide mystery, this issue of Scooby Doo is a fantastic if confusing celebration of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe had nothing to do with Valentine's Day, and I question the decision to give the issue two themes instead of sticking with the stronger one.