Wat a Scare!

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

Wat a Scare! is a story in Scooby-Doo #85, by DC Comics.

Premise

The gang goes to Cambodia to visit an ancient city, but when they intend to cross the swamp, their guide turns away and claims that Meru the Crocodile God guards the ruins and will unleash his wrath upon visitors.

Synopsis

Insert details here.

Characters

Main characters:

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

Supporting characters:

• None

Villains:

• Meru (single appearance)(Yama's disguise)
• Yama (single appearance)

Other characters:

• None

Locations

• Cambodia, Angkor
  • Angkor Wat

Objects

• Endangered Cambodian orchids

Vehicles

• Hydrofoil

Suspects

Culprits

Notes/trivia

• TBA

Coloring mistakes

• None known.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities

• None known.

Reception

Two well-researched stories also double as two enjoyable cases for Mystery Inc. to solve in Scooby-Doo. Scooby-Doo offers quintessential examples in storycrafting.

In "What a Scare!" the Gang go to Cambodia to visit Angor Wat, an ancient city. When they intend to cross the swamp, their guide turns away and claims that Meru, the Crocodile God guards the ruins and will unleash his wrath upon visitors. Naturally, the Gang intend to debunk this myth. It's what they do.

Brian Swenlin directs scenes that build up the potential supernatural nature of the beast, and he times the comedy of Shaggy and Scooby within these scenes perfectly. Soon after, he unveils the clues that tell the reader and the Gang something fishy is going on with the Water Deity. The clues also hint at the motive behind the mystery.

Swenlin captures the Gang's dialogue and their universal appeal. I'm pleased that though these are the updated versions that Daphne still shouts out "This is so Groovy!" Daphne's interest in the subject fits her character as does the interest of Velma who adds the book knowledge to Daphne's discovery. Their interest also broadens their personalities. While both of these ladies love a mystery, they still can appreciate beauty, which pertains to the puzzle and involves a very real but often unpublicized crime.

Joe Staton not only renders his typical best look for Mystery Inc. He details a vivid setting with a neatly designed monster that provides much scaredy-cat gymnastics from Shaggy and Scooby.^[1]

Quotes

References