Here we are with the final issue of the Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries! The story at hand focuses on Batman Beyond aka Terry McGinnis and seems to bring Mystery, Inc. to the future for an explosive final mystery. This series has led to plenty of ups and downs in quality so let’s get into it and find out if Ivan Cohen and Dario Brizuela can end the series on a high note!
As this is the last issue, I’m not going to bother building any suspense. They did a pretty good job. Getting right into some spoilers, I was a little disappointed that it turns out the time travel was all an illusion created by Hugo Strange, but it does lead to my favorite part of the comic. Strange’s motivation is figuring out Batman’s secret identity by tricking Mystery, Inc. into revealing it. It turns out they don’t know it (yet) but this whole issue acts as a kind of vehicle to tie up the continuing status quo regarding the gang’s affiliation with Batman. The final scene shows a bat-themed Mystery Inc. who work with Terry in the future and in addition to the plot revolving around the gang’s closeness to Batman, I think this issue does a great job of positioning them as important allies for Batman and as characters that are pretty heroic. Though this is a light-hearted, often silly comic it’s still gratifying to see the characters given a sort of respect and importance.
I’m going to miss this series. It’s such a nice diversion from the comics I usually review or read on my own time. It’s just simple in a nice way. There is no illusion about how impactful these stories are. They’re meant to be a fun diversion and they’re happy to be that. I think we all need that sometimes.
Brizuela’s art this month isn’t the best he’s produced for the series but it still retains the professionalism and consistency I expect from him. I do especially like his portrayal of the Royal Flush Gang though. He nails their look but also dials it in a bit to match the aesthetic of this comic and they end up looking great. On the other hand, I’m not so much into the way Terry’s bat mask is portrayed.
Everything about it is very round which is a direct contrast to the way it was originally designed. So, it starts to look a little too Spider-Man-like. This isn’t a big problem though and I’m mostly happy to see the character hanging out with the gang. Batman: the Animated Series may technically be the best Timmverse TV show but Beyond has always been my favorite.
Recommended if…
- Batman Beyond is one of your favorite characters (like me)
- You want Mystery Inc. to get the love and respect they deserve
- You want a Batman Beyond comic without Kyle Selina the Catboi
Overall
This has been one of the more interesting series I’ve reviewed. That’s partially because the quality has varied so much. We’ve been all the way from a score of 9 to a 1.5 throughout this series! That’s not something I experience very often and it has made it a fun journey. Thankfully, we’re finishing out the series with one of the stronger issues, which makes it all the more gratifying. This series may make a return for a third year but if it doesn’t, this is as enjoyable a conclusion as I could hope for. Recommended!
Score: 8/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
