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Don't Play Dummy with Me is the first of two stories in Scooby-Doo #66, by DC Comics. It was followed by The Dragon's Eye Conclusion: Just Deserts.
Premise[]
A circus has its payroll stolen and a missing ventriloquist is blamed. But why did he leave his dummy behind?
Synopsis[]
Insert details here.
Characters[]
Main characters:
Supporting characters:
- Mertron (only appearance)
- Lon Strenousko (only appearance)
- Sal Lasparie (only appearance)(no lines)
Villains:
- Ralph McLooney (only appearance)
- Boris (only appearance)
Other characters:
- Two-headed woman (only appearance)
- Acrobat (only appearance)
- Clown (only appearance)
- Human cannon (only appearance)
- Bearded woman (only appearance)
Locations[]
- Circus
Objects[]
- TBA
Vehicles[]
Suspects[]
| Suspect | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Sal Lasparie | Disappeared nearly the same time as the money. |
| Mertron | Angry that he wasn't the number one attraction anymore. |
Culprits[]
| Culprit | Motive/reason |
|---|---|
| Ralph McLooney and Boris | To steal the payroll and split the money. |
Notes/trivia[]
- TBA
Reprints[]
- Scooby-Doo Annual 2010 (UK)
Coloring mistakes[]
- None known.
Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]
- None known.
Reception[]
The dummy or vent figure has a long history associated with horror, and why not? It's a ghoulish looking modern-day twist on the homunculus. The Dummy— an enemy of the Vigilante—was a villain who pretended to be one such floppy-legged demon. In Doctor Who the Doctor faces a creature named Mr. Sin who uses the dummy as his disguise and whose evil intelligence derives from the cerebral cortex of a pig. On Superman the Animated Series, the Toy Man wears a head in homage of the vile mannequin. The dummy has been featured as the nasty in The Twilight Zone and films such as Devil Doll. Alan Grant is the creator of Batman's most memorable pre-Crisis foes: one of them being Scarface who is the manifestation of the Ventriloquist's darker personality.
Normally in the genre, the plot is simple: evil ventriloquist's dummy takes over ventriloquist or ventriloquist is oblivious to the fact his dummy is a supernatural murderous swine. The last show to use the dummy in its plot was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Naturally, it wasn't what was expected. Following such an exalted example, Robbie Busch in Scooby-Doo puts his own twist on the traditional plot. It's a twist that can only work plausibly in a cartoon, and you may see the surprise coming, yet you must admire the ingenuity. Within the story, readers will also see another subversion of cliché. Women of stereotype tend to be frightened by furry little animals. Not Daphne or Velma. Indeed, they express concern for the little creature that is not only in a historical sense wonderful but also exemplifies their winning personalities.
Vincent DePorter is known for his inking, but this time he tackles the entirety and does so with aplomb. Mr. DePorter's style while suiting the animated books sharply contrasts his partner's work. Fans will see some DeCarlo in his faces, and take on the stars is more angular than the model but nevertheless a valid interpretation. There's an extreme clean-ness to the work that combined with his choice of design leads to an almost art-deco version of Scooby-Doo and the Gang.[1]
Quotes[]
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References[]
- ↑ Ray Tate in Line of Fire Reviews