Mystery Incorporated

While I’ve been recovering from surgery for my prostate cancer, I took time to watch the entirety of the 2010-2013 series, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. As the series starts out, it appears to be a fairly straightforward follow-up to the 1969 original series. Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers are a group of teens who solve mysteries alongside their talking dog, Scooby-Doo. Those mysteries usually take the form of a haunting or a paranormal occurrence, which then turns out to be a cover for a villain in a costume committing crimes. At first glance, the show is mostly marked by slightly updated character designs, plus more backstory. We get to know their hometown of Crystal Cove. We meet their parents and a few of their classmates and teachers. We also open with a hint of a continuous narrative. An anonymous stranger who calls himself “Mister E” sends the gang notes, cluing them in on things to investigate.

The show is clearly set after the classic 1969 series. Velma’s mom runs a museum of Crystal Cove’s haunted attractions and we see many of the classic monsters from the original series on display. What’s more, the city itself has begun to cash in on its reputation as a haunted place. Fred’s dad is the mayor and he doesn’t always appreciate his son unmasking ghosts and monsters, removing a potential source of tourist revenue. The original series routinely showed the gang speaking to a sheriff or a deputy. Now we get to know Crystal Cove’s Sheriff Bronson Stone, voiced by none other than Patrick Warburton, who I met earlier this year at El Paso Comic Con. Mathew Lillard, who played Shaggy in the live action films reprises his part. Velma and Daphne are played by Mindy Cohn and Grey DeLisle respectively. Fred and Scooby-Doo are played by Frank Welker, who was also the original Fred back in 1969.

The ongoing narrative starts out largely by focusing on the interpersonal relationships of the gang. Daphne is clearly smitten by Fred, who is more interested in traps than anything else. Shaggy and Velma are a couple, but Shaggy has a hard time living up to Velma’s expectations and Scooby is extremely jealous. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that Mister E is leading Scooby and the gang on a quest for pieces of a long-lost artifact called the Planispheric Disc. Along the way, they learn they aren’t the first mystery solving group of young people in Crystal Cove. There was a similar group from around their parents’ generation who had a very articulate parrot named Mr. Pericles, voiced brilliantly by German actor Udo Kier. As someone who took lots of German in high school and college, it was great to hear some scenes where the character ad libs some very articulate German dialogue.

While hunting for the pieces of the Planispheric Disc, the gang discovers that a Spanish treasure galleon had run aground off Crystal Cove’s shores back in California’s colonial period. It seems that the Planispheric Disc is connected to that treasure. However, the gang also learns that truly dark and ancient forces might be involved. As this quest unfolds, they meet a character who is an homage to H.P. Lovecraft and they even meet science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, who voiced himself before he passed away in 2018.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated presents an extremely satisfying long form story arc that unfolds over 52 episodes. Unfortunately, the writers did have a tendency to latch on to some tropes like a pit bull, such as some of the romance tropes at the beginning of the series. Also, the characters teeter on the edge of being so one-note for the sake of humor at times that they almost lost me. Examples include Sheriff Bronson Stone’s buffoonery and Fred’s single-minded obsession with traps. Still, the humor works more often than it annoys me and as the series reached it’s conclusion, I better understood why they pursued the romance tropes they did. If you’re a Scooby-Doo fan or even if you would like a lighthearted take on the Lovecraftian horror genre, it’s worth checking out Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.

I explore Lovecratian ideas, including scary creatures from other worlds in my Scarlet Order Vampire series. In fact, Fred Cleaver of The Denver Post compared my vampires favorably with the Scooby Gang. The Scarlet Order Vampire Daniel makes an appearance at Queen Titania’s Court today over at Deby Frederick’s blog, Wymflight: https://wyrmflight.wordpress.com/2024/06/25/ordeal-of-the-scarlet-order-queen-titanias-court/ Drop by, learn more about the series and read a short interview with me and Daniel. What’s more my very first publication was in a magazine that also featured a story by Harlan Ellison. My story from that magazine exists in standalone form. You can learn more here: http://davidleesummers.com/slayers.html

Phoenix Fan Fusion 2024

Next weekend, I’m excited to return to Phoenix Fan Fusion in Arizona, which will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center from Friday, May 24 through Sunday, May 26. Phoenix Fan Fusion is a multi-genre pop-culture convention featuring actors, artists, authors, Among the actor guests are Dick Van Dyke, Alan Tudyk who played Wash on Firefly, Gina Torres who played Zoe on Firefly, Shamiek Moore who voices Miles Morales in the Spiderverse movies, and Grey DeLisle who has voiced Daphne in Scooby-Doo. Among the authors who will be at the convention are Michael Stackpole author of numerous Star Wars novels, David Mack author of numerous Star Trek novels, and Robin Hobb best known for her Realm of the Elderlings series. You can get more information about the convention at https://www.phoenixfanfusion.com/

I will be joining the Artisans of Words and Wonder at tables B914-B923. I will have copies of all my novels and novellas, my comic book, and several of my recent anthologies.

Sales at our group of tales will be handled by Duncan Books & More, which is a bookstore that sells new signed books as well as used books. Owners Duncan and Andrea Rittschof also run Bookworm Arts, creating whimsical and fun critters, and Rhea Designs creating bold and colorful designs in beads and watercolors offering both bookmarks and jewelry.

Also with us are the following authors:

Terry L. Smith, who calls Phoenix, Arizona home between bouts of wanderlust. Even a stint in the U.S. Air Force, training pilots in enemy radar detection brought her back to the desert. Besides learning to dodge rattlesnakes and bombs, her time in the service taught her to appreciate the military culture and ever-changing technologies. Those experiences help her write strong characters, especially women, holding their own as humanity reaches out into the universe.

Tam Chronin is a figment of the imagination, which might be why she lives there often enough to find her main characters and convince them to share their stories. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her family and beloved pets, including a vicious attack tortoise who guards the back yard.

PJ Hulstrand is the author of 14 books so far. She has also been a book publisher, managing editor for two newspapers, senior designer and a Publishing Specialist. PJ writes Time-Travel Romances and New Adult Paranormal Fiction. She also has an award-winning non-fiction “Media Kits for Authors,” and a little duck children series.

Patrick Tyler writes Sci-Fi and Fantasy with a focus on realism in the world-building and strong, relatable characters.

K.A. Bledsoe’s writing journey began at the age of six with a short story about kids growing up on a space station. Writing has been a constant despite other jobs like scooping ice cream, shoe salesman, pharmacy tech, band director and more. Born, raised, and still residing in Arizona, the author continues to pen stories in all genres despite the distraction of house cats underfoot and the occasional bobcat or roadrunner strolling through the backyard.

Doubleblind and Catherine Lacroix are a pair of award-winning authors who teamed up to create the hit LitRPG, Everyone’s a Catgirl. When they’re not living in Nyarlea, they enjoy hanging with the community, spending time with pets and reading whatever books cross their desks!

Amylynn Bright read her first romance novel in 2008 after being a lifelong literary snob. By the time she was done, she was hooked. Now she pens Regency and contemporary romances that make you laugh. She is an Arizona native and lives in the same house her husband owned before they were married. Amylynn fears she will never call another state home unless someone tells her husband there are forty-nine others to choose from. In reality, she’d settle for a walk-in closet. Her family consists of the aforementioned husband, two beautiful children, two dogs, two cats, some fish, and a hankering for a panda. She’d like it mentioned she’s never been in prison, but we’ll see how the panda thing works out.

If you’re in Phoenix this coming weekend, I hope you’ll stop in and see us at the Artisans of Words and Wonders tables in the Exhibit Hall.