Mystery

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9

/ / Comics

The recently salvaged pirate ship of Captain Black Jack Paddywhack which was shipwrecked in 1764 along with a treasure map to the pirate’s stash of gold brings out Mystery, Inc., various treasure hunters, and the Riddler. Oh, the ghost of Black Jack Paddywhack shows up as well to scare off all but the most determined of the treasure hunters, forcing Scooby and the gang to team with the villain to try and find the treasure and solve the mystery by deciphering a list of clues and riddles.

Batman only makes a cameo at the end to take the Riddler into custody, while leaving Scooby and the gang working with the super-villain for most of the issue in an unexpected twist. Daphne is able to discover the source of the ghost while Velma uncovers the trick the Riddler has played on them all, but in the end it takes all of them to find the treasure.

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Nightmare Alley

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Nightmare Alley
  • IMDb: link

Adapting the 1946 novel of the same name, Nightmare Alley is more about con men than monsters (which is usually writer/director Guillermo del Toro‘s wheelhouse). The film is split into two halves, the first involving a man running from his past joining a carnival and learning secrets to start his own clairvoyance act. The second, takes place a couple of years later with Stanton (Bradley Cooper) and his wife (Rooney Mara) putting his skills to use in higher-class surroundings by taking advantage of more wealthy marks.

Think of Nightmare Alley as Guillermo del Toro’s attempt at a David Mamet movie filled with con men and grifters, murderers and thieves, all out for their own interests, with plenty of twists and double-crosses thrown in for good measure. The result, more from the limitations of the source material than his direction, are a bit mixed.

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The Human Target #2

/ / Comics

The Human Target continues to surprise as the second issue introduces the dying Christopher Chance to the Justice League International‘s Ice in something of a femme fatale role who charms Chance into spending the day with her (using up one of his 11 remaining) while offering her help on the case and attempting to convince him that her best friend, despite strong motives, isn’t responsible for the attempt on Lex Luthor’s life.

Ice, rather than Fire, is an interesting choice for this role which seems far removed from her role within the JLI but still fits within the established character while offering something new. She mesmerizes Chance who notes both her coldness and the warmth of her charms. Chance accepts Ice’s help, and a late reveal gives an interesting spin on their entire day together, but our dying hero can’t help but speculate if he’s already met his killer.

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Psych 3: This is Gus

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Psych 3: This is Gus
  • wiki: link

Determined to discover what secrets his best-friend’s fiancé is hiding, Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) begins poking his nose into Selene‘s (Jazmyn Simon) past in the latest Psych TV-movie made for the Peacock Network. All of the regulars are back, including Timothy Omundson as Carlton Lassiter who is able to do a little more this time around as the actor continues to work back from his stroke.

There are plenty of antics after Shawn drags a reluctant Gus (Dulé Hill) down a rabbit hole searching for answers about who the woman carrying Gus’ child truly is. The craziness includes a fight in a men’s room and a pair of ridiculous disguises for the duo (one of which involves a ventriloquist dummy) while checking out Selene’s old apartment.

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The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #8

/ / Comics

While attempting to eat at one of the few businesses still open on the rundown Gotham Waterfront, the gang runs into a ghost. The search leads Batman and Mystery, Inc. to investigate a former villain lair which has been bought out, along with much of the abandoned land, by a lottery winner with plans for revitalization… or that’s at least what the city wants to believe.

JH Development turns out to be Joker and Harley Quinn constructing a Joker World amusement park which they use to try and kill Batman and those meddling kids. While it’s unclear what the park is for (other than feeding the Joker’s vanity), the creepy super-villain attraction meshes well with Scooby-Doo themes. The villains are caught, and like all classic Scooby-Doo stories, the ghost has a rational explanation as well, leaving Batman the decision of what to do with Joker Land. Thankfully, a little branding goes a long way.

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