But, ya gotta wonder if Robin (in his secret identity as Dick Grayson) may have met Scooby-Doo's Freddy (in his not-so-secret identity as Fred Jones) before even that!
For this, we turn to the Robin back-up story in BATMAN # 231 (DC Comics, Cover Date: May, 1971)...
...Where Master Dick appears to be emulating the fashion sense of Master Fred!
Rock that ascot, Dick!
Since both Dick Grayson and Fred Jones are noted crime-busters and mystery-solvers, perhaps, rather than "Separated at Mirth", we should regards this as an example of "Divided at Detecting"!
Of course, I could be all wet about this, and he probably just took a few fashion tips from Master Bruce!
8 comments:
"Computer-dating service"? Guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
...And, in the case of Fred, even ascots!
Oh, yes... we will resume with the "Favorites Guessing Game", posts as soon as I get out from under my remaining Fantagraphics work. For now, please enjoy some of these as-of-yet-unpublished posts from the TIAH Archives!
Can't wait!
Always enjoyed the Scooby Doo and Batman team-ups!
It's interesting how Scooby-Doo has briefly dabbled with modernizing itself at times, only to always revert back to its roots. During the 80s, the gang (or rather... what was left of it) ditched the hippie-inspired Mystery Machine, replacing it with a plain red version. That didn't last. In the early 2000s, Fred briefly lost his ascot, only to re-adopt it later. Clearly, part of the appeal of the franchise is the fact that its characters are very much products of their time, and they stay the same even as time rolls on. In one of the direct-to-video movies from the late 90s or early 2000s, Daphne says, "Groovy!" Prompting her interlocutor to reply somewhat bemusedly, "Uh... yeah... I like it, too." All this makes me wonder if these attempts at modernization were worth it, or if they were misguided. Oddly enough, there is something nostalgic about the red Mystery Machine...
We’ll get there, Mouse Maestro, I promise! Just running into more writing work and house stuff than I anticipated having at this point.
Sergio:
My feeling on most instances of “modernizing” is that someone is needlessly putting his or her personal-justification stamp on a property that existed “just fine” for many years, if not decades! And in their mad rush to do so, they often downplay – or outright discard – what made the characters or properties great in the first place!
The examples are too many to list but consider Looney Tunes, Superman and (especially) Batman, Mickey and Donald, Lost In Space, Yogi Bear, and (as you rightly point out) Scooby-Doo!
The Scooby-Doo comics, particularly when they were written by the great Sholly Fisch, never lost sight of what originally made Scooby-Doo great… but often doubled or tripled down on it!
Conversely, the Donald Duck comics have moved slowly but steadily AWAY from Carl Barks, starting with Duck Avenger through Double Duck, TNT, MIA (McDuck Intelligence Agency), Ultraheroes, and more! Oh, and don’t get me started on the bizarre Brazilian comics where EVERYONE’S a superhero, including Gladstone Gander and Chief O’Hara! …Yeesh!
…Whosever behind those, deserves a few “Brazilian whacks” on the head!
A few "Brazilian whacks" on the head? How about a nice Hawaiian Punch? (Of course that shows my age!)
I think the ascot is more of a co-inky dink than anything else, both examples representing a product of their times. I must say that Grayson's looks very stylish the way it's rendered, and natural at the same time. Fred always looks like Fred, although I'm glad he ditched the ascot occasionally--proving that the characters don't keep the same wardrobe ad infinitum.
In my novel "Control" one of the characters turns another character's necktie into an ascot, and when he's done, he remarks, "Now you're all set!" The other guy replies, "Set for what? A guest spot on Scooby Doo?" I was and am proud of that exchange.
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