Scooby-Doo...Where Are You! - Gold Key - Issue 9 - Comic
Released December 1971
Episode Premiere
Stories
The Phantom Clown
This issue is an adaptation of the first season episode "Bedlam in the Big Top". The gang meets a pair of circus performers who have just quit their circus. They learn about the Phantom Clown haunting the circus and driving it to ruin. Soon, they are being stalked by the Phantom Clown.
The comic begins the same way as the episode with the gang meeting the circus performers. But as soon as the gang arrives at the circus, the story starts to diverge. The comic introduces the mystery of Big Bertha, the European dancing elephant, who won't perform.
The gang still leaves the circus after learning about the clown. Leaving is a decision that goes against the character of Mystery Inc. But the comic explains how they could leave Scooby behind. Shaggy expected Scooby to be under their blanket. I took this to mean that Shaggy and Scooby have a designated hiding blanket.
The clown shoves Fred into a cannon instead of a wardrobe and it makes me laugh. The changes continue with Fred getting shot out of the cannon and saving Daphne from the lion. For the second time in two issues, Daphne and Velma just leave while Fred sets up the trap. The trap goes wrong. Fred and Shaggy get hypnotized into horses and Scooby is hypnotized into a lion. So Velma comes back and hypnotizes the clown into being a monkey.
This is not an issue that improves on the episode. I don't like Velma and Daphne being shoved out of the story. I prefer the resolution of the episode. I dislike the change because it was nice seeing Shaggy be the hero in the cartoon, solve the mystery and capture the bad guy in such a simple way.
The very ending of the issue shows the gang hypnotized into working for the circus by the circus owner this time. The darkest ending to a Scooby-Doo comic so far.
Rogue's Gallery
Phantom Clown
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