Scooby-Doo...Where Are You! - Gold Key - Issue 4 - Comic

Scooby-Doo...Where Are You! - Gold Key - Issue 4

Released December 1970

Episode Premiere

A Clue for Scooby-Doo - September 27, 1969

Spooky Space Kook - December 13, 1969

Thoughts and Details

This is the first issue of the comic to debut after the finale of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! It would be two years before the premiere of New Scooby-Doo Movies.

Stories

The Ghostly Sea Diver

This story is an adaptation of A Clue for Scooby-Doo. The gang see a glowing diver on the beach one night. This leads them to investigate the ghost of a captain that's making ships vanish.

As with other adaptations, the story is abridged to suit the shorter format. With this story, scenes are dropped to focus on scenes that are more important to advancing the plot. One of the scenes sacrificed is Captain Cutler attempting to murder Fred, Velma and Daphne by locking them in a boat in the Graveyard of Ships.

Fred is off model often in this comic. Other characters are as well but Fred's more noticeable. His head is a little too large and square.

Ebeneezer Shark, the Widow Cutler and Captain Cutler diverge from the appearances of their cartoon counterparts. Ebeneezer fairs the best in this version. He has really interesting look, almost dapper. Widow Cutler looks more like a stereotypical crone witch. Am I going to be offended that the possibly fake witch from a comic from 1970 is drawn to accentuate most of the stereotypical ideas of a witch's appearance? No. It's a bummer but it's just a comic. I prefer the cartoon design for the Not-a-Widow Cutler. I also prefer Captain Cutler's design from the cartoon, it's less goofy looking than the comic.

The Comic Strip

This is not based on any episode. It's a like the shorts from issue 3. Scooby and Shaggy read a newspaper and freak some onlookers out by sitting too close together and looking like a person with a dog head.

The Spooky Space Kook

This is an adaptation of Spooky Space Kook. The gang run out of gas. They stop at a farm house for help. They learn from the farmer about a ghost coming down from the stars. They are lead to an abandoned airfield where they unravel the mystery of the Spooky Space Kook.

The Spooky Space Kook shares a design trait with the ghost of Captain Cutler. They were both drawn in black and white. A bit of a shame considering the designs in the cartoon are iconic. Also, the Spooky Space Kook is in color on the cover. Although the red and green color on the cover isn't great.

Rogue's Gallery

The Ghost of Captain Cutler

The Space Kook