Here is a new Scooby-Doo story I drew and word ballooned for an overseas Scooby publisher in Sweden called Schibsted Forlagene. It's called "I Want My Mummy!". A typical kind of Scooby story that I really loaded with detail AND, as usual, I wound up killing parts of my art with the balloons again. The one thing I really liked about doing it is that I had complete control over the placement of the word balloons, which is a crap shoot when I do art for DC Comics over here since someone else does the job and sometimes you get that misplaced or jammed in word balloon that makes me cringe. I'm of the old school that each word balloon should be a piece of the art and meld with it to make a unified cohesive piece of art that has balance and beauty to it. At least that's what I strive for, but I usually get over-written scripts that have way too much going on and everyone has a balloon to say something in...and that's sometimes just one panel out of a nine-panel layout...but I digress.I also did a fair amount of reference of Egypt and the clothing styles to keep it as accurate as I could. The first panel with the restaurant is one example, though the word balloons really killed the detail of the restaurant in the end. If people request it, I'll post the original balloonless art so that you can see it in all it's unfetted and winsome glory. Ha!
For the benefit of the readers of my blog who like Scooby and wouldn't get to see the final work over here in America, I did the English translation version of the story for you! I did this for two reasons. One, so that I could get an accurate size for each word balloon and how the dialogue would fit in nicely and two, so people could at least read it over here! Click on each page image for the larger readable one! Enjoy!
Scott Neely has become one of the most reliable Scooby-Doo artists. You can always count on his interpretation of the Scooby cast to be animated despite their confinement to the two-dimensional world of comic book panels.
ReplyDeleteBody language is the key, and Neely evinces a level of comfort with these characters that makes his illustration look effortless. Notice the fear on Scooby's and Shaggy's faces as a Mummy waiter meets them again. Fred has to push them along to go to the "haunted" pyramid.
Shaggy and Scooby explode into total terror on the next page where we meet our suspects.
The real estate magnate looks like could fit into classic Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? episodes. Neely then diverts from a traditional look when introducing the cute archaeologist with the Chuck Jones styled eyelids.
The players and story are set against a backdrop of wicked Egyptian detail that ranges from intricate hieroglyphs carved on the wall or ominous shadows cast by sarcophagi.
Fred, Velma and Daphne wear their timeless outfits rather than their updated ensemble seen in What's New Scooby-Doo? While I didn't mind the subtle tweaks, there's much to be said for the iconic appearance of Mystery Inc. That's what Neely delivers.
While this is Scott Neely's blog, I'd be guilty of a crime worse than real estate fraud if I didn't note the talented writer Embla Malmenlio. His jokes are good ones and based upon character; his plot neatly plays with the Scooby formula.
Ray Tate