Cleaning out some of my archives!

Selling remaining out of print copies of my Scooby Mystery Inc book and doing single character sketch requests on the inside. The hardest part? Gently sketching on the inside of the book without damaging the "Gem Mint 10" condition of the book itself! ZOINKS!

 

SCOOBY-DOO: When Simplicity Creates Focus!

Final cover art vs. final printed cover: simplicity creates focus!

When showing the whole Gang in the same shot, you lose a lot of precious real estate for other aspects. Add a monster to the layout and it gets really busy! 

Everything always goes back to Scooby & Shaggy in the end. This is why most of the Scooby covers I did for Capstone Publishing only had Scooby & Shaggy on them.

They had someone at Scholastic go into my layered file and take out Daphne, Velma and Fred. Then they enlarged and moved Shaggy & Scooby over. I wish they had asked me to fix this for them as Shaggy's sleeve is off! You can see the hard cut-off when he originally went off the side of the layout. They added his elbow too, but it looks okay. I never knew about the tweaks until I finally got my complimentary copies.

Overall, it looks better as a cover with just them, but I didn't know how big they were going to make the title or add the bottom flashlight icon. The bonus is that you can see more of my painted backgrounds (which took some time to match the show)! The glossy high-end paper they used darkened the final colors to give it the perfect creepy look!

Anyway, I thought I'd post the full original final art as it was. It still looks pretty cool! I added the Mystery Incorporated show logo to make it look like a poster.

My order of PHINEAS AND FERB books from Papercutz arrived!

WOW! I got my big box of P&F books I ordered from Papercutz today! From the tracking I thought they would be delivered next week, but they arrived early today with the normal mail! I ordered all this when they had their site-wide sale for 50% off. I ordered two copies each of the hardcovers and paperbacks for my archives. Papercutz did a beautiful job with them and the hardcovers are simply beautiful!  

I will say that Papercutz does know how to pack a box! They wrapped the books in a big piece of bubblewrap and placed the stack dead center in a sturdy box and then dropped packing peanuts all around the sides and top. They arrived perfect! Amazon should take notice, though they have recently upped their game a bit for other orders I made through them by using proper shipping boxes for books. 

I also had to order some copies of the Comic Book Inator from Scholastic too. It was an exclusive and you had to buy it from the Scholastic site! Luckily, they also had a site-wide sale the same weekend as Papercutz! It's a good thing I checked when I did! I bought them right after I placed my Papercutz order and saved some money! I got these copies about a week ago and decided to add the pic of them to this post.

You're probably asking yourself, "Don't they give you copies of the stuff you work on?"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. 

I do have it in my Mad Cave Studios contracts to get two complimentary copies of both the Comic Book Inator and the A-MAZE-ing Creature Double Feature (OGN Vol.1) books. The Comic Book Inator was released back in August and I've still not received anything. The comic industry is in the toilet (DC Comics has always treated me fairly though), and you mostly have to buy your own unless you bother them about honoring their contracts.

Anyway, my box from Papercutz was a nice treat to receive after Christmas! They take a few weeks to fulfill your order, but they do take proper care in getting it to you!

 

Yet another SCOOBY cover variant that they did for Scholastic Australia!

Here's another interesting variant cover that they did for Scholastic Australia that I found online! This is a compilation book that collected the "Truth About..." book series into one volume. I forget how many were done, but I did two of them at the time. They took my Scooby art from the "Truth About Zombies" book and then changed the overall spotlight lighting and added some other monster art behind my zombies on the left side. It's another cool little find I found recently.

SCOOBY "You Choose" cover variant that was only available from Scholastic Australia!

Found this box cover variant online recently and it was only available from Scholastic Australia for my Scooby-Doo "You Choose" work I did! Looks great, huh? It would be nice if they let you know about it though, but I run across some amazing stuff online. I like to see the foreign/overseas releases. 

My Scooby "You Choose" work available in Australia & New Zealand!

My work goes further than I do, and this time it's gone "down under" with Scooby!

I was checking to see if Capstone Publishing was going to release another box set of my Scooby-Doo "You Choose" books this year, and I ran across another box set available in Australia and New Zealand! 

Apparently, Capstone scored a deal with Scholastic Australia and they released several Scooby items I worked on! Above is the box art for a 4-book "You Choose" paperback set that was released in 2021! It's still out there and still available, even in the U.S.! It's even on eBay! Copy and paste the official title below and you'll see it pop up all over! 

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Scooby-Doo!: You Choose Mystery 4-Book Library (Warner Bros.)

Description:
Dive into the world of mystery and adventure with the Scooby-Doo!: You Choose Mystery Library from Warner Bros! This engaging 4-book box set, perfect for young mystery fans, brings the beloved Mystery Inc. gang to life, allowing your child to play detective in classic Scooby-Doo style. With stories like 'The Fright at Zombie Farm', 'The Ghost of the Bermuda Triangle', 'The House on Spooky Street', and 'The Mystery of the Maze Monster', kids can explore their choices and influence the outcome of each spine-chilling mystery.

Created by Scholastic Australia, this interactive reading experience is ideal for reluctant readers and Scooby-Doo enthusiasts alike. The unique format of these choose-your-own-adventure stories encourages creativity and critical thinking as readers follow clues or opt for a snack alongside Scooby and Shaggy. Not only does this box set enhance reading skills, but it also sparks imagination, making it a delightful addition to any children's book collection.

Each title in this mystery library is filled with colorful illustrations that add to the excitement of solving mysteries. 'The Fright at Zombie Farm' promises thrilling encounters with the undead, while 'The Ghost of the Bermuda Triangle' dives into nautical legends. 'The House on Spooky Street' and 'The Mystery of the Maze Monster' ensure that mystery lovers are captivated until the last page.

Join Scooby-Doo and the gang for a spine-tingling adventure where every choice you make could lead to a new discovery. Bring home the Scooby-Doo!: You Choose Mystery Library for hours of interactive fun! Get ready to solve puzzles, overcome challenges, and most importantly, enjoy reading!

CONDITION: Brand New
ISBN: 9781761123825
Publisher: SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Site Links:

https://shop.scholastic.com.au/Product/300012199/Scooby-Doo!-You-Choose-Mystery-Library-(Warner-Bros) 

https://smartfoxbooks.co.nz/products/scooby-doo-you-choose-mystery-library-warner-bros