Scan barcode
professor_dinosaur's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The biggest nick to my enjoyment was the stiffness of the characters. Though distinct and fun, they struggle to feel round in the way the narrative seems to ask of them, more “caricature” than “character.” I think the source material does a lot of leg work for this book. Without having the background knowledge of the Scooby-Doo cast, much of the characterization is fairly flat (ex. the term “jock” had considerable economy). Many of the interpersonal conflict feels stilted as a result, subservient to the action-plot. The prose can be very clever at times, and then too clever, almost like a charming but metaphor-bloated college essay. Action scenes got increasingly hard to follow, not impossible to understand but maybe too nitty-gritty-detail-heavy.
I know it’s a toss-up, but I found the switch between prose and the “play” style nice. I can see its utility - what would the author really do in between these snappy scenes anyways, write dialogue tags? When it came to the more self-aware parts of this fourth-wall-flirtation, I was skeptical. Especially references to “the camera” and whatnot. Really just felt out of place - there’s no cameras in Scooby-Doo.
The whole “Scooby-Doo for adults” pitch was dicey with me the second Andy kicked those guys in the nuts. I never felt like the book treated its more serious “adult” themes with disrespect, but there were times (ex. Arkham Asylum, just about anything involving Peter) where the cartoon-ifying of adult (and traumatic) experiences gave me tonal vertigo. Maybe I can compare it to an Adult Swim program. This is where the prose did the book a disservice. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk, when you put “edgy” (read: adult) material into an otherwise playful book it can be hard not to fall back on “edgy” (read: angsty) prose. I think this issue is a symptom of the quirky prose and overwhelming identity of the book (Scooby-Doo x Lovecraft, you won’t forget this for a single page), and not one that spoiled the book for me. For the record, the scene where Andy kicked those guys in the nuts felt sort of like a Reddit comment, if that makes sense.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Classism
itsheyfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Suicide, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Racism and Kidnapping
amweber's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
There’s a ton of problematic stuff in this book that I detail in the spoiler tag.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
chloe_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Racism and Transphobia
seawarrior's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
epeolatri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content and Torture
e_flah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Kerri and Andy were the reason I stuck with Meddling Kids. They were three-dimensional characters that reminded me of characters from the Scooby gang without feeling like cheap reproductions of them. Andy in particular won me over from the beginning. She's the fighter of the group who's also perfectly willing to be honest about when she's afraid.
If you really love Scooby Doo and like books that feel unlike anything else you've read, Meddling Kids may be the book for you.
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, Racism, and Transphobia