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Issue Details

Issue #27
Published August 1974
Cover Price 0.25 USD
Editing Chase Craig

Cover Details - "Nightmare First-Class"

Characters Fred; Shaggy; Scooby Doo; The Hoodoo
Genre Humor; Mystery
Pencils Dan Spiegle
Inks Dan Spiegle

13 page story "The Start-Spangled Spectre"

Characters Scooby Doo; Shaggy; Velma; Daphne; Fred; Jacob Richfield (in flashback); Detective Kelly; Charlie; the Colony Creature; Two unnamed thugs
Synopsis Scooby and the gang are traveling through rural Massachusetts; Fred wants to visit New Lichfield, where his family is from. The town is also home to the legendary "Colony Creature," a giant iron monster who terrorized would-be rebel colonists shortly after the Boston Tea Party. Fred explains that Jacob Richfield, the town blacksmith, used a magic powder to stop the monster. While Shaggy and Scooby try to cash some traveler's cheques, the Creature appears and seems to be heading for the bank. Shaggy tries to calm the bank patrons, but everyone panics and the locals evacuate the town. Shaggy goes for help and Scooby follows the Creature, but the Creature sees him and takes Scooby captive. Meanwhile, Detective Kelly has arrived, and he and the gang see that in the commotion, someone came in and dynamited and stole a safety deposit box containing $50,000 for the park building fund. Shaggy notices Scooby is missing, and the gang set out to find Jacob Richfield's house, as Fred figures that for a likely hideout. They find the house, but it's deserted. However, behind a wall plaque by Benjamin Franklin, Fred finds Richfield's journal and some loadstone, a naturally magnetic stone. In the journals, Richfield describes how the British viceroy ordered him to forge a demon suit out of iron to scare the townspeople, and how he, Richfield, stopped the demon with lodestone powder. The thieves, who still have Scooby, are the cave, and have transferred the money into a chest, which has a destruct button to destroy the evidence in case something goes wrong. One of the thugs notices the gang approaching the cave, so Charlie suits up as the Creature to scare them off. Scooby breaks free, but is cornered by the Creature/Charlie. Fred throws the loadstone on the Creature, freezing its parts and saving Scooby. One of the thieves uses the destruct mechanism on the chest, however, and the money for the park fund goes up in smoke. Scooby points out the safety deposit box, and Detective Kelly can arrest them on this charge alone. Daphne reminds everyone of the wall plaque -- it was an original drawing by Benjamin Franklin and worth a fortune.
Genre Humor; Mystery
Script Mark Evanier
Pencils Dan Spiegle
Inks Dan Spiegle

12 page story "Nightmare First-Class"

Characters Scooby Doo; Shaggy; Velma; Daphne; Fred; Hal Hollingsworth, Jr.; Keith Durbin; Mr. Randolph
Synopsis Mr. Randolph, an attorney, has read out the last will of Hal Hollingsworth, Sr., who has died and left $2,000,000 to his son, Hal Junior, if he can be found. Three hundred, fourteen Hals come forth, but eventually the right one is located. However, there is a ghost in the mansion, who claims he is not the rightful heir. Hal hires the gang as ghost-breakers, and invites them to stay a few days to expose the hoax. During he day, they get to relax and enjoy the setting. Shaggy, in particular, enjoys the food, and is still eating when he and Fred turn in for the night. Fred can't sleep, though, and realizes he's overlooked an important clue. The ghost appears and Fred tries to wake Shaggy, to no avail. Hal asks Fred if the ghost is real and Fred, knowing both the ghost and Hal Junior are fake, declares the ghost genuine. "Hal" confesses that his real name is Keith Durbin and the ghost shows himself to be Randolph, the lawyer. Durbin tries to escape, but runs into Shaggy, who has twisted himself in a sheet and is suffering from a "first-class nightmare." Fred explains he realized Durbin was a fake because his ear pattern was different than the photo of the real Hal, Jr.
Genre Humor; Mystery
Script Mark Evanier
Pencils Dan Spiegle
Inks Dan Spiegle