The digital copy of this book lacks the answer made available on the final page of the print publication but I’m guessing the error Franklin makes is in claiming to have created the pot belly stove. It features the ‘ghost’ of Benjamin Franklin talking to Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy about all the advancements that have been made since the 18th century. The next story is a Mini Mystery originally published in Scooby-Doo #122 (2007) titled, “Franklin, My Dear…” and challenges the reader to solve case before Scooby and the gang. Guard: How does anyone understand you? Come on, let’s keep looking. Guard: What is it, boy? You find anything? He’s not in the book much but he manages to play a critical role in the gang not getting caught and is the focus for one of the funnier scenes in the book. My favourite part of “Boo Recruits” is how Scooby is taken away and put into the K-9 unit. The plot is less about the actual mystery of having a ghost running around a military base and more about putting the gang into a situation they’re unaccustomed to with making them wear fatigues and putting them through basic training with a shouty drill Sargeant and everything. I think my biggest disappointment with the story is the lack of actual clue-finding. I did find it strange that Mystery Incorporated was specifically requested by Sargeant Williams to check out the base’s haunting but I haven’t read an issue of this book for a while previous to starting these reviews so, if this is an established thing now, I guess it’s cool. Nobody is going against character or anything. Fridolfs chooses to go against some of the established Scooby-Doo tropes which disappointed me a little but the core idea of a ghost that needs to be caught and unmasked is still there. During the day they run drills and do army work and at night they prowl the base for the ghost.Ī simple premise that is mostly handled well. In order to investigate, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all have to pretend to join the army, boot camp and all. They report to a Sargeant Williams who tells them of the spectre of a soldier who has been wandering the grounds of the base and scaring the base personnel. In “Boo Recruits”, the first of three stories in this issue, we find the gang being called in by the military to help solve the mystery of the Scary Soldier. I’m going to try to approach these family oriented books with an eye towards finding a balance between reviewing them with a lighter touch because of their intended audience and treating them like any other book with my normal reviewing style. Just a quick disclaimer before I get into the review. A: Walter Carzon & Horacio Ottolini/Scott Jeralds & Jorge Pacheco/Scott Neely.W: Derek Fridolks/Sholly Fisch/Embla Malmenlid.SCOOBY-DOO! WHERE ARE YOU? #71 (DC Comics)