Fan Spotlight 2022 Day 12: Elemage

I’m really excited to introduce you to our fan spotlight today, Elemage. Elemage is a very active member on the ScoobyAddicts forum who has been a fan of Scooby since childhood, and is also a big Marvel fan.

1. What is your name?
My name is Elemage.

2. How did you get into Scooby-Doo?
I've always been into Scooby-Doo, I grew up with all the reruns on Boomerang in the late 90's. I didn't really dive into the fandom until around 2015-ish?

3. What is your favorite Scooby-Doo episode and film? Why?
My favorite episode would probably have to be the "A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle" two-parter. It's the episode I have the earliest memories of. "The Night Ghoul of Wonderworld" and "A Nutcracker Scoob" are close seconds. As for my favorite movie, it'd have to be "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase". It just has so many nostalgic memories for me.

4. What ways are you involved in the Scooby fandom online?
My involvement in the fandom is pretty limited, which I'd say is because the fandom itself is pretty small. I'm on the Scooby-Doo subreddit, I follow a handful of DooTubers on YouTube, and I'm active on this lovely site (ScoobyAddicts).

5. In your opinion, what is the best series or era of Scooby?
In my opinion, the best era of Scooby-Doo is the "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" era. From the show itself to the 7 associated movies, it was just consistent. There have been higher highs and lower lows in other eras, but the What's New era is the most consistent and the most enjoyable. Plus, I very much liked that we got some new outfits, if only temporarily.

6. What one Scooby-Doo series or film would you want a sequel to someday?
Not exactly a sequel, and not exactly a (television) series, but I'd like the franchise to revisit "Scooby Apocalypse" someday. I feel like there was a huge missed opportunity in not doing more worldbuilding. Do the secondary characters like Marcie Fleach, the Hex Girls, Flim-Flam and Vincent Van Ghoul exist in that world? How did they react to the apocalypse? Did they survive? There's so many opportunities to explore in that world. Especially after the end where now there's a majority of humans and a minority of afflicted monsters. But for a traditional answer, I'll say I'd like a sequel to the original "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo". I think it's time for the little pup to get a redemption arc and I definitely think he has potential to fit into Mystery Incorporated as long as he's not paired up with Shaggy or Scooby.

7. What direction would you like to see the franchise go in the future?
There's so much I could say here. But for me, I just hope for good storytelling, good characterization, and a healthy dose of respect for everything that's come before, from the Scrappy vignettes to Where Are You to Get A Clue to even the Harvey Birdman crossover. I don't want the franchise to be ashamed of what it's been and what it will be, which entries like Return to Zombie Island show they clearly are ashamed.

8. Who is your favorite member of the gang and why?
My favorite member of Mystery Incorporated is Daphne. In fact, she's in large part the reason why so many of my favorite episodes, films and eras are my favorites. Not only do I love her aesthetic (purple is my favorite color), I just love her evolution from Danger-Prone Daphne to leader of the Scooby-Doo Detective Agency, a pilot and demon hunter, an international celebrity journalist, Make-Up McGyver and ultimately, a kick-butt black belt. All while still retaining her kindness and femininity.

9. What is your favorite villain? Why?
My favorite villain is The Headless Horseman of Halloween. For whatever reason, as a child that episode felt so much longer to me (in a good way!). And his design was so fun, it's not too scary but not too silly. He was even iconic enough that they brought him back for the LEGO installments!

10. In your opinion, who is the best recurring (non-gang) character in the franchise?
Hands down, the best recurring characters are the Hex Girls and it's not even a contest. And they always bring us a new song every time they show up! Vincent Van Ghoul is a pretty close second, but I'd argue that him, Flim-Flam, Scrappy and Marcie are as much members of the Gang as the core five.

11. Do you have a Scooby-Doo collection? If so, what’s in it?
I do have an unintentional Scooby-Doo collection, actually. Right now it consists of Where Are You: The Complete Series (the fancy, limited edition castle version), The (Almost) Complete Collection of The New Scooby-Doo Movies (darn it, Wednesday! Why are you still missing?!), both on Blu-Ray. My DVD collection is a bit larger, consisting of Cyber Chase, the compilation Monster Movies Collection (Legend of the Vampire, Where's My Mummy, Curse of the 13th Ghost, Franken Creepy, Loch Ness Monster, Witch's Ghost, Music of the Vampire and Moon Monster Madness), SCOOB! and the 50-Cartoon Collection. I also have the 50th anniversary Funko Pops for Shaggy and Scooby, as well as the limited edition Scrappy. Still need to get my hands on Daphne, Velma, Fred and the Hex Girls.

12. What do you think has made the franchise so popular that it’s still going strong after 50 years? 
As much as I love Scooby-Doo, I'll be the first to admit no one will ever accuse it of being intellectually stimulating. I think what keeps people coming back to it is the colors, the characters and the comfort it provides. People have grown up with this show, their children and grandchildren have grown up with this show. It's a part of their family.

13. What is one fun fact about you in real life?
Something about me is that I'm huge into Marvel Comics. And I've noticed a ton of Marvel references in Scooby-Doo, which is funny considering Scooby's owned by the same people that own DC Comics.

14. Please feel free to share anything else you’d like to here!
I hope one day we get a movie based around "The Dragon's Eye", the comic arc from Scooby-Doo issues 60-66. It really is one of the best Scooby-Doo stories I've ever seen.

Thanks so much to Elemage for being today’s fan spotlight! I really liked hearing his opinion on why the franchise has been around so long. I completely agree that it provides a sense of comfort, and there’s a lot of nostalgia around the series for so many people. Tomorrow, we have our final fan spotlight of the year, plus a special editorial article coming, so make sure you don’t forget to check the blog for lots of new content tomorrow!

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