Meddling Kids
By Edgar Cantero
This is another book that is, despite my best efforts, totally in my wheelhouse, because it's a post-modern examination of the Scooby Doo gang, wrapping them up in the slimy tentacles of a Lovercraftian horror. And that's exactly the kind of book I've enjoyed since I was 12 - a clever hook with the added emotional baggage of unearned nostalgia.
Luckily, Meddling Kids is also a hell of a lot of fun - it's genuinely funny, and also genuinely not afraid to really dig into the concept. It can also occasionally be quite brutal, and no-one is safe, not even vaguely anthropomorphic dogs.
Fortunately, Cantero doesn't just rely on that nostalgic kick to give his characters life, and they still come across as real people in an incredibly fucked-up situation. They might be total analogues, but you do want them to triumph, and eventually pull the rubber mask off to reveal the eldritch horror beneath.
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