Those meddling kids are getting into trouble again … but this time, we really need their help!
Creative Staff:
Writer Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis
Artwork Howard Porter
Colourist Hi-Fi
Letterer Nick J. Nap and Travis Lanham
What They Say:
Those meddling kids—Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their dog, Scooby-Doo—get more ghost-debunking than they bargained for when faced with a fundamental change in their world. The apocalypse has happened. Old rules about logic no longer apply. The creatures of the night are among us, and the crew of the Magical Mystery Machine has to fight to survive—because in the apocalyptic badlands of the near-future, the horrors are real!
This new monthly series takes Scooby and the gang to a whole new level and features character designs by comics superstar Jim Lee!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
In the not so distant future, the promising scientist Velma Dinkley is working for a better tomorrow, but due to some twist in her String of Fate, the goal became corrupted along the way. To clear the air and spread the news about an impending disaster that is to come, she contacts the down on her luck television journalist Daphne Blake and her loyal cameraman, Fred Jones. It is her desire that she can warn the public about her hand in the pending doom, but first, she has to convince this crew of her proof and hope that they will believe her. And never mind the fact that some defective prototype code named Scooby-Doo and his kind-hearted handler Shaggy Rogers are on the loose without permission to leave the laboratory. They are a low priority, warning the populace about a worldwide crisis takes precedence, even if she could lose her job and/or life; the destiny of the Earth is at stake, what else can be more important?
As the Doctor meets the enterprising pair of reporters, unfortunate circumstances cause the four strangers to come together for a common goal. Once they enter the complex, the entirety of Project Elysium is explained: it is meant to give Humanity a new start from the corrupt world which is now surrounding them. The four researchers who designed the technology had noble intentions in mind, but as their work continued, the objective soon eluded them and they ventured into a side tangent. However, as Velma is about to explain her part in the grand venture, everything goes wrong when the facility’s alarm starts blaring. This is the signal for the program’s activation protocol and with this annoying sound, it is also the point of no return. Nothing can prevent the release of Project Elysium and as the base goes into lockdown and powers down, panic sets in; the darkness is all inclusive and nothing can be seen, but that is the least of their worries as the effects outside are what should be the greatest fear.
In Summary:
Those meddling kids and their dog have been entertaining generations of children ever since its introduction in 1969. Their comical misadventures have charmed us with various incarnations and the evolution of its popular cast: Great Dane Scooby-Doo who thinks he’s a human, his chow hound of a master Shaggy Rogers, resident geek of the bunch Velma Dinkley, clumsy and appropriately named “Danger-Prone Daphne” Blake and the trap-obsessed leader of the group, Fred Jones. We have been watching their escapades over the years and as such, the iconic representations have become ingrained into our culture; if you happen to mention any of the classic expressions or situations from the show, almost everyone will immediately know that is it attached to that franchise. The cartoon has its following and has seen its share of many spin-offs, parody and tributes in other shows and movies, lines of merchandise and toys and even video games. But now this cult classic will receive a new treatment with a polished look and attitude for yet another genesis set in a cataclysmic landscape.
Writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis have wonderfully guided us into a new frontier featuring those sleuth solving teenagers in DC Comics’ new series named Scooby Apocalypse. Set within a bleak and foreseeable future, our crime-solving gang still have recognizable personalities, but this literary team made them more suited for an untamed wilderness: Daphne has become hardened due to failure but is still driven to succeed, while Fred still supports her but has adapted by becoming subservient to her hostile whims. Shaggy is now an optimist and thinks he knows more about what is happening around him, even though he is in the dark about more important things. Velma is guilt driven to solve the problem she is involved in, but is holding back things she doesn’t want these strangers to know. The only one who hasn’t changed that much is Scooby – he is still a goofball, but his anger at the treatment received from the scientists appears to have changed him; we can only wait to see if he can put that all behind him and return to the lovable pet we all have grown to adore within a story that seems to grip a dystopian world which will soon become a nightmare they would rather forget.
However, this none of this would be possible if not for the amazing artwork of Howard Porter and colourist Hi-Fi, all based on the brilliant character designs of Jim Lee. The opening creates a future in which humanity has become set in their ways, not driven to sedimentary life and not wishing to improve themselves. Porter and Hi-Fi portray this environment through the vivid usage of colors in a carnival-like atmosphere where you can almost hear and smell the sights and sounds of the vendors hawking their wares. Laughter fills the stale air and yet our characters still stand out in their familiar garb: Daphne wears lavender clothes accented by a green scarf, Fred has his white shirt, blue jeans and orange ascot, Shaggy has his dull green pullover and brown pants and of course, Scooby has his signature blue-collar and SD tag. And while Velma may seem separated from the gang initially, she is still linked to them with her pale orange turtleneck and socks, red-brown miniskirt and lab coat and those coke bottle glasses, though they have now been substituted for a goggle version. Everything still hangs onto those old fashions, but now they have been modernized for this upcoming disaster.
Although we may feel comfortable with these envisioned versions, the toll this future has taken on them is noticeable via the candor etched into the gang’s faces. Porter makes full use of the range of human emotion, every panel we are treated to the pain of knowing what will happen and what could have occurred: anguish hidden behind glasses, anger masqueraded as pain, sympathy buried under lethargy and kindness mixed with concern. Everything is universal, especially emotion and no matter what language you may speak, these feelings can always be communicated without translation. This issue beautifully addresses this concept and Porter is a marvelous soundboard for Scooby and his pals.
Scooby Apocalypse has created a new world for Scooby Doo the gang and the beginning is a gruesome one in which we may yet see the full potential of this title. The team of Giffen, DeMattis, Porter and Hi-Fi have introduced us to something which has become enmeshed within popular culture, the end of the world, but to surround such popular characters within this grim atmosphere is a new approach which most would never imagine. The idea is sound and the actors are set, so it is only a matter of time until we see if they will survive within this mystery come true. Scooby-Doo … where are you??
Grade: A
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: May 25th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
