This time, the monsters are real … but how can the Gang deal with them if they aren’t wearing any masks?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis
Artwork: Howard Porter
Colourist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Nick J. Nap
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):
The Complex is a foreboding secret laboratory hidden beneath the Nevada desert, and now it appears to be the epicenter of the end of the world. Scooby and the Gang are stuck inside after a power failure caused the facility to shut down and now this unlikely team of misfits must now cooperate in order to find out what happened. Doctor Dinkley thinks she knows what happened, but the big problem is that no one trusts each other and the pressure of this situation has caused the tension to erupt. But they must unite if they are to stand any chance of making it out alive, however at this juncture, that hope doesn’t seem very likely. With frayed nerves, they must attempt to find a way out, but with every step, the likelihood of that happening dwindles past in an instant.
Project Elysium was supposed to help humanity overcome their baser instincts of violence and greed, but as they wander into the corridor, it appears that something went horribly wrong. There is no one in the hall, even if most of the staff is gone, this lack of people is strangely unsettling. But when Velma sees a familiar lab coat lurking in the corner, she cannot but call out to her friend; it is only then that they realize the nanites have done something contrary to their programming. Mutations are all which litter the passage, the shambling masses which were once human have now surrendered to a primal need for survival. And this same drive motivates the team to attempt to navigate their way to the control room to find safety. Though they are reluctant to harm anything in their path, that null option seems unavoidable – it is either their own lives or certain death. The choice is simple, but the weight of the consequences will be long lasting.
In Summary:
Now that the basis of the story has been established, we can finally settle into the essential bedrock of Scooby Apocalypse, a redefinition of the familiar characters which we all grew up watching. It almost feels like the writing team of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis have started from scratch with this new series, but while the base personas are still the foundation, this alternate future has changed them, making them more suitable for what will surely be a trial for the gang; but this new formation will most assuredly strengthen these meddling kids into a force to be reckoned once they leave the safety of The Complex.
It is a bit unsettling to see these new versions, but at the same time, you can see how it was necessary to evolve them for the violence which Project Elysium has wrought. However, that name in itself is an anachronism since Elysium was the Grecian version of an ideal afterlife; if the monstrosities which now inhabit the facility now are any indication, the outside world is surely not a utopia. But this hardening gives us a surprising outlook on those beloved characters, almost polar opposites of those who we saw in previous incarnations. Danger Prone Daphne, the naïve redhead is now a strong woman, but that caustic personality has taken charge, but also prone to outbursts of rage and distrust. Fred, the optimistic leader who was always obsessed with trapping the Villain du Jour, has now become an apprehensive, effeminate wimp, unsure of what to do and subservient to Daphne. Velma, the intellectual backbone of the group who was always supportive of her friends, is now guarded and clinical – keeping secrets as a way to shield herself from the anyone getting too close to the frigidity of her now frozen heart. And then, of course, Shaggy with pal Scooby were always the first ones to run from their own shadows, but now he has become a forthright person who will stand up for what he thinks is right, with his canine friend backing him up all the way.
The dynamics of these new personalities should be interesting to see in future issues, but if the interpersonal relationships we see now, especially between Daphne and Velma are any indication, the readers will have fun just watching those two erupt into a cat fight in the most inopportune moments! What more could we wish for when the world is falling apart around them? If it is this bad within The Complex, how much worse can it get once they leave the safe confines of the facility? One can only hope for more of these crazy antics!
However, this wild entertainment can only be contained by the dynamic artwork of Howard Porter and subtle colorings of Hi-Fi. The first splash page defines this new attitude which the series has taken, every personality is reflected on the Gang’s faces: Daphne is crass, Fred a milksop, Shaggy is cautious, Velma is guarded and Scooby is inquisitive. How can you not love this opening? We are so used to seeing the characters being portrayed in a familiar way, that this departure becomes the foundation for a new generation. Forget what you knew before, this is what they are now. But Porter does not rest there, he further commands the reader to stay with the narrative, each panel moving us forward into a story which expands the future into which we now find ourselves – one in which real monsters cannot be captured by simply removing a cheap mask. The reality which he illustrates which such frenetic authenticity vaults us into this terrifying world with dashes of humor, but Hi-Fi’s tones magnify the emotions to a point in which we see nothing but attitude; we can ignore the horrors when all we see are the bright colors of well-known costumes, but once he introduces the greys of a shadow, cue the chilling music. Those somber tones overwhelm the character, emphasizing the savagery which is hidden with each page. This synergy of illustration and color brings everything into focus: Scooby and the Gang may be the only survivors in this ravaged world, and if they are, we might all be in trouble!
The story may have just started, but Giffen, DeMattis, Porter, and Hi-Fi have introduced us to a new Gang more suited to this planet of disaster. Everyone which we thought we knew has changed, their personalities having mutated to allow them to survive the disaster which is now their Earth. But with every failure, they grow stronger and they will need that new found fortitude to solve the mysteries which now lay before them. Rev up the Mystery Machine, a new world awaits!
Grade: A
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: June 15th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
