Jinkies & Jeepers … you never know what you are capable of until you face your fears.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis
Artwork: Howard Porter
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Nick Napolitano
What They Say:
After fleeing a monster-infested underground base, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby stumble upon a desert ghost town where they hope to catch their breath. But when night falls, they learn it’s not a ghost town after all-and the terrors that show up like to bite! Scooby Snack is about to take on a whole new meaning.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The gang has left the Complex and find themselves outside scrounging for supplies. However, the first place they check is not entirely consumer friendly, as Fred and Shaggy soon find out. As the guys recover from their escapade, Velma is jolted from a fitful sleep, having forgotten that she was supposed to relieve Daphne on guard duty; half expecting the paranoid reporter to be overcome by the terrors of the environment, she is surprised to see her calmly surveying the landscape, as Scooby stands guard. But it is not long before the pair get into another of their heated discussions, the redhead firebrand accusing her bespectacled companion of conspiring with the Four, leaving her to retreat to the relative safety of the Mystery Machine. Though they may think no one is watching, there is something always wanting to pounce upon this unsuspecting team, and it does not take long before the group is forced to retreat to another location.
Scavenging is a constant mission and yet they cannot relinquish their other goal of finding out what happened to the rest of the population. With every mile they travel, ever more people are appearing, but not in the fashion to be expected – instead of mundane being the norm, no one outside of the facility has escaped being mutated. Where they find bodies of the dead there are two alternatives, but in one option they are always the same: only the strong survive and those who cannot are discarded as food for the most tenacious, man and abomination alike. Velma does not know how or why only the five of them have remained untainted, but if they were able to endure this cataclysm, then why can’t there be survivors? The cadre of scientists had others helping them in scattered complexes around the world, and those also had underground bunkers, so there is a chance they too could be asking the same questions. All she needs is an internet connection and a laptop to contact them, but where can she find one without attracting any unnecessary attention?
In Summary:
Who ever said that the Apocalypse was the end of the world? As long as you have a gang of trustworthy friends, you can survive anything, right? J.M. DeMattis and Keith Giffen are proving that premise truthfully so, but when you start the issue with the two girls at each other’s throats, you would think that their relationship would not end amicably. We are by now all familiar with Daphne’s acerbic attitude, the paranoia which made her a once top-notch reporter, but it was also that same stance which also cost her a once prominent position. Then we have Velma, the cold and calculating researcher who still has her secrets to hide, but at the same time, she also called on the gang to help reveal the truth behind Project Elysium. When those two face off, they are like a spark and gunpowder, one will ignite the other, but at the same time, they are determined not to give their nemesis the satisfaction to admit that she was wrong. It is this tension which makes this issue another favorite, with the girls taking over and revealing their innermost thoughts and emotions.
While I cannot complain, these heartfelt conversations they have are the highlight of the issue. One always underestimating the other, embedding her into some preconceived notion that she does not have the faculties to understand the other’s feelings or worse yet, thinking that she is incapable of something as elevated as irrational thought. We all know from the previous series that these women are not your stereotypical heroines, but in this atmosphere, a mistake as simple as underestimating your foe can become the same as a death sentence. But of course, while Daphne and Velma are the focus of this melodrama, we still feel a bit sorry for the guys, until we get to the end of the episode and their search for supplies – it is only here where the original chowhounds shine! Though we do feel sorry for Scooby previously with Professor Dinkley constantly berating him as a failure, the Great Dane still is able to show his true courage and loyalty by defending his friends as Daphne protects his back.
But of course, how could you not laugh out loud once the Snack Attack Mode kicks in? With a paradise of junk food surrounding them, and as Velma and Daphne are trying to have a serious conversation, the comical comments which DeMattis and Giffen kick in breaks down the seriousness of the situation. The girls are trying to figure out how to find others like them and save the world, but it is constantly interrupted by jovial remarks such as finding chips and dip; however they save the biggest gag as the issue wraps up: Scooby howls in despair scaring the pair, but they are then intensely irritated to find out it is not some monster terrorizing them, but Shaggy answering that the pizza and ice cream are beyond recovery? Classic Scooby Doo and a wonderful way to the end the issue as doom is closing in on them … utterly brilliant.
While we are not overwhelmed by action this issue, it is still just as intense as Howard Porter gives us a beautifully portrayed sequence of panels expanding the relationship between the core of this story, Daphne and Velma. The dark and oppressive scenes are defined by Hi-Fi’s dazzling usage of color, the pale lavenders, vivid crimson and oranges all play gracefully off the barren landscape, further focusing our attention on the two women, just as the narrative makes us want more. Though we can barely see Velma’s eyes past her coke bottle lenses, Daphne’s eyes burn a hole through her with every chance, intensifying the mental struggle the two must engage, to see who is the dominant. We can feel the confidence of the redhead and the waning determination of the scientist, their roles reversed for the first time, all of that etched on their contorted faces. And of course not to be ignored, the monsters decorate the wasteland, all of them gleaned from the vintage animation, painted in a palette which does not detract from their surroundings, but blends in, building the tension for what is just around the corner, waiting to come in the next issue, and making us want more.
Scooby Apocalypse may have just started, but it has far exceeded what we might have expected for a new series. When we began this journey, it seemed like an ordinary adventure into the barren badlands, but it has become so much more. The characters have evolved into ones which we now have an emotional connection and it can only get better. While some may not have progressed like we might have liked, the balance has tipped to ones who were almost ignored in the original series like the walking encyclopedia and the pretty window dressing, Velma and Daphne. Though they may have functioned like one group, it was always Fred who got the attention as the leader with Shaggy and Scooby Doo filling in as comic relief. It is refreshing to see the roles reversed and let us hope that these new leads can handle the responsibility in the coming storm.
Grade: A+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: August 17th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99