Even during an Apocalypse, there can be insight … for good or bad.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis
Artists: Ron Wagner, Bill Reinhold and Dale Eaglesham
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
What They Say:
Now that Velma has a fully charged laptop, she can’t keep her secrets from the rest of the gang any longer. And when they learn how Velma was behind the infection that turned the world into a horror-infected wasteland, she’ll be lucky if her new friends don’t kill her before the monsters do!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the Gang hobbles along with Fred recovering from the escapade of the hospital, they finally find some refuge in an isolated suburbian setting. With monsters supposedly behind them, they are able to rest and recover, slumbering in contented bliss for the time being. However all is not so pleasant as Shaggy observes, the entirety of the neighborhood still has its normal fauna, with the only things missing being people. Even as they ponder such a strange occurrence, Dinkley is upstairs busily tapping away on her laptop, trying to hack back into the Complex’s servers; but as success comes within her grasp, it seems that the Four themselves have been equally hard at work, perverting the science she helped to create. But once they leave this small hamlet to scavenge for more supplies, Daphne and Velma wander off on their own, with both seemingly beginning to accept their parts in the disaster as a whole. Is there something looming on the horizon that neither knows about?
As Scooby and his human companions attempt to survive in this wasteland, Scrappy himself is trying to do the same, hunting so that he and his pack may live another day. The modifications which the scientists did in the Smart-Dog Program serve him well now, but the memories and pain of those long days as a puppy are still fresh. If it wasn’t for that failure of a prototype named Scoobert, none of his kind would have had to endure those experiments. How many of his canine companions did the Complex lose before they were satisfied with the results? But now those earlier tests are being to break down, their implants were not as stable as his so they are being to revert … or worse. Scrappy’s followers don’t know the real problems their leader must face and he will not allow anything else to suffer the same fate. So the hunt must continue – for both prey and revenge against that stupid failure.
In Summary:
This issue is a wonderful story of insight and revelations as the Gang continues to grapple with what they have done and the results of those actions. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis have managed to craft an engaging narrative as we delve into what we knew was coming: Velma coming to terms that her brothers distorted her work for their own vile means. But even as were expecting this outcome, the realization for both the readers and our poor scientist doesn’t make it any less unsettling once we see her reaction; throughout the series Dinkley was trying skirt the issue, making excuses for her own mistakes while Daphne constantly berated her, trying to make her accept that she was the genesis of what they saw around them. It was almost as if our fiery redhead was an annoying conscious, constantly pointing out that she was responsible, even if she never wanted to accept that fact. While it did get irksome at times, it was refreshing to see the reason behind her nagging: Fred revealing she only did because she considered Velma a friend, but at the start I still think it was to get to the truth, not matter how many people she had to offend.
Then to counterbalance this staggering understanding, we are shown the opposing side of the debate: Scrappy’s monologue as being an unwilling victim of Velma’s science. I love how he attempts to rationalize his actions as revenge against Scooby and the Complex, but at the same time, he still uses those same experimental results as a way to protect his pack. This new found responsibility comes from an understanding that his hatred is the only thing which drives him now, even as he remembers the lack of compassion which he was never shown, but ironically does so for his followers. But even within all of his anger, Scrappy still has tenderness for his own kind, allowance within his own code to not let for another suffer if he can end it. Those last pages were so heartfelt … even within all his bitterness.
The artwork within these two stories so wonderfully sets the mood of the issue, with Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold presenting the human side and Dale Eaglesham illustrating the canine argument. The nostalgic appeal of Wagner and Reinhold’s style almost reminded me of watching a classic rerun of any 60’s family sitcom, appealing to the suburbian setting: a strong-jawed father figure (Fred) without his pipe, a protective mother (Daphne) and a lanky teen (Shaggy) … if the show was set in the apocalypse. But that other worried teenage daughter who was upstairs was the most telling – once she learned the truth. Velma’s expressions have been so controlled since the beginning, never allowing the audience to see how she felt in any situation, but now all of that has changed. Her coke bottle rimmed glasses, those windows which have always been so glazed over so as to shield from reality now are transparent, revealing her truest feelings. They always say that the eyes are the keys to the soul, but even if you don’t believe that, to be able to see Velma’s now brings all the more shock and emotional fervor for those panels. Her reactions are now clear as she understands how Daphne was so suspicious … making those scenes all the more moving.
Then we have in contrast the gritty and oppressive atmosphere presented by Eaglesham, all in line for Scrappy’s morose story. The opening pages almost feel like they are from a nightmare, which in terms of our canine narrator’s thoughts would not be far from the truth. This version of Scooby’s supposed nephew is so disturbing that it fits brilliantly with the grim reality that he is now forced to face. Words and pictures mesh wonderfully, expanding the grotesqueness by which Scrappy now sees the world, his bitterness matching actions and temperament. We have to wonder what happened to that cheerful puppy we saw in the animation, one who is now so poisoned by the world, that last panel and page make you almost feel for his suffering and all of his thoughts are justified.
The series has taken an expected and yet surprising turn, but even if we knew it was coming, the actual visualization doesn’t make it any less unsettling. Velma must now come to terms with the results of her experiments, and while she may not have had any direct involvement with the current results, that exclusion of guilt is still crushing. These type cliffhanger endings and inclusive stories are what I love about Scooby Apocalypse, and in the end, it is what makes me come back wanting for more!
Grade: A+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: January 11th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
