If you can’t trust family … then who can you trust?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMattis
Artist: Dale Eaglesham & Tom Derenick
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
What They Say:
It’s a Dinkley family reunion! Can Velma reconcile with one of her brothers in order to the save the world that they destroyed? Or is someone else to blame for the apocalypse?
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Now that the Gang has managed to find Velma and convinced her to come back, they have one option left: To find the Four; it was her conniving siblings who twisted their friend’s original nanites and somehow altered the programming – giving the microscopic robots sentience. With newly found freedom, it appears the plague’s new mission caused mutations, but whoever or whatever caused the change is unknown. So in order to fix her mistake and find a way to cure the world, Velma must find a new lab, but the Complex’s facilities are far behind them now. Thus, they have no other option than to confront the bespectacled one’s nearest brother, in Seattle, Washington. But even as they survey the abandoned city limits, she willingly admits that while they may be devoted to each other, they had no love loss for her. And worse than that, her brother Rufus is ruthless, an narcissistic egomaniac who will go to any lengths to secure his own survival, including betrayal.
The city is bumper to bumper traffic, cars piled on top of each other as if inhabitants apparently tried to flee or were trapped as they were caught in rush hour. With the streets in this condition, the Mystery Machine is of little use and so, unfortunately, is Fred, his hobbled condition preventing him from continuing on foot. As they sadly leave both behind, the rest proceed forward, aware that the ruins are strangely quiet and void of any monsters; however once they find the opulent skyscraper headquarters of Rufus Dinkely, world famous business man and corporate giant, it readily becomes plain to see what happened to some of them. All is not well as they witness the gruesome display of mutated corpses mounted above the entrance way of Dinkley Tower, remains still warm according to Velma’s acute examination. Even while Shaggy and Scooby attempt to retreat back to their van, the girls are still determined to explore the building in front of them for a solution. They need to find answers and her brother may be the only one who may have them, so why leave now that they are so close to an explanation, so why leave now? But will anyone want to know the truth once it is revealed?
In Summary:
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMattis spring another surprise upon the audience – confrontation of the Four. We always knew that the Gang would eventually need to face them, but now that they are back together, it seems like they have no other options. And of course, it would have to be the vilest of the bunch, a pompous narcissist whose overinflated ego is as corpulent as his own body – Rufus Dinkley; and to make matters worse, he needs the cringing admiration of his wife Daisy, who he takes great pleasure in beating if she ever disagrees. While it is sickening to see this display, the subservient spouse still feels a need to correct him and idolize her mate, with the ever present punishment if he is ever displeased. You cannot but twinge as you watch these events, secretly hoping that she stands up to this abusive man, but at the same time, knowing it will never happen. But now that Velma has found her brother, I sincerely wish that the trio of women find a way free her from this torment. No one should have to suffer like this, and those who inflict this punishment should have to face the same … cannot wait to see justice leveled upon this monster.
As if the story hasn’t been disturbing enough, I love how Dale Eaglesham and Tom Derenick set the stage for Rufus, clearing out any creatures in Seattle, almost as if they are afraid of something even more inhuman than themselves. The bleakness of these pages shakes us to the bone, and Hi-Fi’s sobering colors paint a landscape which may seem like a deserted neighborhood with the girls talking, and then that credits page sums it up – wrecked cars and desolation as far as you can see; the dull tones help to convey the desperation of people trying to leave and at the same time, the subdued colors of the Gang’s clothes paint the same sadness of having to see what Velma inadvertently caused. All of this build up helps to bring Rufus’ cruelty to a new low, the scene of using mutants for target practice with Daisy protesting is irony at its most sublime – one monster who thinks he is above his fellow abominations and yet his actions speak for the detestable nature of what is inside a human skin. A true Beauty and the Beast, but this time no one would want to rehabilitate this creature once we see what he does to his own wife. That nauseating grin, his contorted round face and the overinflated business suit reminds me of so many corrupt politicians and businessmen, and hopefully, he will be treated to the same end that they fittingly deserve.
As if we didn’t like the mutants before … now we find something even viler than the creatures outside with one inside. This issue proves to us that while someone appears to be human, they are in truth the real monster. Rufus Dinkley, predominant businessman, a leader in corporate America and wife beater – and he considers himself a survivor. If there ever was a chance to evaluate humanity, hopefully, this prime example will not be the one who is to be judged for our actions. This is one villain which I will enjoy watching fall from grace after he tries to justify his actions, and then collapse into a weeping mass or attempt to scare his captors to let him go … either way, I hope he will not last long and suffers a fitting end.
Grade: A
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: April 12, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
