When the world is falling apart, there is only one thing to do … shop till you drop!
Creative Staff:
Writers: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
Artists: Ron Wagner & Andy Owens
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
What They Say:
The world as we know it is gone! The gang is left with two options: Save whoever they can or watch as the human race fades into extinction!
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Fred and Daphne still scouting the Henry Hudson Mall and long overdue, the rest of the Gang are beginning to worry about their condition. Arguing like little children in deciding on whether to go in or wait, Velma and Shaggy are still unsure if they need or want to go in, especially if it means wading through the disgusting sewer ways. However inside the shopping facility, the situation is much more dire than anyone could imagine, with the main court littered with monster corpses. As the unlikely couple wait in anticipation to figure out the situation, they notice a few strange things: the creatures appear to have killed each other and they are wearing crude armor adorned with the names of competing department stores. While the assumption seems ridiculous, the carnage makes one thing clear – they appear to parts of opposing armies.
With the fiery redhead still wanting to find out what happened, she tells Fred to alert the other as she steps forward to reconnoiter the area. Calming everyone nerves with a much anticipated phone call, the rest of the Gang are brought up to speed with the antics within the mall, but no one has any solution to what to do next, aside from joining them. Alarmed as to their conclusion, Daphne warns them not to come inside, but of course Velma opposes the ruling and states if they don’t call back within fifteen minutes, they are coming in after them. But of course, the bespectacled scientist has no intention of waiting with Shaggy, instead arming up and prepare to storm the building. However as they prepare to come inside, their fearless leader is spotted running for her life as she hears the ominous groans of the creatures coming closer to their position. It is only then does the true horror of life within a mall come to bear … even with the end of the world, there is still a need to shop?
In Summary:
Finally, with all of the pain and misery we have been witness to in the past months, now have an issue which unleashes the comical side of the series, if that is truly possible after the apocalypse. As the story progresses, you cannot but wonder how writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis came up with the idea for this story arc, and then it becomes clear if you think about zombies and a mall. Dead Rising, an iconic video game by which survivors of an undead cataclysm converge upon a shopping arcade to acquire food, supplies and a place to gather until the authorities arrive to save them. While Scooby Apocalypse may not have the same optimistic ending as that piece of entertainment, the premise is similar if not with the same in the Gang’s need to reinforce their position as a salvation within this devastated world. But at the same time, this story is so entertaining when you think about when and where these two maniacal geniuses came up with the idea – or as Fred mentions, Black Friday. This mass consumer abomination of shopping for the best deals during the holiday season is truly meaningful within the narrative, and the equivalency of how crazy people will go to any lengths to save money … even to the ends of the world? The central premise of this story carries those ideas to the Nth degree, of how that same phenomenon can drive these mutants to arm themselves to defend their favored place to shop? However the most hilarious part was the mantra of these deluded creatures – the same one so many of the living chant in their entranced state during that day of frantic bargains: “Shop till you drop!” You cannot but burst out laughing when you read those words, but coming out of the mouth of these deluded monsters, and they really mean it this time! But to tie everything together through Daphne’s monologue of how survivors and monster may not be so different, where she is trying to be serious, through afterthought it brings another disarming layer as the introduction to the delightful scene. This is how you make the audience remember an issue, however deliberate or unintentional it may be, it combines into a moment which is now my favorite.
With these details now etched into memory, the opening scenes do not signal anything of what is to come, which is what makes this conflict all the more memorable. I can now fully appreciate how the talents of Ron Wagner and Andy Owens bring to light a solemnity to the moment, allowing worries of those left outside to heighten our sense of dread as we see their concern for their friends. And it is this foreshadowing which makes the opening splash all the more powerful, seeing the carnage of the previous battles, corpses strewn about and displayed for all to see. However what makes it all the more powerful is Hi-Fi’s subdued palette which casts a ominous shadow upon the illustrations, granting us an image which is grotesque with gore splattered around, but at the same time, a sinister darkness which is the calm before the storm. It is this elegance of artistic stylings which allows the audience to be put at ease, as if they are watching an unassuming horror movie, not knowing what is to come next – which is what makes the story all the more satisfying. But even within all of this somber creepiness, almost as if Fred and Daphne are intruding into a crypt dedicated to consumerism, you cannot but stare in amazement as to all of the greeked names on stores, and wonder how many you can identify as they wander the mall. While some may be obvious, the others seem to sneak in hints to people we know, even if we can’t identify them. However what makes the issue of course, is the chaos of shopping freaks, armed with makeshift weapons and armor emblazed with their beloved retailer, ready to defend that brand even in mutated death. Marvelously detailed characters all mixed within a diorama of organic brutality disguised as sanity, it this kind of artistic talent which makes a comic book something more sophisticated, but at the same, reminds us fantasy and reality are just a page turn away.
Just when I thought the story had started to become static and monotonous, Scooby Apocalypse slips in an issue which turns everything on its head … much to the delight of its fans. With nods to maniac shopping and the insanity of the holidays, this amazing creative team lures us into the story, only to give us something unexpected, which is a delightful treat. With a new story arc beginning, this is just the turn we needed to keep it from becoming stale and allow us to wonder what kind of tidbits will be following this appetizer for the buffet of frenzy that is to come.
Grade: A+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: February 14, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
