Everyone deals with grief differently … unless they don’t face it.
Creative Staff:
Writers: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Tom Mandrake
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
What They Say:
With one of their own dead, the members of the Scooby gang wrestle with their grief. But there’s precious little time to mourn, because a new threat is rising-one that may spell an end to the gang’s hope of building a haven for the survivors of the nanite plague.
Content: (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s been six months since the loss of one of their own … Fred Herman Jones passed shortly after the happiest moment in his life, one from which he and Daphne were never meant to be content. The place that he died was once called Henry Hudson Mall, but now in his memory, it has been rechristened as Jonestown, in a fitting tribute. The survivors of the wasteland have gathered in this place, all seeking hope from the nanite plague, but in retrospect, they too have had to deal with the passing of cherished ones. However, the Mystery Gang has been impacted by his death the most, whereby none of the assembled truly know the depth of his memory to those who knew him best. While they have tried to move on with their lives, the only one who cannot is the one who was to become his fiancée … Dared-headed. She was there for his final moments, to feel the last breath escape his lungs and most of all – to know she failed to protect the one person she eventually admitted she loved.
Although the rest of the Gang try to existing within this makeshift fortress tolerable, their red-headed leader is taking Fred’s loss the hardest, lashing out and bottling up her feelings. Daisy sees to allowing daily life to run smoothly, Velma and Shaggy negotiate with settlers to make sure they solve problems before they arise, but all Daphne does is sulk around the expansive layout. People have learned to avoid her menace, steer clear of her steely gaze, but when she does overhear their whispers of her being crazy, she brushes them aside, not caring about other opinions … the most important thing is what she thinks about herself. Failure – the one time she let someone into her heart and Fred dies before she can tell him how she truly feels about this lovesick friend. But the worst part is none of them can properly mourn this passing when his corpse is nowhere to be found, someone or something took him before they could recover the body. This misplaced anger cannot be contained for long and she must release the frustration before it eats her up inside more than it has, but as she departs for the latest safari to vent her pain, something has found a way into the safety of Jonestown. Will this protector lose someone dear again or is there someone else who can take her grim place?
In Summary:
After the fallout from the last repercussive issue, I was quite honestly looking forward to seeing how writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis would deal with the death of Fred, and they do not disappoint in expanding on the subject of loss over a loved one. However, I would prefer to see how the characters coped without the time skip, instead showing us the direct effects after the previous bombshell; to leave off with such a beautifully poignant ending was moving for this a iconic character, but to use this clichéd narrative device seemed a bit impassive since the reader cannot relate to how the rest of the Mystery Gang deals with the death, instead only seeing what happens after all of the emotional baggage has been put away. A few pages would have been enough to allow the audience to sympathize with the people who we have been emotionally invested for the past twenty-five issues and see how the current relationships developed, but at the same time, I can understand a need to progress to the next chapter in order to keep the story moving forward. However while most have learned to cope with this loss, there are still touching moments connecting our hero with the present, and of course, Daphne’s survivor’s guilt is the most obvious and painful of all symptoms.
This woman, a caustic leader who chose to bottle up her emotions for Fred and her friends, although through the series she managed to open up to the rest of the Gang, there was still one door which she refused to open for the person she held dearest to her heart. Those unfortunate ones amongst us who can empathize with this kind of loss know how Daphne feels, instead of wanting to share her pain she instead chooses to embrace and use it, to lash out at the unfairness which she thinks the world have granted unto her alone. This same sadistic place who have turned so many into monsters now corrupts its greatest champion, all to show she is too is vulnerable to the same pain which she has shouldered for others. Instead of facing the demon within, Blake adorns it with more hatred, allowing it to grow in strength and consume its master until she reins in the temper against those she has sworn to protect, only then going out on her safaris, all to sate the hunger of that beast. These excursions prove she still has control, but the anger and hatred she feels for herself are an indication of what is to come – either taking control and allowing her friends to help or allowing the suffering consume her, turning Daphne Blake into a beast who may be worse than the monsters to conquer. Time can only tell …
As we try to take account for the passing of our lovesick friend, this issue has a much more somber tone, in both illustrative and visual color treatments, which helps to solidify the effect Fred’s death had on everyone, whether directly or indirectly. The impressive drawings of Tom Mandrake have a solemnity which the series lacked before but it works for the new attitude, showing an environment not as frenetic as before, but showing signs of settlement, however still reminding us we are in an apocalyptic world. You can still see the outlines of the mall, although the exterior has been heavily fortified, allowing the opening splash to expresses an oppressive gloom which was never seen which such force before. In previous issues, there was always a sense of hope, but Mandrake suppresses this luxury, especially in the faces of the survivors. Everyone now has a job to do, and it this sternness which appears to have made everyone placid in this new security, all except for Daphne. You cannot but feel the internal conflict within her hunched over stature and the seething anger hidden behind her face, almost as if she is a predator ready to pounce.
And yet all of these pages would not be as effective without the magnificent colors of Hi-Fi’s muffled palette. The solid influence of shadows adds a veil to the cast and muted colors help to amplify the effect of Fred’s passing it has on the main characters. While they are all still expressive, a heavier line weight on every element makes you feel the passing of time has had an effect on their previous attitudes, once confident in being able to survive another day, now with safety now secured, everyone has become poignant by the lack of facial definition. While this overall tone may seem depressing, this more forceful mood helps to carry over once we encounter Daphne’s torment, ruthlessly reflecting the anger she still holds inside. This is how you make the reader care for our now vulnerable heroine, even as she goes to every effort to satisfy the anger she still feels for herself.
While I still want to see what immediately happened to the Mystery Gang after Fred’s passing, such as how they comforted each other and why Shaggy is not with Daisy, this issue is extremely sobering after such a major event. To see this dysfunctional family suddenly become a coherent group capable of leading others seems a bit far-reaching, considering how they were always bickering before the time skip; then add to the confusion of seeing their once-indomitable tower of strength a shell of her former self makes this leap a bit hard to swallow, so perhaps a flashback would be a plausible solution in a future issue to show how things turned around. However, with things as they are now, the tension and everyday stress are a subdued substitute for their struggle which made this title a rewarding page turner, almost as if this issue is a melodramatic intermission until the next epic enemy exposes their ugly face. For now, the epic cliffhanger and Daphne’s hasty departure will have to serve as an appetizer until we return to the action-packed fun of this amazing title.
Grade: A
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: June 13th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
