Review: Scooby Apocalypse #8

DC Comics
Review: Scooby Apocalypse #8
By Philip Schweier
December 30, 2016 - 09:18

DC Comics
Writer(s): Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis
Penciller(s): Dale Eaglesham, Ron Wagner
Inker(s): Marc Deering, Jose Marzan Jr.
Colourist(s): Hi-Fi
Letterer(s): Travis Lanham
Cover Artist(s): Howard Porter, Hi-Fi; ,Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, Marcelo Maiolo

What if the cartoon characters we’ve loved for decades somehow took a few giants steps toward a more reality-based existence? Almost as if they grew up? That’s what we have here, as the Scooby gang is no longer a few teens driving around in a hippie van. Instead, they’re adults with a firmer grounding in the “real” world – as real as it gets for comic book characters.

In the wake of what appears to be some form of zombie apocalypse, the gang seeks medical help for Freddy. They arrive at a seemingly abandoned hospital, where the team is forced to split up. Shaggy and Scooby are sent in search of medical supplies while Velma and Daphne set Freddy broken leg. This leads to all sorts of mysterious goings on, suggesting the empty hospital isn’t as empty as they initially thought. Gun-toting Daphne later Joins Shaggy and Scoob, leaving Velma to help Fred back to their Mystery Machine (one heavily-armed recreational vehicle).

While the gang may have been updated, the format hasn’t. The team wanders into a strange location, hauntings happen, the team splits up, and soon the meddling kids are on the trail something deeper than a mere ghost. Giffen and DeMatteis offer the proper amount of lunacy to keep that cartoon flavor, but it’s now a cartoon by Ralph Bakshi.

At the same time, the characters relate to one another more realistically. Daphne holds Shaggy in greater regard than she does Velma, whom she believes is somehow responsible for their current situation. It’s easy to draw comparisons with the live-action movies, but this actually takes the franchise further. I can appreciate that.