Scooby Apocalypse #21 – Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, Writers; Ron Wagner, Penciller; Andy Owens, Inker; Hi-Fi, Colorist, Phil Jimenez, Backup Artist
Rating:
Ray – 6.5/10
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
The interesting thing about Scooby Apocalypse #21 – that doesn’t quite make it an effective story, but does make it more unique than it would have been otherwise – is how utterly seriously it takes itself. It’s the Mystery Machine crew vs. monsters, yeah, but it has far more in common with a more surreal version of things like Dawn of the Dead than it does with Scooby Doo. That’s never more clear than with this issue, which picks up after a two-month time jump, as the crew has gotten tired of driving around in search of new survivors. Instead, they’ve decided to find a new base of operation and set their eyes on a large, abandoned mall. Obviously, that’s the most famous setting for a zombie movie possible – and it also doesn’t end well for the people inside.
What I can say for this Scooby Apocalypse is that it does seem to put some serious thought into character dynamics. There’s been some progress in relationships since we last saw them. Daphne and Velma seem to finally have a working relationship, Cliff and Scooby seem to have bonded after the death of Scrappy (if he’s dead), and Fred and Shaggy have a growing conflict over a potential love interest. Given how flat the characters have been for most of the series, that’s a plus.
There’s still a bit too much generic monster action and shooting, but there are some nicely tense action segments along the way. The backup, featuring Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole, is mostly notable for how utterly seriously it takes itself. Phil Jimenez is on hand to do the art for a short segment that has many more explosions and killer lady robots than one would expect from a cartoon about a talking squirrel.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
