Scooby Apocalypse #34 – JM DeMatteis, Heath Corson, Writers; Pat Olliffe, Penciller; Tom Palmer, Inker; Gus Vasquez, Backup Artist; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 5/10
It’s the final arc of Scooby Apocalypse, and all the enemy forces are converging on the post-apocalyptic mall where the Mystery Machine crew has made their home in Scooby Apocalypse #34. The last issue introduced the final “big bad” of the series, the Nanite King – an evil self-aware collection of nanites who seems to be heavily patterned after the Ice King from Game of Thrones. He narrates the beginning and end of the issue, and seems to have contempt for humans as a whole – he believes the monsters are superior to our species and should supplant them. It’s a pretty generic motivation for a non-human villain, so really all there is to him is generic menace. But the fact that he can control the monster hordes makes him a major threat.
The most interesting part of this threat isn’t anything about the Nanite King – it’s that he’s set up as an opponent to Fred Jones, who seems to be evolving into the monster messiah.
As the series has entered its final act, I’ve been interested in this resurrected Fred’s slow change from zombified villain to an uneasy ally of the living characters, and this issue takes that in a new direction when it becomes clear he can absorb the nanites and neutralize the invading hordes.
His interaction with the other survivors is still…iffy, but it seems like this is moving towards putting the gang back together. Velma and her brothers’ complex relationship continues to develop, but I was not pleased by the attempt to reunite Daisy and Rufus this issue and to explain his past abusive behavior. I guess they need to shuffle her off-panel somehow now that Shaggy and Velma are together.
The Atom Ant backup, as usual, is the highlight of the issue. This issue, Superman is the guest-star, which leads to a hilarious game of tag between Atom Ant and the Super-Pets. DC definitely needs to give Corson some more work.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
