Scooby Apocalypse #36 – JM DeMatteis, Heath Corson, Writers; Pat Olliffe, Penciller; Tom Palmer, Inker; Gus Vasquez, Backup Artist; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 6/10
The DCU’s most bizarre experiment, Scooby Apocalypse, comes to a close after three years, and with it seems to go the Hanna-Barbera line that gave us books ranging from the brilliant (Future Quest) to the unspeakably awful (Wacky Raceland). Scooby Apocalypse was never on either of those extremes, but this hard-boiled Walking Dead-inspired take on the Mystery Machine crew facing a monster apocalypse never quite won me over. This final arc that ends with Scooby Apocalypse #36 pits what remains of the crew – including a Nanite-resurrected Fred Jones – against the mysterious Nanite King. This clearly Game of Thrones-inspired big bad is a sentient hive-mind that believes humans are the core of the Earth’s problems and need to be wiped out. He presents his “mother” Velma with the chance to become a nanite being before he destroys the rest of the crew.
Not a great choice, and he sort of falls down as the main villain due to just how little was done with him.
The ending delivers enough drama to be one of the better issues of the series, featuring the deaths of two major characters and enough of a reset to leave the story on a hopeful note.
A few times it goes too far in trying to remind us that these are our favorite animated characters – a literal group hug scene, for instance. Overall, it was a failed experiment but one that put way more effort in than I expected based on the first few issues.
The Atom Ant backup continues to be the best thing to ever come out of this series, as Atom Ant and Itty face the jury of Justice League members to determine who gets membership. Some funny barbs, such as Aquaman opposing Fish and Chips day at the cafeteria, made me laugh. The ultimate resolution is perfect for the little egomaniac ant, and the whole package is one of the funniest things to come out of the Hanna-Barbera line. This deserved to be a one-shot or mini.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
