Scooby Apocalypse #1 Review

Scooby Apocalypse #1 from DC Comics -

 
    Dr. Velma Dinkley is working for a secret organization running multiple top secret experiments with what the thought was the aim of saving humanity from itself. When she finds out the horrifying truth, she enlists the aid of washed-up TV reporter, Daphne Blake, and her loyal, lovestruck cameraman with a hyperactive imagination, Fred Jones, Jr., to expose the truth to the world. When dog-trainer, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers and his canine pal, Scooby, stumble upon Velma, Daphne and Fred in their secret meeting they are sucked into the dangerous plan to stop Project Elysium - a plan to control all humanity with nanobots embedded in their very bodies! The gang is together again for the first time, and they are on the case to save the world...If they don't kill each other first.

   The masters of dialogue are at it again, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis bring us this groovy, updated version of Scooby and the gang for 2016! Griffen and DeMatteis are in great form; this book is long on humor and witty one liners that are sure to to make you chuckle. Howard Porter's always stellar pencils, and Hi-Fi's always amazing colors make this book pop to the nth degree. When you get Giffen, DeMatteis, Porter and Hi-Fi on one book, there's only one word to describe it: MAGIC. The same endearing love between Scooby and Shaggy is still there, anchoring this book with that familiar Scooby feel, and the backstory on Scooby and Shaggy's friendship will give you all the feels. Shaggy is still Shaggy (with an updated hipster look - but Shaggy always was a hipster) and Scooby is mostly still Scooby - he is a good deal more brave, having had to fight for survival (no spoilers - gotta read the comic to get the skinny on Scooby's secret origin!). But it's not just Scooby, the other guys are a bit different too, and I can't say I enjoyed all of it.

    Velma is great - she hasn't changed too much. She is brilliant, if a bit aloof, and has a heroic streak that is a mile wide. Over the years, Daphne has morphed into a much stronger character - no more kidnappings for her - but in this comic, she is on the borderline of being overbearing and unlikable. Freddie has morphed into a paranoid, lovestruck, simp that jumps at his own shadows, which is a far cry from the Freddie that I used to know - I was very disappointed by how Freddie was written here. Sometimes, it seems that writers believe that in order to make the female characters stronger, they have to make them act like a-holes, and then surround them with male cowards and idiots; I hope that does not take place in this comic.

    In any case, I have nothing but confidence in Giffen, DeMatteis, Porter and Hi-Fi - The Four Horsemen of Comics - they have never let me down. There is certainly a lot of potential for awesomeness in this comic that I don't want to miss out on, and there is definitely some magic already present - enough to keep me around for the first arc, at the very least. All in all, this is a beautiful book, with lots of humor, an interesting story, with great art and colors, and with familiar characters that are all not so familiar at all. I can dig it, baby. Count me in.

RATING: 8 out 10. I guess I'll get involved, till the mystery is solved. :D