Review: SCOOBY APOCALYPSE is the SCOOBY-DOO adult series fans want

A couple of months ago, I was at my local comic shop looking for a gift for my wife. She had expressed an interest in some comics. As I was looking around, there was a cartoon that caught my eye: Scooby Apocalypse. At the behest of the shop owner who had read it and sung his praises, I purchased the first volume of Scooby Apocalypse as well as the comic for my wife. I finished that volume and I’m here to report that it’s an amazing read that you should go read now.

Scooby Apocalypse was a comic series released starting in May 2016 and ran for 36 issues. Written by Keith Giffen AND JM DeMatteis with art of Howard Porter, Dale EagleshamAND Pat Oliffe and published by DC Comics. Each volume of the series collects six issues. The story is one that I think fans have been dying for and probably missed out on because of the comic book format. It’s a remake of the Scooby-Doo universe more suitable for teenagers and adults. I don’t want to spoil too much, but in short it’s a story about an apocalyptic version of Scooby-Doo where the monsters are real and Mystery Incorporated must save the day. If you’ve ever wanted a more adult version of Scooby-Doo, is fantastic! There are many monsters, killer weapons, heavy story components and fantastic art. Here is a description I found via the Scooby-Doo Wiki.

“Meddling Kids” and their Mystery Machine are at the center of a well-meaning experiment gone awry, and they’ll need to use all their mystery-solving skills (along with loads of Scooby Snacks) to find a cure for a world filled with mutant creatures infected with a nanite virus that heightens their fears, terrors and baser instincts. This time, the horrors are real in this near-future apocalyptic wasteland!

Now, I want to be clear that I’ve only read the first issue so far and so maybe after this the story goes downhill. I don’t think it will though. The owner of my local comic shop is pretty good at recommending solid comics and is enthusiastic about them. This brings me to a huge gripe that I have though. I’ve found that it’s not too hard to find physical versions of Scooby Apocalypse vol. 1, but the other volumes seem impossible to physically get unless you’re willing to pay $50+ per volume. My local comic shop has gone to order me copies of the other volumes and for whatever reason DC has decided not to print them again despite the fact that my local comic shop owner says it is still a big selling comic. What the heck DC? It’s not even that old! You could make a killing by publishing a nice hardcover collection. I know I would buy it.

We’re now going to get into spoiler territory, so be warned. If you stop reading here, I strongly suggest you check if your local comic store has any of the volumes you can buy, if your local library has copies you can lend out, or worst case scenario: buy a digital version on your platform favorite (I personally like comiXology).

This story is truly phenomenal! Daphne is a reporter who used to work with large media companies, but after a couple of mishaps of hers her show was relegated to the knitwear channel at a dark time. Fred is her cameraman and, if I’m being honest, he’s the weakest link in the group. At least so far, he feels a little silly, but he’s still very genuine. Shaggy is a dog trainer for a secret military operation that he doesn’t even know half of, Scooby is a dog from a smart dog program in said military operation, and Velma practically runs the military operation with only the Mysterious Four above. she. It’s also a big reason why the world is now a living nightmare.

He was working with the Four to create nanites to infest everyone in the world. The idea was to use these nanites to remove negative qualities in humans and create a more peaceful world. Unfortunately the Four then decided to change the plans to make people more docile and controllable. This leads her to contact Daphne in an attempt to show the world the truth and stop these evil plans. Unfortunately, something happens while Velma is telling Daphne, Fred, Shaggy and Scooby and the world falls apart.

We don’t know the full story yet, but something happened and now all but these four humans and Scooby have turned into monsters like vampires and ghouls. Daphne is pissed at Velma because, the way she sees it, Velma is responsible for it. Velma is trying to convince herself that it is not her fault and it is not the nanites that are causing this, but something else. Daphne breaks down as she refuses to give up the humanity within the monsters she is now forced to kill in defense of herself. There’s a lot of heavy stuff in here. I think Shaggy might be my favorite in this iteration. He’s probably the one doing his best to keep it all together despite her suddenly finding out what her employer has been up to. I love this exploration! I also really appreciate the fact that the band doesn’t know each other at the beginning. Fred and Daphne know each other and Scooby and Shaggy know each other, but Velma is a recluse and so Shaggy knows who Velma is, but they don’t know each other.

Scooby Apocalypse it is a very addictive comic. The art is great. The characters look like people you’d find in a good post apocalyptic show (it kind of reminds me of one of my favourites, Jericho). There’s even exciting stuff like when you find out that Scrappy-Doo is a character in this one and he hates Scooby enough to want to kill him! Please go read this comic. It’s absolutely amazing and worth your time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go read five more volumes of Scooby Apocalypse.