Written by: Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
Art by: Howard Porter & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
The debut issue of Scooby Apocalypse was the best of the Hanna-Barbera books so far. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it great, but it was enough to keep me interested. Unlike, say, Wacky Raceland, the characters were recognizable, and the set up was fine. It didn’t wow me or anything, but considering my affinity for the many iterations of the cartoon, it was enough to convince me to give the second issue a go.
The follow up is surprisingly disappointing. Which is odd to say, considering I don’t think the debut was amazing. The thing is, the debut didn’t get caught up with contrived dialogue that felt super unnatural. There weren’t awkward attempts to question the morality of the characters. And, above all, the characters weren’t running around with assault rifles, gunning down monsters. Look, I don’t want to go down the road of “it’s not exactly like I used to be, therefore I don’t like it.” I think that’s silly, and it may have played some role in my general dislike of this issue, but there are legitimate issues with it as well.
First and foremost, there’s no reason for this to be as dark as it is. This book feels like it was written for edgy teens who shop at Hot Topic and think they’re super cool because of how goth they are. Which is fine, those people are entitled to do whatever they want with their lives. It’s just not for me, and I’m not even convinced that’s an audience that wants to read this book. The whole affair, much like Wacky Raceland last week, feels out of touch.
The dynamic between the characters is also odd, to say the least. Look, I get that they’re not immediately going to settle into their roles from the cartoons, and that’s fine. But there’s really no sign that they’re even heading in that direction. Even if they were, I’m not convinced that it would be interesting to see unfold. The characters definitely talk a whole bunch, but the dialogue just isn’t all that interesting. It’s not even unnecessary exposition – it’s a legitimate attempt at fleshing out these characters. I wouldn’t even go so far as to call it bad, it was just kind of boring.
Even the art feels that way. I mean, Porter’s art looks fine, but it’s not anything to write home about. I’ve talked quite a bit about DC’s house style, and surprisingly, this is very much that. Which isn’t inherently bad – there are a whole slew of artists that do DC books that I really like. The thing is, even though the style isn’t necessarily unique, they’re able to make their art feel dynamic. And usually Porter does that, but his usual flair just isn’t here. I almost get the sense that this book is a chore for him to do, and that’s rather unfortunate.
It really does sadden me that I’m saying all of this about a Scooby-Doo comic. When this line was first announced, I was excited about all of the series. And granted, we haven’t seen what Flinstones has in store yet, but nothing about this line has impressed me yet. The first issue of this series was just enough to get me to come back, Future Quest was kind of whatever, and Wacky Raceland was offensively bad. This issue isn’t that, it’s just kind of boring, and in some ways, that may very well be worse.
