I have a problem here. I like pickles. I like milkshakes. I like rollercoasters. But the thought of drinking a pickle-flavoured milkshake whilst riding a rollercoaster makes me want to hurl. Do you get what I’m saying here? Okay, try Scooby Apocalypse #4: Fur And Fangs! out for size.
Picking up from the last issue, out team of not-quite-Mystery-Inc go on a shopping (or looting) spree at a nearby convenience store. It makes sense, because while the Mystery Machine may contain lots of firepower it doesn’t have much in the way of food, medicine or equipment. Velma needs a new laptop, Shaggy and Scooby need potato chips, Fred needs to explain why he loves Daphne so much, and Daphne needs something to complain about. Oh, and they’re attacked by a vampire.
Meanwhile, across the monster-infested wasteland, a new threat arises in the form of the best and brightest of the Smart Dog project: Scrappy-Doo. Back at the convenience store, Velma continues to uncover clues about what appears to be the end of civilisation itself. But with our heroes too busy bonding instead of watching their backs, will the apocalypse be one mystery they can’t solve?
Simply put, this series is a pickle milkshake on a rollercoaster.
I love Scooby-Doo. I grew up watching the originals, and I’m not so inflexible that I haven’t enjoyed other incarnations of the characters too. I also love the creative team on this. I’ve followed their work for years and they’ve always been amazing. The writing, dialogue and art in this series is fantastic and truly does deserve praise.
The problem is that no matter how much I love Scooby-Doo and this comic book’s creators, and the work they’re doing on it too, I just don’t love this book. While it continues to build the characters well and the mystery holds potential, it seems like it’s going nowhere fast. It doesn’t help that Daphne continues to be entirely unlikeable, and the whole story feels uncomfortably like a Walking Dead rip-off. It’s hard to point the finger of blame here, although it may just be the concept which doesn’t fit. Whatever it is, Scooby Apocalypse #4 doesn’t work.
This pickle milkshake on a rollercoaster disagrees with me. Other people have different tastes though, so it may be just what they want. But personally, the sum of its individual parts are definitely greater than the whole. I won’t stop liking the ingredients, but this recipe is one for disaster.
