Scooby Dooby Doo

An old favourite reimagined is always a complicated beast. Some are good (Danger Mouse), some are bad (Wombles, I'm looking at you... and any of the other CGId shows).

So, to Scooby Apocalypse Volume 1...

Our team of meddling kids come together to fight a very real monster apocalypse. And so far these monsters don't appear to be creepy caretakers in costumes.

The idea in this first collection of issues is that the gang come together when Velma realises she needs to blow the whistle on what the company she works for is trying to do. She can't go to the big media outlets, there are too many watchful eyes, but down on her luck reporter, Daphne and her camera man Fred might be her answer. They might not have the ratings anymore, but Daphne is determined, and always after the truth.

Meanwhile Shaggy has got a job at Velma's company to train dogs in their smart dog program. Scooby Doo, the original smart dog, isn't up to the same standards and the new intake, and when Shaggy see's he's in trouble with the pack he takes an interest. From there on, the two are inseparable.

As a re-imagining of one of my favourite childhood programs I think it works well. It was a bit of a hard sell seeing them all in a new light, but the illustrations were great. They've gone from the wholesome 60s teens to a sexy action hero-esque look befitting of an apocalyptic story line.

Honestly, I'm not sure how this would appeal to someone who wasn't already acquainted with Scooby Doo. That being said, it's quite difficult reading it without hearing the original voices... which isn't an issue with Scooby or Velma, but the other three don't really fit with the existing character in my head.

I think that Scooby could never really change much, he still has most of the same traits, but probably just a little more protective. Velma is still wonderfully nerdy, with a little more guilt. But both of those are explained away because of the nature of the story. It's a bit perplexing to me that Fred and Shaggy are, quite frankly, buff. Fred really isn't much different I guess, he's still a bit of a scaredy cat. But Shaggy has gone full on hipster, which as a transplant to Bristol, I'm completely down for, but he's not the same gangly guy we're a fan of.

Ruh-roh... where do we start with Daphne though? This is probably the only bit that I really object to in the whole thing... what can I say? Only that she may well have been Scooby's mum. I don't like angry Daphne at all, especially as she is so back and forth too. I'm angry. I'm calm. Get away from me. Let's be friends. Because of this, she is the easiest to detach from my existing Scooby gang knowledge... but even without that link I don't like her. I'm sure there was some middle ground she could have occupied that was less irritating.

Overall it's easy to follow, the illustration is great and well thought out, and it is a novel take on the dynamic of these characters. The story sticks with some of the traditional monster ideas we'd expect from Scooby Doo, but with a twist on how they got there. I don't want to spoil it for you which is why I haven't said much about it, but I like the idea and look forward to seeing where it goes. I will finish by saying that I think it's great we see Scrappy... and I really enjoyed they way his character transformation has gone.

Ruh-roh! What am I going to read next?!