I love what DC is doing with the original Hanna-Barbara line. They keep the feel for the original characters but bring them a modern-day sensibility, what they’ve done with the Flintstones is phenomenal. And they do equally good work with Norville Rogers best friend. This issue opens with Shaggy and Velma entering a secret installation disguised as a paper mill. With the dialog we get some exposition, for those new to the series, as to who these characters really are. In this incarnation of Scooby-Doo; Velma is an atheist, Shaggy is a bit braver than his cartoon counterpart (though only a bit,) though he abhors violence, and it seems that Daphne is prone to violence. Despite this titles reaching for realism it appears Scooby can still talk, although he looks more like a real Great Dane than his Saturday morning counter-part. Daphne is protective of Fred like an old mother hen because she’s afraid of losing him. All in all this is a Christmas issue that’s great stuff!
The Creative Team:
With so many awesome scribes working on this issue we can expect impressive story telling and this team delivers, living up to their reputation. The characters are more three-dimensional in this series and we’re treated to realistic conversation that helps us understand the characters better, including which version of A Christmas Carol several of them prefer. Their cinematic preferences say a lot about their individual personalities, stuff like this doesn’t exist in a lot of comic books and it should. The authors of this tale have Shaggy going back to get Daphne because he feels the need for protection, even though Velma already told him why she didn’t bring her along. When Daphne finally finds Velma she’s doing something (no spoilers here) that she finds appalling and there’s a little friction between our main characters. Well thought out plot and character development.
Owens and company have good insight to these characters and their renderings remind us of a cross between the animated versions of the characters and their movie counterparts, with one exception. My only criticism of this version is the way Shaggy is drawn. It doesn’t hurt my views of them too much nor does it affect my liking of the stories. But Shaggy in this version has stylized hair and a full beard also the beginnings of a handle bar mustache. He looks like a cross between Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and Farrell, from DC’s old Star Hunters series. ( a title I really enjoyed but fell victim to the DC implosion of the ’70’s.) I much prefer the mop top and slight goatee. Much like Bob Denver’s Maynard G. Krebs from the old Dobie Gillis TV shows (upon which Scooby Doo was based in the first place.) It’s like he was struggling to grow a beard but just couldn’t muster the hair. But hey, I may grow used to the more mature Shaggy, who knows. But otherwise the artistic chores are well realized and the story is enhanced by these fantastic panels. I really enjoyed this story.
In Conclusion:
The team is desperately seeking a cure for the monster plague. Meanwhile Daphne and Shaggy do some soul-searching about Daphne’s actions in the previous issue. Did she really need to pull that trigger? Cliffy’s grief comes to the forefront as he’s trying to deal with the death of his friend and the shock and realization of what happened finally sets in. It all reaches to a horrific climax as Velma gathers her Mystery Machine team together and reveals…To be continued. **** (8.9 rating)
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis
Art -Â Ron Wagner
Inks – Andy Owens
Colors – Hi-Fi
Letters – Travis Lanham
Publisher – DC Comics
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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