REVIEW: ‘Scooby Apocalypse,’ Issue #36

It’s a bittersweet moment when one of your favorite series is coming to an end. I’ve really loved reading the Scooby Apocalypse series from DC Comics and it’s upsetting to know that it’s ending. A part of me is thankful for having found this comic but I can’t help but feel a bit sad to know that this is the end of this incredible adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. But just like with any conclusion of a story, there’s a tendency to build up high expectations for an epic yet satisfying conclusion. It pains me to say that Scooby Apocalypse #36 did just the opposite.

Scooby Apocalypse #36 is written by J.M. DeMatteis, penciled by Pat Olliffe, colored by Hi-Fi Color, and lettered by Travis Lanham. Having picked up where issue #35 left off, The Nanite King invades the Complex Beta building and gives one of our heroes an ultimatum. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang prepares for a final assault on the Nanite King and an end this apocalypse once and for all. Tensions are high as time begins to wind down to the inevitable confrontation with what can only be called the greatest challenge that Mystery Inc. has ever faced.

One of my main problems with this conclusion is how quickly everything seemed to wrap up. The story started to progress rapidly during the last issue, but it wasn’t as bad as it is with this issue. The Nanite King was meant to be this big threat that had been teased for the past few issues, but in the end, he ended up just being the stereotypical villain who is out for world domination claiming that he’s doing all for good intentions.

It felt like I was reading one of Shakespeare’s romances in regards to how several relationships were written in this issue. One of the tropes for Shakespeare’s romances is that it always ends with the main characters falling in love or seeing them get married. In the comic, all dilemmas established before between Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred all seemed to have been pointless. It seems like these problems would’ve had a much bigger impact on the series had it not been canceled.

The final confrontation between the heroes and the Nanite King was very anticlimactic. Any hope that I had in this playing out with a bit more action and emotions jumped out the window. They offer such a rushed explanation as to how our heroes are even a match for the villain that it’s hard to understand why they couldn’t have come up with something like this in any of the previous issues. With the way the comic was presenting itself and how incredible the story has been since the first issue, this was really disappointing.

I can’t say I enjoyed reading the conclusion to Scooby Apocalypse. From the quick plot progression, anticlimactic battle, and just overall lack of emotion, it’s sad seeing one of my favorite series ending like this. This has been one of the best adaptations of the Scooby-Doo series since the Cartoon Network show Mystery Incorporated. It’s what I always imagined the series would evolve into. I’d love to go back and read the series one day, but the way it ended, I might just have to hold off for a while.

Scooby Apocalypse #36 is available now wherever comic books are sold.