"I'd have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those darn kids!"
That phrase is so iconic, some people use it who aren't aware it comes from the various iterations of the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons and movies, where the gang investigates some supernatural shenanigans that almost always turn out to be some guy in a mask.
But what if the monsters were real? That's the premise of a thrilling new comic book series called "Scooby Apocalypse," whose first trade paperback is available ($16.99, DC Comics). It's written by fan favorites J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen.
Q: What were your marching orders on "Scooby Apocalypse"?
J.M. DeMatteis: The premise — the Scooby gang in a post-apocalyptic world facing real monsters — was set from the start. That was [DC Comics co-publisher] Jim Lee's original premise. Beyond that, we were pretty much free to do what we wanted with the book. Keith G. and I have been working together for 30 years now, and we'd worked with the amazing [artist] Howard Porter before, so we are a well-oiled machine at this point and I think the folks at DC trust us to keep things interesting.
Keith Giffen: We knew going in that this was going to be a different take on Scooby and crew so the marching orders were pretty loose … but all boiled down to "don't screw it up."
Q: The characterization of the five principals in "Scooby Apocalypse" varies from the movies. What led you to these newish personalities and relationships?
Giffen: I don't give a lot of thought to the characters' personalities when starting a book. Oh, I know who they are and what's been done with them but have never felt bound to that. Character growth should be organic, and that's hard to achieve with a rigid set of behaviors/motivations. My primary objective was to take the established characters and tweak them, is the best way to put it. Confound expectations while respecting what's been done before. Hope I accomplished that.
