Night of the Living Fred!

Night of the Living Fred! is the single story in Scooby Apocalypse #30, by DC Comics.

Premise
While Daphne contemplates what she'll do when she finds Fred, Scooby gets a sudden boost of intelligence.

Synopsis
Daphne puts a rifle underneath her chin and is about to pull the trigger...

Daphne is alerted to Scooby being accidentally electrocuted by Daisy. She is mad at her for believing she killed him, but he surprises them by telling Daphne to not think the worst, before he surprises himself that he can talk in complete sentences and rather articulately, too. He gets checked out by Velma, who discovers that the prototype chip implanted in him received a massive power surge.

Daphne, who is rather sullen, bursts out with laughter. But this doesn't last long as Velma and Shaggy reveal that Fred, who was believed to have been killed, is stalking the streets. Daphne wants to leave the base and find him, but this is why they hadn't told her already, out of fear that he is just a monster mimicking Fred. She whistles for Scrappy-Doo to come along. Scooby tries to get Scrappy to reason with Daphne, who threateningly tells him to back off before realising that Scooby is talking clearly. Daphne and Scrappy then leave, ignoring Velma's further protests. Velma then turns to Scooby, to run further tests. Shaggy offers to help, but she is mad with him for some reason, accentuated by her referring to him as Norville. Daisy says that she has a lot on her plate running the base, while offering to talk about it with Shaggy over coffee.

Outside, Daphne and Scrappy are riding a jeep and shooting at monsters, until Daphne hits a big pothole, causing them to violently be knocked out. Daphne sees an abandoned house and goes inside. She finds a photo of the family who once lived there. Daphne is remorseful over the killings, as they were once people. She's also worried about Fred, but Scrappy, in a rare supportive moment, tells her that he has her back. She then says goodbye and leaves to sit outside house, where she prepares the trigger underneath. Suddenly, she hears a familiar, but voice stop her. It's Fred, with green skin and orange eyes, and also surrounded by monsters.

Scrappy is witnessing the whole thing on top of the house, informing some unknown higher power. The man from a secret surveillance room, tells him to not engage and head back to the mall for help, but Scrappy doesn't want to leave Daphne alone. The man insists, but Scrappy can't obey this time. However, before he can do anything, he is knocked out by two monsters from behind, as the man is demanding to know what's happening through Scrappy's dog tag comm.

Characters
Main characters:
 * Daphne Blake
 * Scooby-Doo

Supporting characters:
 * Daisy Dinkley
 * Dr. Velma Dinkley
 * Shaggy Rogers
 * Scrappy-Doo

Villains:
 * Fred Jones
 * Monsters

Other characters:
 * Cliffy
 * Gate guard 1
 * Gate guard 2
 * Chief

Locations

 * New York
 * Albany
 * Henry Hudson Mall

Objects

 * Emotigoggles
 * Velma's googles
 * Daphne's gun

Vehicles

 * Daphne's jeep

Full credits
The following credits try to match how they are displayed in the comic as much as possible:
 * Keith Giffin & J.M. DeMatteis: writers
 * Pat Olliffe & Tom Palmer: artists
 * Hi-Fi: colors
 * Travis Lanham: letters
 * Olliffe & Palmer with Hi-Fi: cover
 * James Harren: variant cover
 * Liz Erickson: assistant editor
 * Harvey Richards: editor
 * Jim Chadwick: idol of millions

Continuity

 * Some of Scooby's time as the prototype "smart dog" was seen in When Shaggy Met Scooby!
 * Fred died in Disaster!, returned as a possessed corpse in The Unexpected!, and found by a rescue team in the previous story.
 * Daphne and Scrappy have built a partnership since The Unexpected!
 * Fred and Daphne were engaged in Prelude to Disaster!
 * Fred, in his new state, bit off his own index finger in the previous story.

Notes/trivia

 * A footnote is made that Spencer Beck of Crystal Cove, California, suggested the title of the story. Crystal Cove is the main setting of the unrelated TV series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
 * Scooby returns after his absence in the previous story.
 * This is the first time one of the Scooby gang attempts suicide.

Miscellaneous

 * "Ruh-roh" count: 1.
 * "Zoinks" count: 0.
 * "Jeepers" count: 0.
 * "Jinkies" count: 0.

Cultural references

 * Cliffy wears a Batman logo on his t-shirt.

Coloring mistakes

 * None known

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities

 * None known.