Welcome to your weekend edition of Comics Relief, where today the big news is all about a pup named Scooby-Doo. Read on for the full scoop…

DC reinvents Classic Hanna-Barbera properties for modern times

You know that big DC Comics Rebirth we’ve been talking about? Well…this isn’t it. But it is at DC, and it is a rebirth of sorts, but for the titles based on classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons. So if you were really jonesing to see a version of Shaggy who looks like a hipster, well…you’re in luck.

First comic out of the gate is Scooby Apocalypse, a comic that transports Scooby Doo and his Mystery Inc. pals into an apocalyptic future. Next up, The Flintstones have been redesigned by Amanda Conner, with Mark Russell writing. DC co-publisher Dan Didio added that “what you’ll see is that Amanda Conner really looked at the Flintstones and found a way to move them forward, even though they’re set in the past.” I guess this means smart phones made out of rock.

Mad Max: Fury Road designer Mark Sexton and Ken Pontac are tackling Wacky Raceland, but the coolest by far looks to be Future Quest, which brings together all of the Hanna-Barbera action heroes like Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Birdman, The Galaxy Trio, and more. These are done in a retro style by Darwyn Cooke, Evan “Doc” Shaner, and Jeff Parker. For more info and artwork, check out our full story here. [Nerdist]

Fight Club 2 will go scratch n’ sniff for final issue

Admit it…when watching the scenes of a sweaty Edward Norton getting beat to a pulp in a dank basement with Brad Pitt looking on in Fight Club, you were thinking “I wonder what this smells like?” If you were thinking that, then Dark Horse Comics has got you covered. The publisher is sending out 10,000 scratch-and-sniff bookmarks coinciding with the final issue of Fight Club 2, by writer/creator Chuck Palahniuk. These bookmarks are numbered to correspond to clues in these final issues.

And there is even a contest attached! Each of the scents represent a smell from a specific panel and scene from Fight Club 2, and fans are being asked to submit their guesses for all five smells to JoinProjectMayhem.com. Palahniuk will choose a grand-prize winner and ten runners-up at random to receive prize packs and signed copies of the Fight Club 2 hardcover. If you’re interested, you can visit JoinProjectMayhem.com/Contest for the complete rules and a list of participating retailers. [Newsarama]

Barbie gets ready to go to space

Mattel’s #1 girl Barbie has been making the news again lately, thanks to finally adding more than one body type for a new series of dolls. But Barbie isn’t just a line of dolls and the occasional animated movie, she also stars in comics. An upcoming Barbie comic will take the character into outer space for a sci-fi adventure.

Created by Mattel Brands and Tini Howard (Posiedon IX), the new series Barbie Starlight #1 will be published in September from Papercutz. Not much is known about the story, but it already looks more like Jem and the Holograms than anything in the Jem movie. You can check out the cover for the first issue below. [Bleeding Cool]

Walmart testing dedicated graphic novel section

Are you in that part of the country where the nearest comic book store is miles away, but there are three Walmarts around the corner? Well, good news for you, as Walmart is looking to test a dedicated graphic novels section in some fifty stores right now. This is following up on a partnership Walmart already has with Marvel and Viz Media. If this series of fifty stores tests well, then expect them to expand soon. Then more ways fans can get their hands on comic books and graphic novels, which can only be a good thing. For more info, click on the following link: [Newsarama]

Retails to get Aftershock Comics samples in February

Aftershock Comics was probably the biggest announcement for a new publisher last year, with an all-star lineup of creators. But in this day and age, it’s hard for a retailer to take a chance on yet another new label, even if it has the likes of Garth Ennis and Amanda Conner on board. So in an effort to show what they’ve got, on February 17th, retailers will be getting a batch of sample comics from Aftershock, showing off the what the publisher is all about, and this is for both retailers and their customers. [Bleeding Cool]

Archie to releases 100 free digital comics

Publisher Archie Comics has just announced that right now on the Archie App for iOS, you can get one hundred free digital comics, with stories ranging range from some of the first Archie stories ever to more recent crossover comics with popular musicians and television stars. You can also unlock an additional one hundred free digital comics by following @ArchieComics on Twitter and then retweeting the corresponding tweets with the hashtag #ArchieUnlocks.

The publisher will be unlocking bundles of ten comics at a time based on retweet goals. There are ten different bundles of comics available, including classic Archie, Josie & the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and others. [Bleeding Cool]

Dark Horse celebrates 30 years with new variant series

In celebration of 30 years of Dark Horse Comics, the publisher has previewed a series of variant covers from some of the company’s best artists from the past three decades. The initiative starts off with the Hellboy Winter Special, featuring creator Mike Mignola’s variant cover — a throwback to the very first issue of Dark Horse Presents from 1986.

February’s variant will be illustrated by Joelle Jones and come with Tomb Raider #1. Chris Warner will provide March’s variant on Predator: Life and Death #1, and April will see Aliens: Defiance #1 receive a variant from Mark A. Nelson. You can check out the first four variant covers in our gallery below. [Comic Book Resources]

—

IMAGES: DC Comics / Dark Horse Comics / Archie Comics / Papercutz