I don't know if I'd say that. I definitely see the thought process that lead from the original cartoons to these versions.
Doesn't seem so different from what DC has done with its other characters. Some might say that the goofy, cheerful Batman of the '60s comics and TV series and the '70s cartoons (including crossovers with
Scooby-Doo) is not the same character as the grim, brooding Batman of the post-Frank Miller era, but there's a recognizable throughline between them and a lot of shared fundamentals despite the radically different approaches. It's not two completely different things, it's two distinct variations on a theme.
And since Hanna-Barbera was completely absorbed into Warner Bros. 15 years ago, that means all H-B's characters and concepts are now part of the same stable of properties as the DC universe. These are just the "post-Crisis reboots" of the H-B titles, so to speak. (Meanwhile, there are still more conventional, kid-friendly
Scooby-Doo comics being put out by DC, including a crossover series that often features lighter versions of DC heroes and villains, like the gang taking on Harley and Ivy or visiting Paradise Island with Wonder Woman.
The Scooby-Doo characters reveal fake monsters, so it's not a totaly stretch to have them dealing with real monsters, and having big apocalyptic event is an easy way to throw out all sorts of monsters.
A lot of prior Scooby productions have involved real monsters, though there's
this really good essay on ComicsAlliance about why it undermines the core idea of
Scooby-Doo if the supernatural threats are real, because it's essentially a series about young people questioning the lies of adults and standing up to fearmongering.
The more adult, dark, satirical tone of
Scooby Apocalypse reminds me of
Mystery Incorporated, which was the best version of Scooby-Doo ever (although I'm saying that as someone who was never really much of a fan). But the sample pages I've seen of the comic don't seem nearly as good as MI.
The Flintstones has always been a satirical look at the modern day twisted to fit a prehistoric setting, so all they are doing with the new comic is giving it a bit more of an edge.
The sample pages and review I've read of that remind me of Jim Henson's
Dinosaurs from the '90s. I gather it's at once more bitingly satirical and more bleak, both of which were true of
Dinosaurs.
