DC updates Hanna-Barbera characters for a modern audience.
Zoinks! A modern Scooby Gang will get their own title
It's not everyday comic book publishers create a superhero for your favourite character. So for anyone who grew up watching Hanna-Barbera cartoons, this new series of comics from DC Entertainment is sure to put a smile on your face. Starring revitalized interpretations of classic characters, the likes of Scooby Doo and The Flintstones follow The Cure and web designers as the surprising heroes of their own comic line.
Co-publisher of DC Entertainment Dan DiDio explains why the time is right to for Hanna-Barbera creations to have their own comics: "I think what you find right now is there's so much material on pop culture, and these characters resonate with so much of our fanbase."
"I mean, look at these iconic series – they were cultural touchstones for everyone," adds veteran artist and DC co-publisher Jim Lee. "All my kids know of Scooby Doo from the various cartoons and live action movies, and we're in a period where you have people my age that are spending their days thinking about cartoon and sci-fi action movies."
"It's a multigenerational obsession at this point, and we just thought it would just be really interesting to take the cartoon version of these characters and see where they would be if we took what existed in the very first iteration of the cartoon and moved it into this day and age," he adds.
Keen not to just repeat the past, the team at DC Entertainment will be taking advantage of the unique narrative opportunities that a long-form medium like comics afford. DiDio explains: "When you see what's going to happen with Scooby and Wacky Races, even if you were cynical about how we approached these things, you're going to love everything once you see the finished product." Readers can expect the first titles to appear from May.
DC Entertainment will start releasing the comics in May
The creators are big fans of classic cartoons
Is this how the Flintstones would look if they were created today?
The comics will be aimed at a young adult audience
These comics are just the first step into the Hanna-Barbera universe
The creators hope to appeal to generations old and new
The comics will be completely accessible to a new audience
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
