DC shocked the world last week with the announcement of a new line of comics starring updated versions of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons.From a Mad Max inspired Wacky Racers series to a Scooby Doo book set during the apocalypse (and starring a hipster inspired version of Shaggy), the new Hanna-Barbera books promise to bring new characters into bold, unfamiliar territory.Reaction to the new comics was mixed, with some comparing the books to the popular Afterlife with Archie series (which reimagined the Riverdale Gang as survivors of a zombie outbreak) and others mentioning the much derided Loonatics Unleashed, a cartoon revamp of the Looney Tunes characters as superheroes in the distant future.
We’ll have to wait a few months to see if DC’s new Hanna-Barbera line connects with readers, but if DC is looking for more classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons to update, here are a few recommendations:
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Secret Squirrel
Hanna-Barbera’s answer to the James Bond movie franchise, Secret Squirrel was a furry spy spoof that ran alongside Atom Ant in the 1960s and had a brief revival during the 1990s. Clad in an oversized fedora and a trenchcoat, Secret Squirrel and his partner Morocco Mole fought various fiends like Yellow Pinkie and Voodoo Goat with the help of various zany spy gadgets.ย The easiest approach to a Secret Squirrel update would be to simply make Secret Squirrel a spy in a hardened, modern world.ย Even while stopping an extremist terrorist plot or fighting enemy operatives in a dangerous game of cat and mouse (or in this case, cat and squirrel), a new Secret Squirrel series could even keep the humorous aspect of the show simply by treating the squirrel as if he were an actual top level operative.ย DC even has the perfect writer for a new Secret Squirrel series on staff: Omega Men writer Tom King was a CIA officer for seven years before transitioning into comics.ย ย
Hong Kong Phooey
Another Hanna-Barbera spoof, Hong Kong Phooey was the cartoon studios answer to the kung fu craze of the 1970s.ย A vigilante kung fu superhero posing as the janitor of a police station, Hong Kong Phooey rather incompetently fought crime with the help of his cat Spot and a copy of The Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu handbook.ย Urban crime series remain a popular genre in comics and DC could easily update Hong Kong Phooey with a pulp-y, more grounded feel.ย We could see Hong Kong Phooey spurred into fighting local gangs by police corruption and cruise into action in a sleek, muscle car version of the Phooeymobile.
The Harlem Globetrotters
While they’re best known for their on-court antics and lengthy win streak over the inept Washington Generals, the Harlem Globetrotters were also the stars of a series of Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons.ย The Harlem Globetrotters cartoon was the first Saturday morning cartoon to feature a predominantly black cast and also led to the basketball team making several appearances alongside Scooby Doo.ย Although a sports comic makes the most amount of sense for a Harlem Globetrotters series, the team has appeared as crime solvers, superheroes and alien super-scientists in various cartoons over the years, so DC has plenty of options for what direction they could take the book.ย
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
A popular Saturday morning cartoon from the mid-1990s, SWAT Kats doesn’t need much updating to appeal to a modern audience.ย After two elite police officers wash out of Megakat City’s jet fleet for an accident their commander created, they start a new life as workers at a local military salvage yard.ย With plenty of military equipment at their disposal, the two begin their own fight against crime as the SWAT Kats, taking on fantastical villains, political corruption and their old boss with their endless supply of sleek retrofitted vehicles.ย Despite the show’s immense popularity, Hanna-Barbera cancelled the show in favor of working on content for the then fledgling Cartoon Network.ย Considering the creators of the showran a successful Kickstarter campaign for a potential revival, it’s time to bring the SWAT Kats back for a new era of fans.ย
The Pirates of Dark Water
One of Hanna-Barbera’s more serious cartoons, The Pirates of Dark Water was a fantasy series about a young prince named Ren trying to collect thirteen treasures to free his planet from a corrupting substance known as Dark Water.ย Unlike most Saturday morning cartoons, The Pirates of Dark Water had an overarching plot, lots of character development and a world filled with mysteries including a Cthulhu like creature directing the Dark Water’s spread.ย If DC revived The Pirates of Dark Water, they’d not only have a fantastical world to play with, they could also give fans some resolution as Hanna-Barbera cancelled the series before Ren could complete his quest to collect all thirteen treasures. ย
