Should Hanna-Barbera's original superheroes be incorporated into the DC Universe?

[PF9]

Think about it. Characters like Birdman and Space Ghost could make for good interactions with DC's familiar heroes, since they're all under the same corporate umbrella. I think H-B's heroes could do well if integrated into the DC Universe. Plus some of these characters could get hour-long drama series on the upcoming DC streaming service.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Maybe as part of the Multiverse, but I wouldn't want to see them on Earth Prime. I'm not even sure all of them should be in the same H-B universe. I don't think that Team Quest should be on the same Earth as Blue Falcon and Dynomutt or Captain Caveman.

 

[the greenman]

Im not sure about incorporating them into DC proper. The heroes are just too goofy and diverse.

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[hobbyfan]

I'm likewise uncertain. With the current Future Quest Presents anthology reimagining the Impossibles and Mightor, for example, and offering origins for Birdman and some others, they may get their own universe anyway.

Like, I'm ok with a 21st century African-American Mightor. WB is making great use of creative license with Team Quest, among others, given their interaction with Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry, the latter in a DTV, the last few years. I just don't think you're going to see a Birdboy or Birdgirl for Birdman, because it would recall that the original was a sort-of dual knockoff of Batman & Hawkman, the former in that they added Birdboy for a couple of episodes to give Birdman a human sidekick to go along with Avenger.

 

[Atomic tea bag]

I'm likewise uncertain. With the current Future Quest Presents anthology reimagining the Impossibles and Mightor, for example, and offering origins for Birdman and some others, they may get their own universe anyway.

Like, I'm ok with a 21st century African-American Mightor. WB is making great use of creative license with Team Quest, among others, given their interaction with Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry, the latter in a DTV, the last few years. I just don't think you're going to see a Birdboy or Birdgirl for Birdman, because it would recall that the original was a sort-of dual knockoff of Batman & Hawkman, the former in that they added Birdboy for a couple of episodes to give Birdman a human sidekick to go along with Avenger.

 

[Atomic tea bag]

The Hanna-Barbera super heroes don't all fit with each other - and won't all fit with all the DC ones. The Impossibles just do not fit with most of the other Future Quest characters and in any case have been ruined story-wise in this comic - it would have been almost "Impossible".....!!!! to get the story aspect of them MORE wrong! They should have had the more realistic looks for FQ, new non-hero wear, perhaps a very basic origin story for those who would like one, (I personally like the origin being a mystery in their case), minimal interaction with the other characters - and left at that. No other changes whatsoever - everything that has been added has taken away from them - FQ has taken the heart out of them - the great camaraderie they have in the cartoon has gone. The DC team they would fit best with is the original Inferior 5 - similar story style.

 

[Kalel126]

Think about it. Characters like Birdman and Space Ghost could make for good interactions with DC's familiar heroes, since they're all under the same corporate umbrella. I think H-B's heroes could do well if integrated into the DC Universe. Plus some of these characters could get hour-long drama series on the upcoming DC streaming service.

Cool thinking. I remember thinking Space Ghost was funny but maybe that was later on?? I can’t remember what he was all about. Did he have a space dog?
I have vague memories of Birdman too but I probably wouldn’t use him if I’m planning on doing Hawkgirl it Hawkman. If Spaceghost could be reimagined in a cool way... it’s kind of a cool name. Lol. I dunno.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Cool thinking. I remember thinking Space Ghost was funny but maybe that was later on?? I can’t remember what he was all about. Did he have a space dog?
I have vague memories of Birdman too but I probably wouldn’t use him if I’m planning on doing Hawkgirl it Hawkman. If Spaceghost could be reimagined in a cool way... it’s kind of a cool name. Lol. I dunno.

Space Ghost was only deliberately funny later, in Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. The original cartoons were fairly straightforward action/adventure (by 1960s Saturday-morning cartoon standards). Space Ghost had two young companions, Jan and Jace, and pet monkey/mascot Blip (who was smart in the same way as the dog Bandit on Johnny Quest).

Birdman had an animal companion, the eagle Avenger) and sidekick Birdboy.

 

[ArmorAbs]

The Hanna-Barbera super heroes don't all fit with each other - and won't all fit with all the DC ones.

This is just factually wrong.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

We don't have to speak 'factually' but can call this differences of opinion. These days we have a prime DC Universe where Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman live on the same world as Plastic Man, Detective Chimp and Captain Marvel/Shazam. That said, I'm still not ready to see them share it with Captain Caveman, Dynomutt and Scooby-Doo. And even just considering H-B characters, can you really see Mightor in the same continuity as Captain Caveman and the Flintstones?

 

[ArmorAbs]

What do you mean your you are "not ready"? It really wouldn't be that crazy. Batman has already collaborated with Scooby-Doo easily enough. Supernatural collaborated with Scooby-Doo. You honestly seem to have a very limited scope on things.

 

[Fone Bone]

What do you mean your you are "not ready"? It really wouldn't be that crazy. Batman has already collaborated with Scooby-Doo easily enough. Supernatural collaborated with Scooby-Doo. You honestly seem to have a very limited scope on things.

Space Ghost actually showed up on Batman: The Brave And The Bold.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

What do you mean your you are "not ready"? It really wouldn't be that crazy. Batman has already collaborated with Scooby-Doo easily enough. Supernatural collaborated with Scooby-Doo. You honestly seem to have a very limited scope on things.

That was a very particular iteration (or iterations if we are going back a bit) of Batman, not the one we are familiar with in the mainstream DCU. On the other hand, Batman-Prime recently met Elmer Fudd.

 

[ArmorAbs]

Space Ghost actually showed up on Batman: The Brave And The Bold.

Proving my point even further.

That was a very particular iteration (or iterations if we are going back a bit) of Batman, not the one we are familiar with in the mainstream DCU. On the other hand, Batman-Prime recently met Elmer Fudd.

It doesn't matter what iteration it was. They each contain similar or near identical elements. Your point is making less and less sense.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

It doesn't matter what iteration it was. They each contain similar or near identical elements. Your point is making less and less sense.

No, you just don't want it to make sense. The original Batman/Scooby-Doo crossovers were based on Filmation's animated Batman from the late 1960s which was more in the spirit of the 1966 Batman television series--a parody of the old chapter serials and the silliness of the comics of the Silver Age. The more recent meeting was in the context of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a show that also embraced the goofier elements of the past (such as Bat-Mite).

Only someone with a wild perspective like that of Grant Morrison could think that those iterations of Batman can coexist in the same continuity as something like Frank Miller's Year One or the Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers run of Detective Comics.

 

[ArmorAbs]

No, you just don't know how to make sense at all. Referring to all of the crossovers that have been made is meaningless for whatever point you think you are making. It shows that a crossover is a possible, which is all it needs to show.

Only someone who is completely ignorant about comics would think that they can't coexist. Would think that just because one thing is made with one iteration it completely precludes it from being made with another. You are making logical fallacies, this is why your point is falling apart before it even manifests.

 

[Fone Bone]

Proving my point even further.

I actually agree with you. People who are against the idea are people who take comics way too seriously. And too serious comics are why comics currently suck and don't appeal to kids. I think reintroducing the Hanna Barbera heroes would be a great way to introduce them to kids, and perhaps get DC Comics some younger fans as well. It's a good idea all around.

 

[Otaku-sempai]

No, you just don't know how to make sense at all. Referring to all of the crossovers that have been made is meaningless for whatever point you think you are making. It shows that a crossover is a possible, which is all it needs to show.

Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done. However, how such a project is approached can make all the difference. Who is the creative team? And is this to be within or outside of DC's regular continuity? Also, we must allow for different readers having different tastes. I will repeat: If the proposal is to fold H-B's entire canon permanently into the main DC Universe then I am against that. Give them their own universe (or two) in the DC multiverse then we can talk!

Only someone who is completely ignorant about comics would think that they can't coexist. Would think that just because one thing is made with one iteration it completely precludes it from being made with another. You are making logical fallacies, this is why your point is falling apart before it even manifests.

As someone who was likely reading comics before either of your parents were born, young lady, I could easily find your comment above insulting. However I will let it pass. My whole point was that some Hanna-Barbara characters work better in the mainstream DCU than do others. It could be interesting to explore the possibility that Birdman has Thanagarian roots or to have Space Ghost interact with the Green Lantern Corps or with the Legion of Super-Heroes. I am less interested in a wacky time-travel adventure where Captain Caveman meets Plastic Man and/or Detective Chimp but, depending on the creative team, I might be willing to give it a look.

Even within the DC multiverse, itself, I was much more comfortable with some characters (the Marvel Family; Captain Carrot and his Zoo Crew) existing on parallel Earths with their own rules and laws of physics separate from the main DCU. I grew up familiar with the concept of the multiverse as the landmark "Flash of Two Worlds" was published at approximately the time I turned one year old.

I will concede that once you have the DC heroes meeting Loony Tunes characters, there is very little that can be off-the-table, especially outside of regular continuity.

 

[ArmorAbs]

Just because you think something shouldn't be done, doesn't mean that's the case. In addition, this is something that is completely cold, there is absolutely no indication that this has any realistic chance of happening right now. That being said, this thread should be approached as if it were a proposal of the idea, which means nothing should be off the table. The only thing we have to allow for is the writers' ideas, after that we can worry about marketing, etc. because if there is nobody who has a story then we have no product. I will repeat, you can be against whatever you want, that could not matter any less in the slightest. We are talking, you can't flat out reject an idea no matter who you are. Especially here, in a situation where there is absolutely nothing at stake here. By the very basis of entering into this conversation you gave recognition to the merits of the idea.

Yes, by all accounts that probably is an accurate statement, but that does not mean you are immune to ignorance. For example, I could be 70 years old, but if I never come across anything written by Jack Kirby, then I am ignorant on the subject. My whole point is that just because some characters work better than others, they should not be completely disqualified. I mean people like Human Target are used so sparingly you could forget he is even in the universe, but that isn't the case. Or Space Ghost and the Space Cabbie have probably crossed paths many times and could tell some great stories; the only thing that is really necessary to make this work is a sharp mind. Just because you are "less interested" in a certain thing should not disqualify it from being considered.

It seems that you believe the Hannah Barbara characters will tarnish the main DC universe in some way, but we could easily just establish the main DC universe version of the Hannah Barbara characters and use them. There are any number of ways this could be approached, Atom Ant meeting The Atom practically writes itself.

My biggest thought on the subject is did anyone ever think DC would be able to incorporate any characters gained through horizontal integration? You mention Captain Marvel, he is pretty big in the main continuity now, were people having this conversation about that?

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Yes, in fact I can flat-out reject an idea (though I try not to do so out-of-hand). It might not be fair. It might not be right. It might be only my own opinion. But I can do it. That doesn't mean that you have to accept my take. I also readily acknowledged that this was only my own opinion; a specific approach or creative team could change my mind; and your mileage may very well vary.

It seems that you believe the Hannah Barbara characters will tarnish the main DC universe in some way...

No, I don't; I never stated that (exactly). What I did say was that some H-B characters would seem very strange if they were simply plunged into the main DCU in their standard incarnation--but that is even true of some DC characters, especially if we return to the days when a superhero might have a 'bigfoot' comedy-relief sidekick--like the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott and his friend Doiby Dickles.

To be fair, in more recent years Doiby was updated and redesigned to work better in a more modern era. But funny animals in particular don't easily mesh well with standard superheroes unless we than take the meeting with a grain of salt or a tongue-in-cheek approach. I'm not disparaging any H-B characters, the same applies with Loony Tunes characters or Captain Carrot and his Zoo Crew. Jeff Smith took an interesting approach a few years back with his Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil limited series. He took Tawky Tawny (the talking tiger) and made him a pooka--shape-shifting creature of Irish myth.

The Space Cabby is exactly the sort of character who could well meet Space Ghost or the Herculoids without the crossover seeming very weird. But if we did have the Atom team up with Atom Ant, it would probably be a one-shot or part of a crossover outside of regular DCU continuity--as when Black Lightning recently crossed over with Hong Kong Phooey, and Aquaman met Jabberjaw. I wouldn't expect the anthropomorphic characters to get folded into DC continuity. (unless perhaps they received their own Earth).