DC/Hanna-Barbera Crossovers to Continue

The older I get, the more I look for fun in my superhero comics, and these sound like there’s plenty of room for goofy adventure. DC has announced another set of comics crossing over DC superheroes with their Hanna-Barbera cartoon cousins (since they’re all part of the same parent company).

I don’t recall reading the first set of comics. Adam Strange / Future Quest, Booster Gold / The Flintstones, Green Lantern / Space Ghost, and Suicide Squad / Banana Splits came out in March 2017. They sounded a bit more straightforward in approach, which may account for why I didn’t find them memorable. If you want to check them out, they’ve since been collected as the unimaginatively named DC Meets Hanna-Barbera. The book includes the backup stories about the Jetsons, Top Cat, Ruff ’n’ Reddy, and Snagglepuss. The new approaches taken with three of those four were successful enough to get them miniseries, which are running now. (Top Cat didn’t make it.)

Now DC has announced four more crossover specials, this time with a bit more whimsy. I’m sure they won’t be all fun and games — the cover art aims for moody drama — but it’s a pleasure to see Hong Kong Phooey and especially Speed Buggy again. (“Putt! Putt! Gotta save Tink!” is permanently stuck in my head.) And there are a couple more backups, as well, which show promise and have even crazier characters included. The following four comics are due out May 30.

Aquaman / Jabberjaw Special #1 — written by Dan Abnett, art by Paul Pelletier and Andrew Hennessey (APR18 0156)

When the town of Amnesty Island is besieged by a series of shark attacks, authorities call Aquaman for help! What’s unusual about this case is that the shark isn’t trying to kill people — he just wants to talk to them. The very confused Jabberjaw needs to get back to Aqualand, the future undersea utopia he came from. But that peaceful city where man and sentient sea life have been living in harmony has been turned into a dystopian nightmare created by a new Ocean Master. Now the King of Atlantis and his friendly shark ally have to team up to set things right.

Captain Caveman meets the wizard Shazam in a short story by Jeff Parker and Scott Kolins.

Black Lightning / Hong Kong Phooey Special #1 — written by Bryan Hill, art by Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz (APR18 0158)

Back from Vietnam, kung-fu master Hong Kong Phooey has set up his own detective agency in the inner city. Meanwhile, Jefferson Pierce (a.k.a. Black Lightning) has uncovered a plot by three assassins to collect the components of a sacred text revealing the darkest secrets of martial arts magic, and they’ll kill anyone who owns them — including the dog who holds the last chapter of the book, Hong Kong Phooey.

Plus, Jeff Parker and Scott Kolins team up once again in a bonus story featuring a pre-Demon Jason Blood and Hanna-Barbera’s own “Spirit of ’76”, The Funky Phantom.

The Flash / Speed Buggy Special #1 — written by Scott Lobdell, art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund (APR18 0160)

A rubber-burning story that pushes all the way into the redline! When Wally West tries to take down the villain Kilg%re, he’s surprised to find he has an unknown ally who can move just as fast as he can. Dr. Pernell, a brilliant S.T.A.R. Labs scientist, has found a way to power his dune buggy using the Speed Force. When the Flash agrees to help test the limits of the vehicle in a race, something unexpected sends them spiraling out of the Speed Force and into the unknown. They land in a post-apocalyptic future, but Dr. Pernell is missing, leaving a now-sentient Speed Buggy to help the Fastest Man Alive repair the time stream and stop the triple threat of Savitar, Speed Demon Buggy, and… Reverse Speed Buggy?

[No backup story announced on this one. And I’m sad that Speed Buggy’s support team is apparently not included.]

Super Sons / Dynomutt Special #1 — written by Peter J. Tomasi, art by Fernando Pasarin and Oclair Albert (APR18 0162)

It’s no fun for Jon Kent to be visiting Big City with his parents for the funeral of an old friend, so his best pal Damian Wayne decides to follow along and give him the inside scoop on the city. But when they go to meet Robin’s local friend, Dynomutt, they find him injured and in need of help. And Dynomutt’s human superhero companion, Blue Falcon, has seemingly turned evil. What’s the reason for this betrayal between once-loyal companions, and what role might the evil Red Vulture play in this scenario?

[No backup announced here either. But superhero dogs are always cool!]