DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1

Comic Info

Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special #1

Reprints Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special #1, Green Lantern/Space Ghost Special #1, Adam Strange/Future Quest Special #1, and Suicide Squad/The Banana Splits Special #1 (May 2017).  Booster Gold finds himself on a time travelling adventure, but when he is teamed with Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble in an attempt to get home, he could cause the destruction of Earth’s future.  Green Lantern and Space Ghost respond to a threat and are part of a team-up of the ages.  Adam Strange is trapped in the Lost Valley and joins the battle against the Agents of F. E. A. R.!  Task Force X has been captured and Amanda Waller’s only hope could be the new Suicide Squad…The Banana Splits!

Written by Mark Russell, James Tynion IV, Christopher Sebela, Marc Andreyko, Jeff Parker, Tony Bedard, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Howard Chaykin, and Dan Didio, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1 is a DC Comics crossover event series.  The one-shot specials feature art by Rick Leonardi, Scott Hanna, Ariel Olivetti, Steve Lieber, Ben Caldwell, Mark Morales, Pier Brito, Howard Chaykin, Phil Winslade, and Howard Porter.

Normally, crossover events are a bit of a bore.  They don’t tie into anything major and you know that it is written off as “Elsewhere” or “What If” type storylines.  While this is still true of DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1, the crossovers are just wacky enough to work…and also short enough to be fun.

Suicide Squad/The Banana Splits Special #1

The series is essentially an anthology comic and there is no ties between the titles (which is good).  Some comics like the Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special #1 really land and tie in well to The Flintstones comic book.  Other titles like Green Lantern/Space Ghost Special #1 make a lot of sense (because of the roles of the characters in the universe) but don’t quite hit the mark.  While I was excited about Suicide Squad/The Banana Splits Special, I found it to be one of the weaker ones in the collection.

The series also features back-up stories.  The Jetsons back-up ties heavily into the Jetsons limited series and doesn’t feature a crossover.  Top Cat and Batman is a fun little entry that plays with Batman’s affinity for cats while the Ruff ‘n’ Reddy short was weak.  My favorite story-short in the whole book is the Snagglepuss story which was also reprinted as part of his great mini-series…it features a great moral lesson that is appropriate for today.

The DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1 is hit or miss…but I kind of expected it to be.  You are combining two franchises with varying levels of interest into individual tales.  If you like the Future Quest comic, you might not like Adam Strange or you might love Green Lantern but have no interest in Space Ghost.  If the two can meet on equal terms, it can be a great ride…or it could even elevate a character you never cared about.  It is worth seeking out just to see how DC tries.  DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1 is followed by DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 2.

Related Links:

DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 2

The Flintstones—Volume 1

Exit Stage Left:  The Snagglepuss Chronicles