Michael Kraiger and Vincent Deporter have both contributed to DC's various lines of comic books over the years, writing or drawing iconic characters such as Batman and Superman, as well as all the classic Cartoon Network stars of yesteryear - including, but not limited to, Scooby-Doo, Johnny Bravo, Dexter's Laboratory and many others within the Hanna-Barbera / Cartoon Cartoons vault.
What with everyone going ga-ga over all things superhero, the time seems about right to share this great Flintstones story. The combination of Michael's script and Vincent's energetic artwork has made this a personal favourite of mine, especially as they've "continued" the story from the original Flintstones episode which first featured "Superstone". Now if only the 2016 Flintstones comic book were more like this...!
So according to D.C Comics' latest announcement, they're planning to "reboot" a few familiar Hanna-Barbera faces in some unfamiliar territory - and as usual, it's got everybody talking about it.
Now I'm not going to join in the arguingbacklash discussions myself, but their talk about plans for a Johnny Quest / Space Ghost crossover brought to mind this rather interesting Magilla Gorilla story, which appeared in Issue #6 of the Cartoon Network magazine in 1999 (in the UK).
Personally, I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to crossover storylines, provided that they're done logically and if it's a "in-universe" scenario (aka; characters created by the same people or studio). After all, D.C Comics also produced the Scooby-Doo Team Up comic book line from 2013, and personally I would like to read more content like that - with someone other than the Great Dane himself, obviously.
Plus, not every "reboot" has to be dark or gritty, or somehow "reinvent" thecharacters completely. Change can be acceptable, so long as you don't go too overboard. And writer Mike Carlin seems to have done just fine with this particular story, thankyouverymuch.
And on top of all that, it's the Year of the Monkey in China...so all the more reason to share this then!
Hollywood, if you ever find time to stop and listen to people talking instead of money, here's some much-needed advice -
If you're still sure that reviving old-school cartoons will reel the ca$h pigs in, please...at least find the right people to do the job properly - who know the characters inside out - who know how to handle them carefully - who know what makes them say or do stuff that's actually FUNNY.
And hopefully the right people who won't stuff them into unnecessary, clichéd-to-death feature-length movies. Seven-minute cartoons. Short but sweet, that's what Warner Bros. taught us in the Golden Age. Is that so much to ask??
Pat Ventura is one of many, many cartoonists who still respect the squash-n-stretch, slapstick style we've all grown up with "back in the day". He's literally worked everywhere with everyone in writing, directing and designing whatever's given to him - Disney's Aladdin and Roger Rabbit, Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry Kids, even The Baby Huey Show produced by Film Roman from '95 - and in each he's done a very good job in the entertainment section, especially keeping each character faithful to their style of humour while injecting plenty of his own.
When Hanna-Barbera launched their What A Cartoon! showcase series, Pat was of the young cartoonists given a chance to have some fun and make a name of himself. Next to creating Sledgehammer O'Possom and Yucky Duck, he also created two animated shorts featuring Tex Avery's memorable characters George and Junior. While Pat's style may not be to everyone's taste, at least the cartoons Pat helped to create have done what they were made for - to make me laff =D
