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WonderCon: DC Comics Hanna Barbera Panel

Back in January, we reported about DC Comics‘ plan to revamp some of Hanna Barbera’s classic cartoons with a more modern touch. This weekend at WonderCon, they revealed a little more about the first four titles being released. The panel was moderated by DC Co-Publisher Dan DiDio, and panelists included DC’s OTHER co-publisher Jim Lee, Senior Editor of Special Projects Marie Javins, and writer/artist Amanda Conner. Here is a rundown of these titles and what we can expect:

Future Quest (Releases May 18)

FutureQuest_cv1-03252016

Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Evan “Doc” Shaner

If you are a fan of the shared universe format, then this will be the story for you. An unknown threat is slowly destroying the universe and it is making its way to Earth. Joining together to save the planet are Jonny Quest, the Herculoids, Space Ghost, the Impossibles, the Galaxy Trio, Birdman, and Mightor. While the main story will take place on Earth, there will be flashbacks explaining how each hero or heroes ended up on our planet. From the sounds of the story, this will be Hanna Barbera’s version of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Scooby Apocalypse (Releases May 25)

Scooby-by-Porter-03252016

Story: Jim Lee and Keith Giffen
Script: Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis
Art: Howard Porter

This title is Scooby Doo meets the Walking Dead. Fred and Daphne are former YouTube sensations with a Mythbusters type program. Trying to hold on to the last remnants of their fifteen minutes of fame, they head to Burning Man (yes, Burning Man) to try and debunk sightings of strange creatures. They come across an underground think tank filled with genius level millennials (including Velma Dinkley), who develop an app that will release nanobots onto the world that affects brain chemistry to end world suffering. Suffice to say, it has the opposite effect and it’s up to Fred, Velma, Daphne, the genetically modified Scooby and his “dog whisperer” Shaggy to stop this now global threat.

Rather than talking, this version of Scooby using a holographic display device for communication, whether it be animations or even emoji. Their Mystery Machine looks more like a six-wheeled tank that it does a ’70s van.

DiDio said that even though they are excited about this new take on these characters, none of the current Scooby titles are being canceled or replaced. This version stands on its own. This gives fans who have loved Scooby since the ’60s a chance to see him in a different light.

The Flintstones (Release TBA)

Flintstones-03252016

Writer: Mark Russell
Art: Steve Pugh

Not much was said about the new version of our favorite stone-age family. The premise is that in this world, Bedrock is the beginning of human civilization and that a lot of the things we use and have today were because of what occurred in Bedrock thousands of years ago. Amanda Conner said that the designs for Fred and Barney were based on Kevin James and Patton Oswalt respectively. The other change with this version is Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are roughly 12-13 years old. Since the previous cartoons showed them as either babies or 20-somethings, this will be a new take. Nothing was brought up about any re-branding of the cereals.

Wacky Raceland (Release TBA)

WACKY-RACELAND-COVER-1-03252016

Writer: Ken Pontac
Artist: Leonardo Manco
Car Designs: Mark Sexton

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Wacky Raceland puts a new twist on this classic cartoon. The rules are simple: win the race, and enter the one place on the planet that is still habitable and safe. Lose, and continue to live in a wasteland. All the racers must live for the winner to get their reward. This is the title that is most intriguing to me. Before, it was just Dick Dastardly and Muttley trying to stop Penelope Pitstop. This premise adds about five or six new layers to the story you wouldn’t think could come from a cartoon like this.

Other panel highlights:
-Mark Sexton was the storyboard artist from Mad Max: Fury Road and his designs helped make the cars in Wacky Raceland fit the story.
-There are zero plans right now to turn any of these comics into cartoons. They really want to build and focus on the comic books for now.
-Over time, there will be hints throughout all four comics that they are all somehow linked together, forming its own universe.

You can check out more art and variant covers from the new comics in the gallery below.

So what do you think? Are you excited to see these new takes on your favorite old-school favorites? Which one(s) will you be checking out? Will this Scooby-Gang team up with the Snyder-Capullo Batman? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

ALL IMAGES: DC Comics

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