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Hanna-Barbera Beyond
DC Meets Hanna-Barbera, Vol. 2
DC's reimagining of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons takes on a whole new meaning as DC superheroes cross over with these wacky cartoon characters in this second volume of stories you never thought you'd see!
What happens when The Flash meets his match with the amazing Speed Buggy? Or the Super Sons--Damian Wayne a.k.a. Robin and Jonathan Kent a.k.a. Superboy--clash with Dynomutt. How about Black Lightning meeting his match with Hong Kong Phooey? And what happens when Aquaman meets another master of the sea--Jabberjaw! Find out in this unbelievable collection of crazy crossovers starring super heroes and cartoons alike!
With stories from bestselling writers Peter J. Tomasi, Scott Lobdell, Dan Abnett and Bryan Hill, this new collection of crossover stories have to be seen to be believed! Collects THE FLASH/SPEED BUGGY #1, SUPER SONS/DYNOMUTT #1, BLACK LIGHTNING/HONG KONG PHOOEY #1 and AQUAMAN/JABBERJAW #1.
What happens when The Flash meets his match with the amazing Speed Buggy? Or the Super Sons--Damian Wayne a.k.a. Robin and Jonathan Kent a.k.a. Superboy--clash with Dynomutt. How about Black Lightning meeting his match with Hong Kong Phooey? And what happens when Aquaman meets another master of the sea--Jabberjaw! Find out in this unbelievable collection of crazy crossovers starring super heroes and cartoons alike!
With stories from bestselling writers Peter J. Tomasi, Scott Lobdell, Dan Abnett and Bryan Hill, this new collection of crossover stories have to be seen to be believed! Collects THE FLASH/SPEED BUGGY #1, SUPER SONS/DYNOMUTT #1, BLACK LIGHTNING/HONG KONG PHOOEY #1 and AQUAMAN/JABBERJAW #1.
168 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 14, 2019
Some stories work, some don't , and a few are just plain weird.
Super Sons/Dynomutt (★★★★☆) by Peter Tomasi & Fernando Pasarin - Anytime we get a new Super Sons story by Peter Tomasi is a good thing. Tomasi actually makes this work well by making Blue Falcon part of Batman Inc.
Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey (★★★☆☆) by Bryan Hill & Denys Cowan - Hill sets this up as a 70's Kung Fu film. Black Lightning is really only around to show off his disco sewing skills and jive talking. I've never really been a fan of Cowan's art.
Funky Phantom (★☆☆☆☆) by Jeff Parker and Scott Kollins - I grew up on Hanna-Barbera reruns but even I've never heard of this character. This was a turd. Jason Blood shows up for 2 panels to resurrect the Funky Phantom. The story quickly falls into a poorly done diatribe about the phantom reacting to modern guns.
Flash/Speed Buggy (★★☆☆☆) by Scott Lobdell & Brett Booth - Lobdell is back to his old self writing a half baked story about a scientist who merges with his car to become Speed Buggy when he races Wally West.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw (★★★☆☆) by Dan Abnett and Paul Pelletier - Jabberjaw gets transported back to current day Mercy Bay where he teams up with Aquaman. Then they head back to Jabberjaw's future to stop a character from sending enraged sharks back to the past. Pelletier makes the curious decision to have Jabberjaw just float through the air like he's swimming through it instead of having him walk on his tail like the cartoon. It just looks odd, especially when he talks like Curly from the Three Stooges.
Captain Caveman (★★☆☆☆) by Jeff Parker and Scott Kollins - The wizard Shazam brings Captain Caveman to present day Manhattan where he hits stuff with his club. It was really boring.
Super Sons/Dynomutt (★★★★☆) by Peter Tomasi & Fernando Pasarin - Anytime we get a new Super Sons story by Peter Tomasi is a good thing. Tomasi actually makes this work well by making Blue Falcon part of Batman Inc.
Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey (★★★☆☆) by Bryan Hill & Denys Cowan - Hill sets this up as a 70's Kung Fu film. Black Lightning is really only around to show off his disco sewing skills and jive talking. I've never really been a fan of Cowan's art.
Funky Phantom (★☆☆☆☆) by Jeff Parker and Scott Kollins - I grew up on Hanna-Barbera reruns but even I've never heard of this character. This was a turd. Jason Blood shows up for 2 panels to resurrect the Funky Phantom. The story quickly falls into a poorly done diatribe about the phantom reacting to modern guns.
Flash/Speed Buggy (★★☆☆☆) by Scott Lobdell & Brett Booth - Lobdell is back to his old self writing a half baked story about a scientist who merges with his car to become Speed Buggy when he races Wally West.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw (★★★☆☆) by Dan Abnett and Paul Pelletier - Jabberjaw gets transported back to current day Mercy Bay where he teams up with Aquaman. Then they head back to Jabberjaw's future to stop a character from sending enraged sharks back to the past. Pelletier makes the curious decision to have Jabberjaw just float through the air like he's swimming through it instead of having him walk on his tail like the cartoon. It just looks odd, especially when he talks like Curly from the Three Stooges.
Captain Caveman (★★☆☆☆) by Jeff Parker and Scott Kollins - The wizard Shazam brings Captain Caveman to present day Manhattan where he hits stuff with his club. It was really boring.
February 22, 2019
Not as A-list as the first volume (but how could you be) but also dragged down by an out-of-place political diatribe disguised as a short comic.
July 25, 2019
When I was in sixth grade, I was known for being a fan of two completely different fictional universes: Scooby-Doo and Pokémon. Despite the fact they had little in common, I used to combine them: drawing crossovers, making "those meddling kids" pocket monster trainers, etc. Now, I realize how ridiculous that was; though I still like both of those franchises, they shouldn't be combined.
Imagine my surprise when I saw two comic book omnibuses titled DC Meets Hanna-Barbera at a library in a nearby city. Even though I knew from experience that such a crossover was bound to be abysmal, I checked them out and read them...and my prediction was right.
While the comics were well-drawn, the crossovers just don't work, because the characters are too different. It's like combining Star Wars with Lizzie McGuire; two totally different kinds of franchises. It's a shame, because Hanna-Barbera had some great cartoons back in the day; hopefully, we'll see some faithful new representations come out sometime soon.
Imagine my surprise when I saw two comic book omnibuses titled DC Meets Hanna-Barbera at a library in a nearby city. Even though I knew from experience that such a crossover was bound to be abysmal, I checked them out and read them...and my prediction was right.
While the comics were well-drawn, the crossovers just don't work, because the characters are too different. It's like combining Star Wars with Lizzie McGuire; two totally different kinds of franchises. It's a shame, because Hanna-Barbera had some great cartoons back in the day; hopefully, we'll see some faithful new representations come out sometime soon.
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April 2, 2019From Garth Ennis doing Dastardly and Muttley as an absurdist war story, to Mark Russell's bleakly satirical Flintstones reboot, DC's Hanna-Barbera line has been the source of most of their best comics lately. So inevitably, in the wake of the Batwang controversy, it's been cancelled, as corporate make sure to stamp out any spark of individuality, fun or genuine edge in their extruded comics product. Still, at least these crossovers got a second collection, which is more than the Looney Tunes ones did; a third is still allegedly in the pipeline, though I wouldn't stake the farm on its publication.
Granted, they're scraping the barrel here; of the Hanna-Barbera characters in the main stories I'd only really heard of Hong Kong Phooey, who teams up with Black Lightning for a hilarious pastiche of seventies kung-fu and blaxploitation, ridiculously/perfectly drawn by Denys Cowan and Billy the Sink. But Dynomutt, while entirely new to me, works with the well-established principle that I'm a sucker for stories about cyborg dogs who are very good boys, and it's always fun when Peter Tomasi writes his co-stars, Superboy and Robin. The Speed Buggy/Flash team-up is less memorable; even throwing in Reverse Speed Buggy and Speed Demon Buggy feels a bit too much like the sort of thing modern DC believes is a genuinely cool and gritty idea. Finally, Aquaman teams up with Jabberjaw, whose original premise sounds a lot like a spoof of Hanna-Barbera cartoons - he was the shark drummer in a mixed human/fish band who lived underwater in the year 3000, sorry, 2076. The story is about the persistence of racism in societies which are meant to be integrated, which shouldn't be surprising after the first volume did Suicide Squad/Banana Splits about racial profiling, but somehow still is.
There are only two short back-up strips this time around, but perhaps they already knew that unlike the first volume's Snagglepuss, Ruff & Reddy and Jetsons, there'd be no more series for which they could serve as pilots. The Funky Phantom was another new name to me, but the idea of a Revolutionary War ghost facing the state of the modern American gun lobby has an obvious appeal. And Captain Caveman, him I very much remember, though I'd never have expected to see him sharing a page with the Spectre or twatting Nazis and Manhunters.
Granted, they're scraping the barrel here; of the Hanna-Barbera characters in the main stories I'd only really heard of Hong Kong Phooey, who teams up with Black Lightning for a hilarious pastiche of seventies kung-fu and blaxploitation, ridiculously/perfectly drawn by Denys Cowan and Billy the Sink. But Dynomutt, while entirely new to me, works with the well-established principle that I'm a sucker for stories about cyborg dogs who are very good boys, and it's always fun when Peter Tomasi writes his co-stars, Superboy and Robin. The Speed Buggy/Flash team-up is less memorable; even throwing in Reverse Speed Buggy and Speed Demon Buggy feels a bit too much like the sort of thing modern DC believes is a genuinely cool and gritty idea. Finally, Aquaman teams up with Jabberjaw, whose original premise sounds a lot like a spoof of Hanna-Barbera cartoons - he was the shark drummer in a mixed human/fish band who lived underwater in the year 3000, sorry, 2076. The story is about the persistence of racism in societies which are meant to be integrated, which shouldn't be surprising after the first volume did Suicide Squad/Banana Splits about racial profiling, but somehow still is.
There are only two short back-up strips this time around, but perhaps they already knew that unlike the first volume's Snagglepuss, Ruff & Reddy and Jetsons, there'd be no more series for which they could serve as pilots. The Funky Phantom was another new name to me, but the idea of a Revolutionary War ghost facing the state of the modern American gun lobby has an obvious appeal. And Captain Caveman, him I very much remember, though I'd never have expected to see him sharing a page with the Spectre or twatting Nazis and Manhunters.
January 17, 2022
While the first volume of DC Meets Hanna-Barbera didn't quite work, this second volume is a bit better; not sure if it's because the matchups are more logical, or because less time was spent relying on the contrast between silly cartoon characters and gritty modern superheroes. Instead, we get the serious and sad Super Sons/Dynomutt, which gives off a very Grant Morrison vibe (though it's actually by Peter J. Tomasi); Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey, which basically inserts Black Lightning into an 1970s kung fu superhero comic with Phooey characters; Flash/Speed Buggy, which gives Speed Buggy a bizarre new origin; and Aquaman/Jabberjaw, which is surprisingly charming (and includes some references to a certain early Adult Swim parody series). The Dynomutt and Jabberjaw stories are the better of the four, though that still means good-not-great. There are also backup stories with the Funky Phantom (which unabashedly takes aim at Second Amendment activists) and Captain Caveman (which isn't bad). (B)
May 13, 2020
The second of three groups of DC and Hanna Barbera crossovers. For more general thoughts on these as a group I'd point to my review of Volume 1 and jump right into these specific issues and their strengths or weaknesses.
This group is the strongest of the three with the only one I felt was truly lackluster being Super Sons / Dynomutt and Blue Falcon. It is clearly aiming to hit some high dramatic notes but the grotesque machine designs took away from any feelings of warmth it was trying to invoke and it overall feels like it's trying way too hard to pull at your heartstrings. It worked for a lot of people, but definitely not for me.
Aquaman / Jabberjaw was fairly strong, but I didn't really understand the villain's motivation in the end. There's been some extreme shark activity in Amnesty Bay, the town Aquaman grew up near and one of those sharks hanging near the shore turns out to be Jabberjaw, who was transported here from a different time and universe. It tries to hit some notes of segregation, with natural underwater life being segregated from humanity living underwater in the futuristic world of Aqualand, but the human villain's plan to deter humanity from ever colonizing the bottom of the ocean doesn't make a lot of sense. There's nothing to gain if Aqualand never existed, and there's nothing stopping him or his other far-right terrorist nutjobs from moving back to land. Though the details fall flat the comedy hits and Aquaman being viewed as just a loser who talks to fish gets him no respect, as Jabberjaw loves to say.
Hong Kong Phooey / Black Lightning almost feels like an issue of Power Man & Iron Fist for the most part. Hong Kong Phooey himself is cast as a martial arts badass who is in possession of a fragment of a scroll of enormous power that villains are trying to unite. He teams up with Black Lightning who's keen on stopping these villains as well, and it's just a great buddy cop feature. Black Lightning's the jive talking well-dressed guy with lightning powers, while Hong Kong Phooey is the stoic, skilled fist fighter who remains calm in every situation. Nothing too deep, but very fun.
The Flash / Speed Buggy is my favorite of the group! While being chased by an enormous killer robot one day Flash meets a man driving an extraordinarily fast car. One so speedy it can make use of the Speed Force that the Flash himself so often uses in his stories. They team up to defeat the villain, and when Flash agrees to help the driver make some adjustments to his buggy so they can operate safely through the speed force trouble strikes, and the driver and his car are fused into one. Things are kept light throughout and the art depicting these two moving at incredible speeds is wonderful.
Only two of the issues even have back stories this time, with Hong Kong Phooey's issue featuring a Funky Phantom being summoned by a bunch of guns rights-libertarians demanding he justify their love affair with weapons, and the Jabberjaw issue featuring Captain Caveman being brought to modern times to prove that nobility has always existed in mankind. Both are excellent and only add to how good this batch of issues is overall.
This group is definitely worth a read. Five stars easy.
This group is the strongest of the three with the only one I felt was truly lackluster being Super Sons / Dynomutt and Blue Falcon. It is clearly aiming to hit some high dramatic notes but the grotesque machine designs took away from any feelings of warmth it was trying to invoke and it overall feels like it's trying way too hard to pull at your heartstrings. It worked for a lot of people, but definitely not for me.
Aquaman / Jabberjaw was fairly strong, but I didn't really understand the villain's motivation in the end. There's been some extreme shark activity in Amnesty Bay, the town Aquaman grew up near and one of those sharks hanging near the shore turns out to be Jabberjaw, who was transported here from a different time and universe. It tries to hit some notes of segregation, with natural underwater life being segregated from humanity living underwater in the futuristic world of Aqualand, but the human villain's plan to deter humanity from ever colonizing the bottom of the ocean doesn't make a lot of sense. There's nothing to gain if Aqualand never existed, and there's nothing stopping him or his other far-right terrorist nutjobs from moving back to land. Though the details fall flat the comedy hits and Aquaman being viewed as just a loser who talks to fish gets him no respect, as Jabberjaw loves to say.
Hong Kong Phooey / Black Lightning almost feels like an issue of Power Man & Iron Fist for the most part. Hong Kong Phooey himself is cast as a martial arts badass who is in possession of a fragment of a scroll of enormous power that villains are trying to unite. He teams up with Black Lightning who's keen on stopping these villains as well, and it's just a great buddy cop feature. Black Lightning's the jive talking well-dressed guy with lightning powers, while Hong Kong Phooey is the stoic, skilled fist fighter who remains calm in every situation. Nothing too deep, but very fun.
The Flash / Speed Buggy is my favorite of the group! While being chased by an enormous killer robot one day Flash meets a man driving an extraordinarily fast car. One so speedy it can make use of the Speed Force that the Flash himself so often uses in his stories. They team up to defeat the villain, and when Flash agrees to help the driver make some adjustments to his buggy so they can operate safely through the speed force trouble strikes, and the driver and his car are fused into one. Things are kept light throughout and the art depicting these two moving at incredible speeds is wonderful.
Only two of the issues even have back stories this time, with Hong Kong Phooey's issue featuring a Funky Phantom being summoned by a bunch of guns rights-libertarians demanding he justify their love affair with weapons, and the Jabberjaw issue featuring Captain Caveman being brought to modern times to prove that nobility has always existed in mankind. Both are excellent and only add to how good this batch of issues is overall.
This group is definitely worth a read. Five stars easy.
March 20, 2022
Reprints Super Sons/Dynomutt Special #1, Black Lightning/Hong-Kong-Phooey Special #1, The Flash/Speed Buggy Special #1, and Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special #1 (July 2018). The Super Sons are a quest to help Blue Falcon and Dynomutt while Black Lightning finds himself teamed with Hong-Kong Phooey in an attempt to takedown Professor Presto, Cheshire, and Bronze Tiger in a 1970s brawl. The Flash tempts fate by helping Dr. M. Blanc test his new Speed Bug vehicle by tapping into the Speed Force, and Aquaman finds himself on an adventure with Jabberjaw and the Neptunes in Los Aquales…plus, add a dose of the Funky Phantom and Captain Caveman!
Written by Dan Abnett, Bryan Hill, Scott Lobdell, Jeff Parker, and Peter J. Tomasi, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 2 is a DC Superhero/Hanna-Barbera crossover collection. Following DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1, the collection features art by Oclair Albert, Brett Booth, Denys Cowan, Andrew Hennessy, Scott Kolins, Fernando Parsarin, Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, Bill Sienkiewicz, Matt Banning, Marc Deering, Mark Irwin, and John Livesay.
Hanna-Barbera was the classic cartoon producer of childhood. While things like Looney Tunes provided laughs and Walt Disney provided drama and song, Hanna-Barbera was a source of consistency. You almost always knew what you were going to get with a Hanna-Barbera cartoon and that is why this collection is a lot of fun even if it is a bit uneven.
There are only a few choices the writers can make here. They can create a parody of the cartoon or they can treat the cartoon with all seriousness. For the most part this collection features presentations that could fit in a standard DC Comics without irony…even if it does feature Black Lightning teaming up with a talking dog. DC’s own weird creations provide enough range for the writers to really play with the story and try to make it canon (or at least feel like it is canon).
This mostly works and some of the stories have interesting twists on characters (like giving Speed Buggy more of a tragic origin). I actually like things like Dynomutt and Blue Falcon as part of the DC Universe and they virtually almost make sense when you consider some of DC’s fringe characters like Angel and the Ape, Stanley and His Monster, and even a character like Dolphin…all of which have made mainstream appearances (maybe not in current canon due to various “Crisis” events).
The series also leaves you wanting more by having a couple of Hanna-Barbera vignettes with characters like Funky Phantom and Captain Caveman. I liked the shorts, but it would have been fun to see them expanded and developed (especially Captain Caveman since he always was a favorite).
While not everything about DC Meets Hanna-Barbera works, it mostly works, and those who grew up with these cartoons will have fun with the crossovers. Though these one-shots were just that, I’d still love to see this idea surface again…and you want to stick with some of these characters, change-up the team-ups. There is an almost infinite number of combinations now, but it is nice to see a light-hearted comic collection like this still exist.
Written by Dan Abnett, Bryan Hill, Scott Lobdell, Jeff Parker, and Peter J. Tomasi, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 2 is a DC Superhero/Hanna-Barbera crossover collection. Following DC Meets Hanna-Barbera—Volume 1, the collection features art by Oclair Albert, Brett Booth, Denys Cowan, Andrew Hennessy, Scott Kolins, Fernando Parsarin, Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, Bill Sienkiewicz, Matt Banning, Marc Deering, Mark Irwin, and John Livesay.
Hanna-Barbera was the classic cartoon producer of childhood. While things like Looney Tunes provided laughs and Walt Disney provided drama and song, Hanna-Barbera was a source of consistency. You almost always knew what you were going to get with a Hanna-Barbera cartoon and that is why this collection is a lot of fun even if it is a bit uneven.
There are only a few choices the writers can make here. They can create a parody of the cartoon or they can treat the cartoon with all seriousness. For the most part this collection features presentations that could fit in a standard DC Comics without irony…even if it does feature Black Lightning teaming up with a talking dog. DC’s own weird creations provide enough range for the writers to really play with the story and try to make it canon (or at least feel like it is canon).
This mostly works and some of the stories have interesting twists on characters (like giving Speed Buggy more of a tragic origin). I actually like things like Dynomutt and Blue Falcon as part of the DC Universe and they virtually almost make sense when you consider some of DC’s fringe characters like Angel and the Ape, Stanley and His Monster, and even a character like Dolphin…all of which have made mainstream appearances (maybe not in current canon due to various “Crisis” events).
The series also leaves you wanting more by having a couple of Hanna-Barbera vignettes with characters like Funky Phantom and Captain Caveman. I liked the shorts, but it would have been fun to see them expanded and developed (especially Captain Caveman since he always was a favorite).
While not everything about DC Meets Hanna-Barbera works, it mostly works, and those who grew up with these cartoons will have fun with the crossovers. Though these one-shots were just that, I’d still love to see this idea surface again…and you want to stick with some of these characters, change-up the team-ups. There is an almost infinite number of combinations now, but it is nice to see a light-hearted comic collection like this still exist.
January 14, 2019
DC Meets Hanna-Barbera is a collection of four inter-company crossover specials between DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera. This trade paperback collects The Flash/Speed Buggy Special, Super Sons/Dynomutt Special, Aquaman/Jabberjaw, and Black Lightning/Hong Kong PHOOEY.
The Flash/Speed Buggy Special (★★★☆☆) has Wally West as The Flash and Dr Pernell that has connected his Buggy to the Speed Force, which became sentient after a race. It is written by Scott Lobdell and penciled by Brett Booth with five different inkers.
Super Sons/Dynomutt Special (★★★★☆) has Jonathan Kent as Superboy visiting Big City for a funeral for one of his parents' friends and Damian Wayne as Robin tags along. During the funeral, Dynomutt, an old friend of Damian Wayne's, comes from help against Blue Falcon, his master has seemingly turned evil. It is written by Peter J. Tomasi and penciled by Fernando Pasarin.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw (★★★★☆) has Arthur Curry as Aquaman is summoned to the Town of Amnesty Island, which is besieged by a series of shark attacks. What is unusual about these shark attacks is that the shark, Jabberjaw, just wants to talk. However, Ocean Master has different plans. It is written by Dan Abnett and penciled by Paul Pelletier. There is a back-up feature staring Captain Caveman meets the wizard Shazam which is written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Scott Kolins.
Black Lightning/Hong Kong PHOOEY (★★★☆☆) has Jefferson Pierce as Black Lightning and Hong Kong Phooey team up to uncover a plot by three assassins to collect the components of a sacred text revealing the darkest secrets of Martial Art magic. It is written by Bryan Hill and penciled by Denys Cowan. There is a backup story about the Funky Phantom co-starring Jason Blood, which is written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Scott Kolins.
Inter-company crossovers are not unusual in the comic book industry. Usually the team-up makes some sense. However, the team-up between DC Comics and Hanna Barbera is an odd and rather unconventional mix and it shows in the specials. Overall, the specials are mediocrity done with Super Sons/Dynomutt Special and Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special being the stronger of the four, but not by much.
All in all, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera Vol. 2 is a rather mediocre and uneven collection of specials that has the unusual team-up between the DC Comic and Hanna Barbera universes.
The Flash/Speed Buggy Special (★★★☆☆) has Wally West as The Flash and Dr Pernell that has connected his Buggy to the Speed Force, which became sentient after a race. It is written by Scott Lobdell and penciled by Brett Booth with five different inkers.
Super Sons/Dynomutt Special (★★★★☆) has Jonathan Kent as Superboy visiting Big City for a funeral for one of his parents' friends and Damian Wayne as Robin tags along. During the funeral, Dynomutt, an old friend of Damian Wayne's, comes from help against Blue Falcon, his master has seemingly turned evil. It is written by Peter J. Tomasi and penciled by Fernando Pasarin.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw (★★★★☆) has Arthur Curry as Aquaman is summoned to the Town of Amnesty Island, which is besieged by a series of shark attacks. What is unusual about these shark attacks is that the shark, Jabberjaw, just wants to talk. However, Ocean Master has different plans. It is written by Dan Abnett and penciled by Paul Pelletier. There is a back-up feature staring Captain Caveman meets the wizard Shazam which is written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Scott Kolins.
Black Lightning/Hong Kong PHOOEY (★★★☆☆) has Jefferson Pierce as Black Lightning and Hong Kong Phooey team up to uncover a plot by three assassins to collect the components of a sacred text revealing the darkest secrets of Martial Art magic. It is written by Bryan Hill and penciled by Denys Cowan. There is a backup story about the Funky Phantom co-starring Jason Blood, which is written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Scott Kolins.
Inter-company crossovers are not unusual in the comic book industry. Usually the team-up makes some sense. However, the team-up between DC Comics and Hanna Barbera is an odd and rather unconventional mix and it shows in the specials. Overall, the specials are mediocrity done with Super Sons/Dynomutt Special and Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special being the stronger of the four, but not by much.
All in all, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera Vol. 2 is a rather mediocre and uneven collection of specials that has the unusual team-up between the DC Comic and Hanna Barbera universes.
March 15, 2020
Super Sons/Dynomutt, written by Peter J. Tomasi, pencils by Fernando Pasarin, inks by Oclair Albert. 4 stars.
This has some actual gravitas, with Superboy and Robin helping defeat a formidable foe, while Superboy learns a valuable lesson. We learn the origin of Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, finding out that they have been part of Batman, Inc. in the past. The best story in this collection.
Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey, written by Bryan Hill, pencils by Denys Cowan, inks by Bill Sienkiewicz. 3 stars.
Thankfully, Hong Kong Phooey is mostly referred to as the much less problematic name of Penry. Taking place in 1976, this mimics the kung fu movies of the period. Black Lightning really doesn't do much, keeping the henchmen occupied while Penry fights the main villain. Mostly entertaining action.
The Funky Phantom, written by Jeff Parker, art by Scott Kolins. 2 stars.
This obscure Hanna-Barbera character gets an unasked for origin featuring Jason Blood (aka The Demon) and then the story proceeds to present a pro gun control message. I don't mind messages in my comics, and I actually agree with the stated sentiments, but even for me this seemed rather heavy-handed.
The Flash/Speed Buggy, written by Scott Lobdell, pencils by Brett Booth, inks by four different artists.
3 stars.
This is essentially the untold origin story of Speed Buggy. A scientist named M. Blanc (get it?) is fused with his Speed Buggy invention to create the talking car of the cartoons. This all takes place while The Flash (Wally West version) fights his arch-nemesis Savitar. It's a bit over the top, but nonetheless entertaining.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw, written by Dan Abnett, pencils by Paul Pelletier, inks by Andrew Hennessy. 3 stars.
Essentially, another origin story. Jabberjaw travels back in time and gets Aquaman to help him save his futuristic underwater city, while showing that man and fish can live together in harmony. There's a nice cameo by Sealab 2020 as well. All in all a bit on the silly side, but still entertaining.
Captain Cavemen, written by Jeff Parker, art by Scott Kolins. 2 stars.
This is a very silly and not too cohesive origin story. The Spectre and the wizard Shazam evolve and transport a cave man into our present day to become a heroic champion. "Comedy" ensues as Captain Caveman learns how to cope with modern society, and then save the world from Manhunters.
This has some actual gravitas, with Superboy and Robin helping defeat a formidable foe, while Superboy learns a valuable lesson. We learn the origin of Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, finding out that they have been part of Batman, Inc. in the past. The best story in this collection.
Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey, written by Bryan Hill, pencils by Denys Cowan, inks by Bill Sienkiewicz. 3 stars.
Thankfully, Hong Kong Phooey is mostly referred to as the much less problematic name of Penry. Taking place in 1976, this mimics the kung fu movies of the period. Black Lightning really doesn't do much, keeping the henchmen occupied while Penry fights the main villain. Mostly entertaining action.
The Funky Phantom, written by Jeff Parker, art by Scott Kolins. 2 stars.
This obscure Hanna-Barbera character gets an unasked for origin featuring Jason Blood (aka The Demon) and then the story proceeds to present a pro gun control message. I don't mind messages in my comics, and I actually agree with the stated sentiments, but even for me this seemed rather heavy-handed.
The Flash/Speed Buggy, written by Scott Lobdell, pencils by Brett Booth, inks by four different artists.
3 stars.
This is essentially the untold origin story of Speed Buggy. A scientist named M. Blanc (get it?) is fused with his Speed Buggy invention to create the talking car of the cartoons. This all takes place while The Flash (Wally West version) fights his arch-nemesis Savitar. It's a bit over the top, but nonetheless entertaining.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw, written by Dan Abnett, pencils by Paul Pelletier, inks by Andrew Hennessy. 3 stars.
Essentially, another origin story. Jabberjaw travels back in time and gets Aquaman to help him save his futuristic underwater city, while showing that man and fish can live together in harmony. There's a nice cameo by Sealab 2020 as well. All in all a bit on the silly side, but still entertaining.
Captain Cavemen, written by Jeff Parker, art by Scott Kolins. 2 stars.
This is a very silly and not too cohesive origin story. The Spectre and the wizard Shazam evolve and transport a cave man into our present day to become a heroic champion. "Comedy" ensues as Captain Caveman learns how to cope with modern society, and then save the world from Manhunters.
December 13, 2020
n this second assortment of stories starring the heroes of the DC Universe and the nearly unlimited cast of characters from the world of Hanna-Barbera we've got the following:
The sons of Superman and Batman assist Dynomutt in saving his partner the Blue Falcon from the clutches of his arch-enemy: The Condor!
Hong-Kong Phooey cashes in a Vietnam War-era favor from Black Lightning in trying to prevent an ancient evil from devouring the Earth in a kung-fu romp set in 1970s Metropolis.
Aquaman meets the talking shark, Jabberjaw and catches a glimpse of the future of Atlantis.
Wally West learns that for every positive entity in the Speed Force, that there is an evil version in a race against time with Speed Buggy.
I really enjoyed the first set of DC/Hanna-Barbera stories. They were edgier versions of the Hanna-Barbera characters than we are used too. But the team-ups themselves weren't bad. I think with volume 2, the novelty's luster had worn off.
The Super Sons story was powerful but a little sad. I did rather enjoy the quirkiness of the Aquaman/Jabberjaw adventure with it's awesome Easter Eggs. But I wasn't a fan of the other stories. The Hong Kong Phooey story was too complicated or just plain poorly written. I did like the countless cameos of the Speed Buggy adventure. But I feel that the villains in that story were lame.
I was a little more appreciative of the artwork. Of course, the art was done in that more gritty Post-New 52 style. But it translated fairly well with assists by Bill Sienkiewicz, Norm Rapmund and others.
There was also two bonus shorts that were pretty good. Jason Blood summons the spirit of a relatively forgotten Hanna-Barbera character known as the Funky Phantom. Then we have the Wizard SHAZAM bestowing powers on a Neanderthal who once eventually defrosted in modern times will become Captain CAAAAAAVVEEE-MAN!
That story was great. I would pay money for a 4 or 5 issue long miniseries that followed up that yarn. It was that fine a quality.
An enjoyable read. But not my favorite volume.
The sons of Superman and Batman assist Dynomutt in saving his partner the Blue Falcon from the clutches of his arch-enemy: The Condor!
Hong-Kong Phooey cashes in a Vietnam War-era favor from Black Lightning in trying to prevent an ancient evil from devouring the Earth in a kung-fu romp set in 1970s Metropolis.
Aquaman meets the talking shark, Jabberjaw and catches a glimpse of the future of Atlantis.
Wally West learns that for every positive entity in the Speed Force, that there is an evil version in a race against time with Speed Buggy.
I really enjoyed the first set of DC/Hanna-Barbera stories. They were edgier versions of the Hanna-Barbera characters than we are used too. But the team-ups themselves weren't bad. I think with volume 2, the novelty's luster had worn off.
The Super Sons story was powerful but a little sad. I did rather enjoy the quirkiness of the Aquaman/Jabberjaw adventure with it's awesome Easter Eggs. But I wasn't a fan of the other stories. The Hong Kong Phooey story was too complicated or just plain poorly written. I did like the countless cameos of the Speed Buggy adventure. But I feel that the villains in that story were lame.
I was a little more appreciative of the artwork. Of course, the art was done in that more gritty Post-New 52 style. But it translated fairly well with assists by Bill Sienkiewicz, Norm Rapmund and others.
There was also two bonus shorts that were pretty good. Jason Blood summons the spirit of a relatively forgotten Hanna-Barbera character known as the Funky Phantom. Then we have the Wizard SHAZAM bestowing powers on a Neanderthal who once eventually defrosted in modern times will become Captain CAAAAAAVVEEE-MAN!
That story was great. I would pay money for a 4 or 5 issue long miniseries that followed up that yarn. It was that fine a quality.
An enjoyable read. But not my favorite volume.
March 22, 2022
Dyno Mutt meets Robin and Superboy: A really cool story as it gives Blue Falcon and Dyno Mutt a DC origins and they do try to fit them and it works pretty nicely. The origin is pretty dark but not overly dark as they make Dyno Mutt more of cyborg as Blue Falcon made him to keep his dog around much longer. Granted it is more focused on the Dyno Mutt side of things as Robin and Superboy are basically bystanders for most of the story.
Black Lighting and Hong Kung Phooey: This one was just ok as it really does not do much besides have the two fight off some villains. I would have preferred if they gave Hong Kung Phooey a backstory but they really do not do much with the character.
Funky Phantom and Jason Blood: Was pretty funny as the set up is that Jason Blood is hired to summon an American Revolution vet from the grave by a bunch of Pro Gun lunatics as means to show that the founding fathers would be against Gun restrictions but it backfires in a hilarious and a smart way by having the Phantom show visible fear about how fanatic Pro 2nd amendment people can be.
Flash and Speed Buggy: Is a nice origin as it connects Speed Buggy to the speed force and explains why their is a talking car. But it does get a little to complicated but still not a bad story as the ending is a nice but still felt to complicated.
Jabberjaw and Aquaman: Is a really cool one as we get to see a good match of both sides of the story. As we see Aquaman react Aqualand and even see him reacting to a lot of misconceptions people still see Aquaman as because of the old Justice League cartoon. It was funny seeing Aquaman getting pissed at the thought of people just seeing him as the guy who talks to fish.
Captain Caveman and Shazam: This one needed to be longer as it just a few pages of Shazam bringing Caveman to modern times to win a wager with the Spectre it was just to short.
Black Lighting and Hong Kung Phooey: This one was just ok as it really does not do much besides have the two fight off some villains. I would have preferred if they gave Hong Kung Phooey a backstory but they really do not do much with the character.
Funky Phantom and Jason Blood: Was pretty funny as the set up is that Jason Blood is hired to summon an American Revolution vet from the grave by a bunch of Pro Gun lunatics as means to show that the founding fathers would be against Gun restrictions but it backfires in a hilarious and a smart way by having the Phantom show visible fear about how fanatic Pro 2nd amendment people can be.
Flash and Speed Buggy: Is a nice origin as it connects Speed Buggy to the speed force and explains why their is a talking car. But it does get a little to complicated but still not a bad story as the ending is a nice but still felt to complicated.
Jabberjaw and Aquaman: Is a really cool one as we get to see a good match of both sides of the story. As we see Aquaman react Aqualand and even see him reacting to a lot of misconceptions people still see Aquaman as because of the old Justice League cartoon. It was funny seeing Aquaman getting pissed at the thought of people just seeing him as the guy who talks to fish.
Captain Caveman and Shazam: This one needed to be longer as it just a few pages of Shazam bringing Caveman to modern times to win a wager with the Spectre it was just to short.
August 23, 2020
O primeiro encadernado de DC Comics encontra Hanna-Barbera foi bastante decepcionante. Será que este segundo seria melhor? Preciso dizer que sim, este segundo encadernado, talvez por usar personagens menos visados da DC Comics traz histórias mais descompromissadas e mais divertidas que o primeiro. Os Superfilhos, Robin e Superboy, se encontram com o Falcão Azul e o Bionicão numa história que conta a origem destes personagens para o "Universo DC". Também acontece o mesmo quando o Flash Wally West se encontra com Chispinha (de quem nunca tinha ouvido falar). O blaxpoitaition e os filmes de kung fu, dois gêneros de histórias dos anos 1970 colidem quando Raio Negro e Hong Kong Fu se encontram numa aventura mística. Por fim, temos um encontro extremamente inusitado entre Aquaman e Tutubarão, que é, sim divertido e aventuresco. Este encadernado é isso: diversão e aventuras descompromissados de seriedade e de apego com a cronologia. É um prato cheio para leitores iniciantes ou aqueles saudosos dos desenhos animados da Hanna-Barbera. Os demais poderão torcer o nariz.
December 29, 2019
I surprisingly liked this more than the first one, probably because it had more DC in it and not random stories that were just strange "re-imaginings" of Hanna-Barbera characters. Also, I'm a sucker for Damian Wayne Robin and Jon Kent Superboy team-ups. And Wally West. And since this volume featured those characters... yeah, I had some fun. The other stories were pretty meh--I mean, I'm sorry... I don't care what you do, I'm not taking Hong Kong Phooey seriously. Maybe that was the joke--so serious it's funny--but, honestly, the way it was written still felt serious and just didn't work. That said, this book wasn't without its fun. Whereas the other volume just felt like: "What did I just read?," this one felt like: "Worth reading if you're curious. There were a few fun moments."
July 31, 2019
The first two stories are the best of the bunch.
Blue falcon and dynomutt teaming up with the super sons. Dynomutt always was A Goofy character, but they actually made him seem.
The Hong Kong phooey Black lightning crossover likewise was very good.
The funky phantom was agenda-driven.
The rest were so so.
Blue falcon and dynomutt teaming up with the super sons. Dynomutt always was A Goofy character, but they actually made him seem.
The Hong Kong phooey Black lightning crossover likewise was very good.
The funky phantom was agenda-driven.
The rest were so so.
January 8, 2019
This second volume continues the team up of classic DC characters with Hanna-Barbera characters including dynomutt, the supersons and many more. Some of these stories confront some darker themes and some are just lots of fun. A solid collection of stories and you get Batman!
July 17, 2021
Works better than the first one did, but not by much. The revolutionary war ghost being pulled into a gun rights rally tickled me -- it's political only because the far right has made it so. Funny how the rest of the world has no problems about controlling easy access to automatic weapons lol
January 2, 2023
A riot of fun :)
February 21, 2023
Still hit-or-miss but charming to see some updates to classic concepts.
March 12, 2025
The Super Sons/Dynomutt story was quite good. I also enjoyed the one about Jabberjaw. The rest did little for me.
January 26, 2021
Another series of meetings that are hit or miss. While the nostalgia is there sometimes the stories just don't live up or are not quite what I expected. I don't find any of them awful but overall its ehh..not bad and sometimes funny.
You have Wally West as the Flash finding himself and the Speed Force in some trouble and confusion with Speed Buggy!
The stoic AQUAMAN, ruler of the seas comes across Jabberjaw, talker of the seas? A weird story about the future or an alternate timeline...eh.
Trading heavy on the past of the two from 1970 on Hong Kong Phooey and Black Lightning team up to take on a team up of DC and Hanna Barbera villains using both Magic mixed with Kung Fu. This is a good story if a little dark.
The Super Sons, Damian Wayne/Robin and Jon Kent/Superboy have to help Blue Falcon and Dyno Mutt but can they when everything is against them? A fun story .
Overall if your a fan or have good feelings about these older Hanna Barbera cartoons its a fun read.
You have Wally West as the Flash finding himself and the Speed Force in some trouble and confusion with Speed Buggy!
The stoic AQUAMAN, ruler of the seas comes across Jabberjaw, talker of the seas? A weird story about the future or an alternate timeline...eh.
Trading heavy on the past of the two from 1970 on Hong Kong Phooey and Black Lightning team up to take on a team up of DC and Hanna Barbera villains using both Magic mixed with Kung Fu. This is a good story if a little dark.
The Super Sons, Damian Wayne/Robin and Jon Kent/Superboy have to help Blue Falcon and Dyno Mutt but can they when everything is against them? A fun story .
Overall if your a fan or have good feelings about these older Hanna Barbera cartoons its a fun read.
June 5, 2021
Another uneven grab bag.
The Hong Kong Phooey/Black Lightening had a fun, 70's explotation vibe.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw tried too hard. The jokes got annoying and the forced commentary fell flat.
Flash/Speed buggy works through sheer goofiness.
Now that I write this, I realize I never read the fourth one shot...did I completely miss it or is it sitting in a pile somewhere around the house...
I like the idea of these comics much more then I ever do the execution.
The Hong Kong Phooey/Black Lightening had a fun, 70's explotation vibe.
Aquaman/Jabberjaw tried too hard. The jokes got annoying and the forced commentary fell flat.
Flash/Speed buggy works through sheer goofiness.
Now that I write this, I realize I never read the fourth one shot...did I completely miss it or is it sitting in a pile somewhere around the house...
I like the idea of these comics much more then I ever do the execution.
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