DC Comics/Hanna-Barbera 2018
Written by Mark Russell
Pencilled by Mike Feehan
Inked by Mark Morales
Coloured by Paul Mounts
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
As his friends are blackballed from show business, the government turns up the heat on Snagglepuss, even as his play threatens to implode from within. But no matter how grave the threat, Snagglepuss lives by a single motto: the show must go on!
I’m not sure how this makes me feel. Part of me commends Mark on using this point in history to tell this story and another part of me is incredibly uncomfortable with the way Ms. Allen goes about her business and the whole sordid affair of the House of Un-American activities stuff that was meant to roust “communists” but in reality hurt a lot of folks who were considered a fringe element. Homosexuals and the theatre and film industry were huge targets and for that alone it seems like this is a subject that for whatever reason hits a nerve with me.
I will say this much to see the Hanna-Barbera cast of characters be made into these humanoid versions of themselves has been a blast to see. Peter Potamus, Huckleberry Hound and now Augie Doggie and Squidly Diddly I think the way we see them introduced and how they are employed by the currently able to work Snagglepuss has been exceptionally well done. While humans are few and far between here I’m perfectly fine with that, let them be their lovers though bestiality takes on a whole new meaning here.
So aside from the theatre business and the whole House deal with Ms. Allen there is something here that is rather intriguing and that’s who is in 6F and why does he go to visit. I have a feeling there’s more to this than meets the eye and I'm looking forward to learning what that is. Also the fact that it is so completely separate from the rest of the story makes it that much more interesting.
The way the book is structured so the way the whole flows is very well done and Mark has a good solid grasp of how this needs to be told. His use of dialogue and the characterisation that it represents is sublime and damn near perfect. The twists and turns that the story takes and how we see it all is well conceived and I am enjoying how we are exposed to them all. I was slightly taken aback by one character in particular whom we learn more about though not that it’s a bad thing but it was unexpected.
The guys do a superb job on the interior artwork here. It can’t be easy to Anthropomorphic cartoon characters and make them even more human like while retaining their animalistic qualities. The way page layouts are used and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels showcases a great eye for storytelling. For the most part the backgrounds that are utilised are fantastic and do wonders to expand the story that we see.
Now if this were just to explore Snagglepuss and his theatre life and those around him there would be enough material to last a while. Throw in Ms. Allen’s witch-hunts and you’ve got a whole different set of problems that’ll need to be overcome. So all this well test the mettle of our favourite Pink Playwright and we’ll see just what it is he’s made of. I am looking forward to seeing how Mark brings this cast through the storm and what they are like on the other side.
This will create a reaction in everyone who reads it and I pretty much can guarantee every reaction will be different. This is as impressive as it can possibly get, it’s topical, poignant and while set in the past it’s very today.