Suffering Succotash, it's Snagglepuss.
A few years ago, DC Comics was running a comic book called "Cartoon Network Presents" with a rotating roster of characters. Among them was Space Ghost in a comic book look at the behind the scenes activities at "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" and "Cartoon Planet."
I did a few of these stories. In an attempt to create some dimension to the characters, I tried to imply that alien insect raconteur, Lokar had a life, and was in a relationship. To do this, I added some framed vacation photos to his office of himself and Snaggelpus; skiing, in the Bahamas, etc.
I was told that they could not be included, and not for the reason you would think. The issue was not implying that the characters were gay, but there was some weird convoluted reason to not use other Hanna-Barbera characters with each other (Don't get me started on the weirdness that's kept me from using Batman and Robin in Scooby-Doo).
I was surprised since it wasn't so long ago that I had the Scooby-Doo gang visit the Cartoon Network studios where you can see the actors who played Ranger Smith, Jan, of Space Ghost, and Zandor and Igoo of the Herculoids.
In a separate story, one of the characters had a past life as a diver on the show "Jabbershark." This story came nearly a year after the previous one (Scooby-Doo issues #18 and 29, respectively), and the decision to change the name of the show, even though it's clearly Jabberjaw, suggests that this policy was already in motion. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
1 comment:
Similar vein: In '98, I wrote a Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast with Johnny Bravo that got the same don't-mix-the sources note, but then I actually got to change it, and have Mildew Wolf trick Space Ghost into leaving the studio so he could take over, then interview Pixie and Dixie until he got hungry. It was never published.
What's REALLY odd is I had a subtly gay couple, too, and they never objected to that in mine, either.
The relevant passage:
PIXIE: We're making a COMEBACK, you know. We're having lunch with WALLY GATOR's manager next week.
Panel 2
On the guest screen. Pixie and Dixie get caught up in the dream.
MILDEW (OFF): Who?
PIXIE: We're only semi-retired, really. We've been living with my folks in Connecticut. I come from Connecticut and Dixie here--
Panel 3
Similar panel. Dixie winks at the reader. Pixie smiles at Dixie.
DIXIE: We live up North 'cause my Momma's a Lady, if you know what I mean.
MILDEW (OFF): Oh, sunshine. You're breaking my heart.
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