Snagglepuss: The UNUSUAL DC, for unusual DC Readers:

[matt levin]

Are you reading this? Perhaps you can suggest an answer:

My question is, “Why Snagglepuss?” The world of Puss’s New York is the world of Joe McCarthy’s 1950s, in a slightly-Twilight-Zone dimension where actors in one of Puss’s highly successful theatrical productions wear ‘animal-snout masks’, and anthropomorphic characters mingle with ‘human’ ones on the sidewalks. No explanation given: this is simply the world of the story, catch up with it.

I like comics tackling politics and this clearly is going to be one: Snagglepuss is about to be set up for a career-crushing fall, pawn in a political ploy by those whose hopes lie with McCarthy. Here’s a comic with a character stating, “Every nation is a monster in the making,” and a story about to lead us through that truth.

I like intellectual comics; this one quotes Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman, and takes us through moments before the Rosenbergs are electrocuted, with bitter wit. With hope, the parallels between the 50s and the 2010s are clearly, but not bombastically drawn, and so far that hope seems a viable one. Artwork by Feehan, Morales, & Mounts is professional and clean, if not especially individual or striking.

But why Snagglepuss--? Is that DC, or writer Mark Russell, felt a straight-forward drama with an all-normal-human cast would sell only a dozen copies (as if Snagglepuss will draw in dozens more?) or that a political drama would only succeed as “parable,” Aesop-style fable? Whatever the reason, I hope this series lives up to its first issue promise and garners a lot of attention.

[Confuzzled]

Why not Snagglepuss?

[Osiris-Rex]

Snagglepuss was one of the few obviously Gay cartoon characters back in the 1960s, so what better character to use for stories set in the homophobic 1950s where being a homosexual was treated as a crime?
(Not saying things are great now, just somewhat less bad)

[Bergman]

The first issue is pretty good. I got an American Century vibe from it.

[Powertool]

One should also take into account that it's not a given that Russell explicitly asked for a Snagglepuss title. After all, he was reportedly far from amazed when Dan DiDio (or whoever the bigwig who summoned him to his office was) assigned him to the Flintstones series. But since he's apparently very good at turning lemons thrown from life into lemonade, he managed to find a great angle for a series on the modern Stone Age family and it became the jewel it is. Perhaps he's trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice...

Snagglepuss.jpg

... and looking at panels like this one, he could very well manage to do it.

[CaptCleghorn]

One should also take into account that it's not a given that Russell explicitly asked for a Snagglepuss title. After all, he was reportedly far from amazed when Dan DiDio (or whoever the bigwig who summoned him to his office was) assigned him to the Flintstones series. But since he's apparently very good at turning lemons thrown from life into lemonade, he managed to find a great angle for a series on the modern Stone Age family and it became the jewel it is. Perhaps he's trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice...

... and looking at panels like this one, he could very well manage to do it.

The original intention of the Flintstones was what Russell did. A look at modern societal aspects with a cartoonish slant. The Flintstones were the Simpsons of the early sixties. Snagglepuss is easily the most flamboyant of the Hanna Barbera characters. The idea of Snagglepuss being used to tell this story seems almost obvious. All of DC's HB concepts take them to adult (in a good sense, not a tits and f-bombs sense) levels.

This story might have had some legs if it had been about humans only, but honestly, the use of Snagglepuss throws a spotlight onto it and screams for attention. The fact that Snagglepuss fits so well into the story leads me to believe that the character and story were worked on together. But that's pure speculation on my part.

[Shockingjustice]

One should also take into account that it's not a given that Russell explicitly asked for a Snagglepuss title. After all, he was reportedly far from amazed when Dan DiDio (or whoever the bigwig who summoned him to his office was) assigned him to the Flintstones series. But since he's apparently very good at turning lemons thrown from life into lemonade, he managed to find a great angle for a series on the modern Stone Age family and it became the jewel it is. Perhaps he's trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice...

Snagglepuss.jpg

... and looking at panels like this one, he could very well manage to do it.

Is that what it looks like? That's kind of weird.

[Shockingjustice]

Snagglepuss was gay?

[The Darknight Detective]

Snagglepuss was gay?

IIRC, he had a girl friend on at least one of the Snagglepuss shorts.

[BatmanJones]

IIRC, he had a girl friend on at least one of the Snagglepuss shorts.

And as we all know gay people never have hetero relationships or pretend to (even in the McCarthy era) so if he had a girlfriend he must be straight.

[Güicho]

Snagglepuss was gay?

Honestly I always thought Wally Gator was the gay one-

Jump to 0:23 https://youtu.be/yJ12t7fdsYM?t=23

And Snagglepuss was just overly theatrical.
Then again...

Is that what it looks like? That's kind of weird.

If they looked more like their HB designs, I might check it out.

[ed2962]

Honestly I always thought Wally Gator was the gay one-

Jump to 0:23 https://youtu.be/yJ12t7fdsYM?t=23

And Snagglepuss was just overly theatrical.
Then again...


If they looked more like their HB designs, I might check it out.

In the end it's probably a good thing that they don't. The premise is so far removed from the original cartoon, it might be upsetting for some people to pick it up expecting a family friendly romp and getting all this stuff about McCarthy hearings and gay issues.

[The Darknight Detective]

Honestly I always thought Wally Gator was the gay one-

Jump to 0:23 https://youtu.be/yJ12t7fdsYM?t=23

And Snagglepuss was just overly theatrical.
Then again...

As most was the case for most H-B characters of that time, Snagglepuss and Wally Gator were modeled after famous comedians (Bert Lahr and Ed Wynn, respectively).