DC Comics Reboots Snagglepuss as 'Gay, Southern Gothic Playwright'

Heavens to Murgatroyd! Does every cartoon character need to be revamped for “the current year”?

You might be familiar with Snagglepuss, aka America’s favorite pink cartoon mountain lion, from his wacky and family-friendly adventures during his 32-episode series as seen on The Yogi Bear Show since 1961. If you’ve ever wanted to see classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters like Wally Gator and Quick Draw McGraw back in the limelight for a new generation to enjoy, take a look at how DC Comics has drastically changed Snagglepuss for his upcoming comic book series that is set to debut this autumn:

Heavens To Murgatroyd, @Manruss, Howard Porter & @DCComics' Snagglepuss Is Remarkably Relevanthttps://t.co/NgefzcsOJl pic.twitter.com/nVi60hlRLr

— Comic Book Resources (@CBR) March 23, 2017

Comic book writer Mark Russell has retooled Snagglepuss’s story from a wild mountain lion doing his best to spruce up his drab cavern alongside his girlfriend (what, you never heard of Lila? Look it up!), into one where the big cat is focused on dealing with his sexuality and how homosexuals are perceived through the lens of 1950s America:

[Snagglepuss’s sexuality is] never discussed and it’s obviously ignored in the cartoons ‘cuz they were made at a time when you couldn’t even acknowledge the existence of such a thing, but it’s still so obvious; so it’s natural to present it in a context where everybody knows, but it’s still closeted. And dealing with the cultural scene of the 1950s, especially on Broadway, where everybody’s gay, or is working with someone who’s gay, but nobody can talk about it – and what it’s like to have to try to create culture out of silence.

The Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Annual #1 comic that was released earlier this year included a small eight-page preview story that sets up the upcoming Snagglepuss series, where the rosy-colored cat testifies in front of the “House Committee on Un-American Activities.”

New comic series’ starring The Jetsons and Top Cat are also in the works from DC, but if they’re as polarizing and unfunny as the new Snagglepuss is shaping up to be, I’m sure that many Hanna-Barbera fans will be exiting the comic book shop, stage left.