10 Best Comics Based On Hanna-Barbera Cartoons

Beginning in the 1950s, Hanna-Barbera emerged as one of the greatest creators of Saturday-morning cartoons of the 20th century, thanks to properties like Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones and The Jetsons. As the company continued to produce excellent and popular shows, it built up a strong, nostalgic reputation that has endured well into the 21st century, despite the company being defunct. Along the way, the best characters and shows of the company have been given some fun comic books.

Hanna-Barbera’s properties come from two visionary creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, whose unique style of animation dominated TV for close to two decades. From their legendary crossover shows to reinventions of their own characters, the company’s IP continues to prosper today, through games, film, animation and comics – the latter of which are responsible for a slew of brilliant stories, especially in tandem with its sister company, DC Comics.

10 The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

#1 by Kate Worley, Francisco Solano López, Andrew Pepoy, James Sinclair, and Tracy Hampton-Munsey

Jonny Quest was created as a kid-friendly homage to classic adventure serials, drawing heavily on characters like Doc Savage. Jonny was written as an all-American boy who, alongside his father, adoptive brother, and a government agent named Race Bannon, traveled around the world to foil the schemes of bad guys and recover lost artifacts. Under Dark Horse, the classic series was continued for ’90s readers, and print managed to honor the series and its source material incredibly well.

Dark Horse’s The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest returns readers to the missions and explorations of the Quest family, bringing back classic villains like Doctor Zin. The series is mostly structured like the animated show, primarily focusing on adventure-based arcs that see the heroes hunting for lost relics.

9 Super Sons / Dynomutt Special #1

Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin, Olclair Albert, Gabe Eltaeb, and Rob Leigh

Thanks to the work of Peter J. Tomasi, the Super Sons became a fan-favorite pairing of heroes at DC Comics. It was only natural that the two young heroes, Robin Damian Wayne and Superboy Jon Kent, would be part of DC’s crossover with Hanna-Barbera, and there couldn’t have been a better fit than Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, who share a similar dynamic to Batman and Robin. After finding an injured Dynomutt, the two sidekicks set out to rescue Blue Falcon, who has been kidnapped by the Red Vulture, who means to place his mind in the hero’s body.

Super Sons / Dynomutt Special #1 does a great job of applying the Batman formula to a Hanna-Barbera classic, reminding readers what a great character the Falcon is. Bringing a surprisingly touching approach to the classic cartoon heroes, the one-shot delivered an underrated story of what it means to be a superhero.

8 Black Lightning / Hong Kong Phooey Special #1

Bryan Hill, Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jeromy Cox, and Janice Chiang

Hong Kong Phooey made his debut as a parody of the kung fu craze of the 1960s and ’70s, incidentally debuting the same year as Marvel’s Iron Fist and one year after Shang-Chi. By day, the character is the unassuming police station custodian, Penrod Pooch, only to become the bumbling, martial artist superhero, Hong Kong Phooey, by night. In DC’s crossover with Hanna-Barbera, the mutt teamed up with Black Lightning to deliver a great ’70s-themed buddy-cop story.

Black Lightning / Hong Kong Phooey Special #1 follows the two heroes as they take on the alliance of Bronze Tiger, Cheshire, and Professor Presto, and the latter of whom plans to use magic to gain unprecedented power. The story reimagines Phooey as a considerably more competent version of himself, and brings back Jefferson Pierce’s original superhero design as Black Lightning.

7 Adam Strange / Future Quest Special #1

Jeff Parker, Marc Andreyko, Steve Lieber, Veronica Gandini, and Dave Lanphear

In Adam Strange / Future Quest Special #1, two worlds of science fiction collide as DC’s answer to Flash Gordon makes his way to the shared Hanna-Barbera universe. The story primarily serves as an exploration of this world, introducing Adam to its heroes, from the Quest family to Mightor. The issue compares and contrasts the two worlds, showcasing heroes who have a resemblance to DC heroes rather than focusing on a major threat.

Adam Strange / Future Quest Special #1 is a great blend of two sci-fi franchises, calling back to old school Silver Age adventure. The story is, first and foremost, a window into some of Hanna-Barbera’s most obscure heroes, and delivers a simple exploration of the world, from its perils to its protagonists.

6 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

Ongoing; #130 by Sholly Fisch, Valerio Chiola, and Saida Temofonte

While many of Scooby-Doo’s comic book adventures have brought a unique angle to the gang, from team-ups to horror, DC has also honored the show’s original formula. In the ongoing series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, readers are given a consistent series of bi-monthly adventures, which range from reinventions of classic episodes to slice-of-life style comedic mysteries.

DC has published two different volumes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, though the current ongoing series is the best place to dive in. Recent mysteries have included the gang going up against mechanical sea monsters, demon,s and creepy slasher-inspired villains.

5 Booster Gold / The Flintstones Special #1

Mark Russell, Rick Leonardi, Scott Hanna, Steve Buccellato, and Dave Sharpe

Since 1986, Booster Gold has been one of DC’s most lighthearted superheroes. With an unrelenting love of capitalism and fame, the time-traveling hero originally traveled from the 25th century back to the present day to make a name for himself and build his brand. In the company’s Hanna-Barbera crossover, the high-tech hero went back even further, landing him in the prehistoric era of The Flintstones.

Booster Gold / The Flintstones Special #1 explores the contrast between the technologically-advanced hero from the future with his new stone-age friends. The story follows Booster as he tries to reverse the chaos caused by the sudden influx of futuristic technology, working with Fred and Barney to return order to Bedrock. The story sums up the classic Booster Gold formula, as a well-meaning hero often causes his own problems.

4 Future Quest

#1 by Jeff Parker, Evan “Doc” Shaner, Steve Rude, Jordie Bellaire, and Dave Lanphear

Future Quest was created by DC to give all the classic Hanna-Barbera fantasy, adventure, and science fiction heroes a shared universe. Housing everyone from Mightor and the Herculoids to Jonny Quest and Space Ghost, this universe is one big homage to cartoon adventures. The story itself follows the alliance of the world’s heroes to save Earth from the World Ender, a cosmic being capable of destroying planets.

Future Quest is a comic series aimed squarely at fans of old school pulp comics, science fiction, and classic adventure, giving each of the cartoon heroes their own corner of the universe. Not only is the series one of the best stories of each of its respective heroes, but it also saw Hanna-Barbera’s characters reach their fullest potential in saving the world.

3 Scooby-Doo Team-Up

#1 by Sholly Fisch, Dario Brizuela, Heroic Age, and Saida Temofonte

Scooby-Doo Team-Up follows Mystery Incorporated in a Silver Age-inspired version of the DC Universe, pairing them up with characters from both Hanna-Barbera and DC. Ranging from a Western adventure with Jonah Hex to a space-based caper with Space Ghost, the series is pure fan service for fans of classic Saturday-morning cartoons and the JLA.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up offers readers a bright, comedic and kid-friendly vision of the DC Universe, something doubly significant considering that it launched during the New 52. Ranging from enjoyable supernatural mysteries to nostalgic returns to the Super Friends, the series is one big love letter to whimsical DC stories and Saturday-morning cartoons.

2 The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries

2024 #1 by Sholly Fisch, Dario Brizuela, Franco Riesco, and Saida Temofonte

Batman and Scooby-Doo have a shared history that dates all the way back to the 1970s, when they first crossed over in The New Scooby-Doo Movies show. DC has returned to this team-up many times, but The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries has given fans of their team-ups an unprecedented consistency. Following the merging of their two worlds, the series sees Velma and Batman compare brains and explores the gang’s team dynamic.

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries has featured some great stories, from a time travel caper with the goal of finding Batman’s purple gloves to saving Gotham from the Joker. For people who prefer a more lighthearted Dark Knight or seeing Mystery Inc get more in-depth stories, this series is perfect.

1 Space Ghost

David Pepose, Jonathan Lau, Andrew Dalhouse, and Taylor Esposito

Space Ghost was one of Hanna-Barbera’s first superheroes, later joined by the likes of Blue Falcon and Captain Caveman. The character is a mash-up of popular heroes like Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern, forming a gadget-reliant, space-based hero who works with his sidekicks: his siblings, Jace and Jan, and their pet monkey, Blip. Together, they fought galactic villainy, prevented the destruction of planets and faced monsters.

Under Dynamite Comics, Space Ghost was revived, with writer David Pepose and artist Jonathan Lau revising the hero’s origin story following DC’s series in 2004. The Dynamite series is leagues ahead of most comic books in print as of 2024, exploring the first meeting of the hero and his friends, their rivalries with the villains, and classic space adventures. While this Hanna-Barbera series does remember its Saturday-morning cartoon roots, it’s also a brilliant, action-packed superhero story that beats Marvel and DC at their own game.