The most recent incarnation of the DC/Looney Tunes is so ingrained within the DC Universe, it goes so far as to create a magical war between every bird inspired and cat inspired DC characters. But while that's certainly a lot of fun, the crossovers have showcased a shocking amount of depth with the concept. So much depth that at this point, DC should just embrace the stories and make them canon.
All ten crossover one-shots have featured two stories. The backup is what you’d expect from a Looney Tunes cartoon, but with DC characters involved (Bugs Bunny tricking Elmer Fudd into thinking it’s “Batman Season,” for example). The main story, however, always sees versions of the Looney Tunes brought into a traditional DC universe – one that reflects the current Rebirth continuity. The characters all receive an origin or connection to the greater DC Universe that gives them reason to actually exist as in-continuity tales.
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Taz becomes a mythological force, so that Wonder Woman can befriend him. Elmer Fudd becomes a hitman so he can go after Batman. Wile E. Coyote gets a full on genetic modification backstory so he can hire Lobo to help him try to catch Road Runner. It feels like an expansion of the DC Universe, taking the tried and true elements of the Looney Tunes characters and giving them a new place and context in which to be explored. All these changes are done in the name of making the characters fit better within the DC Universe, and most of them succeed so well, they just feel like natural parts of the continuity.
With the newest entries of the crossover, it’s become such a common place element that the fact that characters like Porky or Daffy are just a talking pig and duck. It’s treated as an oddity, sure, but it's just something that happens in the DCU. This is a world with talking telepathic gorillas after all, so seeing Lex Luthor hire an anthropomorphized pig as his head of social media for LexCorp isn’t much of a big deal. The tie-ins are so effective in bringing the concepts into the DC aesthetic, they feel like a real part of Rebirth continuity.
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When The Pig Cries
One of the side effects of playing the Looney Tunes characters straighter than they usually are means they end up being more tragic takes on the concepts. Elmer Fudd in particular, in Tom King and Lee Weeks' Pway For Me, is portrayed in genuinely somber light. He’s a skilled hitman in Gotham City who wants to escape his brutal life. He also turns out to be a former lover to Silver St. Cloud. She was meant to be his escape from his life of hunting down men, but just like when she found out Bruce Wayne was Batman, she was scared off by the darkness in Elmer. She set them up against one another because she figured they’d have more in common, and maybe understand one another in a way she never could.
Marvin the Martian is treated with just as much pathos in his crossover with Martian Manhunter in Steve Orlando, Frank J. Barbiere and Aaron Lopresti’s Best Intentions, painting a parallel between him and J’onn J’onzz. Both are the final survivors of their respective reality's Martian race, but while the Martian Manhunter lost his to a calamity brought on by themselves, Marvin comes from a world where it was humanity who brought down the Martian Empire. He’s since made it his mission to destroy as many versions of Earth across the Multiverse as he can.
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He and J’onn clearly don’t get along, but there’s a real grief to both of their appeals. They both keep begging the other to join them and give up their cause, both aware the other is – just like them – is the last of their people.
The story ends with a Martian take on For the Man Who Has Everything, with J’onn trapping Marvin in an extended fantasy where he succeeded. There’s a melancholy tone to the victory, and a sad affirmation of his mission to help humanity. He gets berated for saving lives, yet doesn’t let it cloud his mind. He recognizes humanity isn’t perfect, but they’re worth fighting for. It’s a stern acknowledgement of his mission, not glorifying his nobility, but showcasing it. It shows the Looney Tunes characters having a real impact on the DC Universe, while highlighting their own adaptable nature.
That’s Not All Folks
The Looney Tunes characters bring so much to the DC Universe, and it’s exciting to see them reinforcing their own characters along the way.
Even within the context of the DCU, the characters remain unmistakably themselves. They say their catchphrases, act in character, and bring their perspectives to the DC mindset. There’s a sadness to many of the stories, as the exaggerated DC incarnations of the classic cartoon characters are brought down by the more bittersweet resolutions of the DCU.
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Employee of the Month, by Mark Russell and Brad Walker, sees Porky Pig come into the orbit of Lex Luthor. The comic uses Porky and his inherent desire to please others to explore how it feels to be used by a system. It’s perfectly in-character for both Porky and Lex Luthor, offering the creators a chance to craft a story that feels genuinely in-place among other current DC titles.
In fact, some elements have even begun to be brought into full continuity. Tom King and Lee Weeks' Batman story Some of These Days even establishes that Porky Pig was the one who accidentally named the Batmobile. Another example is how their version of Tazz made the leap from background character in the Batman/Elmer Fudd crossover to being a member of the jury Bruce Wayne recently found himself on.
At this point, even more creators should continue bring up those elements. They’ve proven to be good for both the DC and the Looney Tunes characters, and seeing them more would be a great little touch of future comics. Have Harley Quinn call on Gossamer for help or Porky Pig give a tell-all interview with Lois Lane. Show Witch Hazel among the other magical forces of the DC Universe. And please, please, let Daffy Duck become a full time therapist at Arkham Asylum.