(Photo: DC Comics)
Today, DC Comics announced it would be giving beloved Hanna-Barbera characters a fresh makeover and modernizing classic characters such as the Flintstones, Johnny Quest, and, of course, the hardy Scooby gang. Apparently, this also means turning mellow icon and Scooby-BFF Shaggy into a full-blown hipster, complete with sleeve tattoos, a trendy messenger bag, and a handlebar moustache proud enough to make any artisanal vegan-latte pop-up owner cry with envy.
When the gang’s new look hit the Internet, the Twittersphere seemed certain that Shaggy had taken up residence in Brooklyn.
What The Heck Is DC Comics Doing to Scooby-Doo?: Shaggy looks like he lives in Bushwick now and works at an ar… https://t.co/FS3B3v5zmI
— Revian DPN (@OfficialRevian) January 28, 2016
An implausibly-well-groomed Shaggy making artisanal gluten-free ancient-grain scooby snacks in his Brooklyn loft/bakery/art studio/growroom
— I still don’t know. (@matt_blind) January 28, 2016
@ditzkoff I guess Shaggy has a store in Brooklyn that sells artisanal Scooby snacks.
— mike toole (@miketoole) January 28, 2016
So in the new Scooby Doo comic Shaggy works at a bike shop in Brooklyn? pic.twitter.com/JWwirSJQb8
— Calvin (@aurosan) January 28, 2016
Pretty sure I bumped into the new Shaggy the last time I was in Williamsburg.
— TheRealMattC (@TheRealMattC) January 28, 2016
Others wondered what may be concealed in that handy messenger bag:
Williamsburg Shaggy likely has a French press and a Pax vaporizer in that satchel. https://t.co/RLYbYSHX8C
— Oxytocin Jones (@JunkieDawg) January 28, 2016
And others weren’t very impressed at all:
but why does shaggy have a Williamsburg vegan beard?! WHAT IS HAPPENING https://t.co/sR1ZXjhnE1
— BB-1738 (@invisiblecircus) January 28, 2016
DC: “What else do we own?” Lackey: “Scooby Doo” DC: “Okay. Give Fred a tribal tat and make Shaggy a hipster d-bag.” pic.twitter.com/FEm4xv3tDc
— Ralph Garman (@RalphGarman) January 28, 2016
Shaggy looks like every mofo that gentrified Brooklyn
— AƧLƎAИ (@picap0ll0) January 28, 2016
At the end of the day, the reaction seems to be exactly what DC Comics artist Jim Lee was looking for. When asked by Entertainment Weekly what he hoped the reaction to the revamped characters would be, Lee replied: “Outrage!” With that beard, hipster Shaggy will certainly provide more than enough of that.