Joseph Barbera dead at 95, Jabberjaw inconsolable…

Cartoonist and 70s icon Joseph Barbera died tonight at age 95. Along with his partner William Hanna, Barbera created some of the seminal characters in cartoon history: The Flintsones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Tom and Jerry, Space Ghost, Huckleberry Hound (”I was sooooo gay…”), and of course, the greatest character of all time, Jabberjaw.

Jabberjaw (aka “Jabs”, aka “Jaws”, aka “J-Jizzle”) has the distinction of being the only shark to:

• Breathe air
• Be the drummer of a rock band
• Steal shtick from Curly Howard AND Rodney Dangerfield (”No respect!”)

In 1977 the cartoon world was abuzz with the rumor that J-Jizzle was going to leave his band, The Neptunes, to replace a coked-out Melody as drummer for The Pussycats reunion tour. The rumor was fueled by Jizzle’s on-again off-again relationship with The Pussycats’ enigmatic front-woman Josie (a relationship that would ultimately end when he found her being tag-teamed by Scooby AND Scrappy Doo). Fortunately for the Neptunes he decided to stay. Unfortunately for them he also decided to follow the lead of David Bowie and change the band’s direction to a glam/prog rock outfit known as From Mars to Uranus, and change his name to Jiggy Stardust. Due to slow album sales, and Jiggy’s stint in rehab for acetone addiction, the band decided to revert back to The Neptunes and replace Jabs with Hair Bear (who was available due to Bubi and Square’s tragic demise in the Wonderland Zoo fire).

Being kicked out of The Neptunes sent Jabs’ life into a tailspin. He hitched across country throughout most of the late 70s and early 80s, though reports of him offering oral favors to truckers are largely unsubstantiated (and frankly implausible). In 1983 he was arrested for soliciting heroine from an undercover police officer in El Cerrito, CA, and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Fortunately for him Joseph Barbera convinced the judge to release J-Jizzle into his custody. Though he never revealed how, Barbera managed to scare Jaws straight. He got him off drugs, got him drumming again, and got trained him in music management (Barbera himself manage Josie and the Pussycats for several years).

With his newfound skills Jabs set off into the world to restore his legacy. Throughout the rest of the 80s and 90s he managed a remarkable string of successful bands, including New Kids on the Block, Color Me Badd, Another Bad Creation, and Terrance Trent D’arby. He and Barbera remained close.

In 2002 Jabberjaw released his autobiography, Steven Spielberg is a Prick (ghost written by Chuck Palahniuk). He dedicated it to Barbera, whom he credited with saving his life.

Barbera is survived by his wife, Sheila, and his numerous creations.