The Flintstones and the Jetsons, Vol. 1

It's finally October. After a rough, rough September, I am so glad we're now in the 10th month of the year. I choose this collection of the first 6 issues of the 1997-1999 series because of what was awaiting me in issue #5. But first, a recap of some of the stories from America's favorite Stone Age and Space Age families.

The first issue is a quasi-crossover. It starts with Fred and Barney meeting the ancestor of the Jetsons, Gorge Jetstone. The newest employee at the rock quarry, Jetstone is a terrible bumbler. Yet somehow he manages to get Fred's promised promotion when Gorge accidentally discovers fire. Then George Jetson meets Spacely Sprocket's newest employee, Ferd Flintson; a descendant of the Flintstones! Here George and Ferd compete for a new promotion by being the first one to bring an emergency sprocket to the history museum.

Other stories sees Fred and Barney transformed into women by the Great Gazoo. Mr. Spacely gets turned into a baby when a practical joke from George backfires. When George and Jane go on a romantic weekend getaway, Judy and Elroy throw a huge house party. Dino becomes the one first purple dinosaur on TV and then back in the future, in a story that while supposed to be funny, is eerily a modern day horror, George is required to train his robot replacement.

These were all very funny stories. The art was good. But I couldn't tell whether the inking was bad or if it was something off about the print process. That's because in several stories, especially the Jetsons episodes, the dark brush-like outlines of the characters looked pixelated instead of smooth. I guess it's a good thing that the inking wasn't the reason I got this book. My interests were all due to the holidays. 

In the Flintstones story of issue #5, the Flintstones and Rubbles celebrate Halloween with their frightful neighbors, the Gruesomes. In keeping with the tradition of having real modern day celebrities given the stone age treatment, the guest star is a prehistoric ancestor of Marilyn Manson. 

I just couldn't wait and got into early Halloween reading mode by reading the Gruesomes story last night. I apparently couldn't wait for Turkey Day either, as in the next issue, Fred and Barney go hunting for a dodo to grace their Thanksgiving Day table spread. It was a heartwarming story and a surprise as I only knew about the Halloween tale before I bought it. 

With just a single holiday story, I'd be tempted to sell this for trade credit. But with 2 of them and Thanksgiving comics being so rare, this volume is definitely now a permanent feature in my holiday comic book collection. Now if I could just figure out which holiday to catalog it under.

Oh, and just so you know. Volume 1 is the only trade produced from DC based on this series.

Worth Consuming!

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

The Flintstones Starring Dino #2 (Dino #2)

I should have read this book months ago. Yet somehow it wound up in my pile of books that I had already read and needed to review. Imagine my surprise when I started to write a review and I didn't have any clue about the contents. Last night, I rectified this and gave it a read that was a delight.

The comic is from 1973. The Flintstones have already been a TV staple for 13 years. And yet you'd think that the artists behind this book would have gotten Wilma's costume right! She wore a white furry thing with black stripes. Not a jet black cave woman evening gown!

Earlier this year I did a review of an Easter comic starring various Hanna-Barbera characters including Fred and Barney. I had pointed out in that review thanks to writer Mark Evanier that Charlton's books weren't well received by the animation studio. Mostly because of the likenesses. And I think Wilma's appearance is proof of that statement. But other than that, I didn't think this was that bad of a comic book.

The focus of the stories and one-page gags is the Flintstones' prehistoric pet, Dino. Unlike on the show, we get to see just what's on Dino's mind. Mostly it's food. Though he does at one point bring up a very good point: in the days of the caveman 'what's a dog?'

Fred calls Dino, in one story, a 'very poor excuse for a watch dog!' It's after a burglar distracts Dino with a steak. With Fred's insult, poor Dino wonders just what his master wants of him. I very much thought Dino was a dinosaur. Yet Fred and Wilma seem to think of their pet as a dog. The Flintstones have a sabertooth tiger, named Baby Puss, that is their house cat. Thus it's assumed that kitties evolved from those fierce predators. Since I have no recollection of wolves nor dogs ever appearing on the show, are we to assume that whatever breed of thunder lizard Dino is will eventually morph into the pooches of the 20th century?

I laughed at least once every story. Each gag made me chuckle. Sure, one of these tales got me thinking. But I really don't see what Hanna-Barbera didn't like about the Charlton books. The biggest error seems to be a coloring misstep that might have to do with the printing process as a whole. Maybe pure white didn't show well on newsprint? Maybe this just isn't the best example of Charlton Comics at its worst. Personally, I thought that this was a great dollar bin rescue.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

The Flintstones, Volume 2: Bedrock Bedlam

The rebooted adventures of everyone's favorite stone family concludes in this volume. Mark Russell's (PREZ) take continues to be both edgy and classic at the same time. I actually hated to see this series go. It was refreshing to have a socially conscious comic book to read without every punchline ending with the words 'Donald Trump.' This series actually proves that in the modern world you can skewer all sides of the same coin without getting old and predictable.

I didn't have a perfect experience with this book. Sadly, one of my favorite characters got killed off and it actually left me a little heartbroken. Thankfully, there's a happy ending of sorts to that tragedy. But GEEZ- what did XXXXXXXXX have to die?

An enjoyable read with art by Scott Hanna, Rick Leonardi and Steve Pugh. Plus, don't skip over the gallery section as there's a slew of really great variant covers and sketch pages.

I can't believe I am gonna say this but hopefully, this isn't the end of the new Flintstones!

I want a return trip to Bedrock!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars!

The Flintstones Volume 1

You know the story. Fred Flintstone, caveman every man who struggles to provide for his wife Wilma and child People's. His best friend Barney and wife Betty live next door with their super-strong son, Bam-Bam. Together, their town of Bedrock is bustling to become the place for a modern Stone Age family.

As part of DC'S modernization of the Hanna-Barbera universe I wasn't thrilled with the changes but I was willing to give it a try. That is until I started reading the reviews. But no, I wasn't dissuaded because of poor opinions of the book.

If anything the reviews were exceptionally positive. What kept me away were reviewers saying that if you had a problem with the changes to the Flintstones you were racist, bigoted, or homophobic. I'm not sure if this was the marketing campaign DC hoped for. But those extremist threats kept my money in my pocket for something else.

Thanks to my local library, I got to check out this new take on the Flintstones for free. I must say that while I am not a fan of the reviewers spiteful opinions of those who would rather remember the Flintstones of their childhood; I must say that I really enjoyed the new take on Fred and company.

Mark Russell’s take on the Flintstones was very nostalgic. What the PREZ reboot’s writer does differently is introduce new elements of social commentary that was considered taboo when the cartoon originally aired in the 60s. For example, the fraternal order of the Buffalo that was Fred and Barney's lodge is now a support group for the soldiers with PTSD who fought in an epic battle with nearby tree people. Building on established archetypes that modernizes but doesn't replace the rich history of the Flintstones is something I can get behind.

Plus with Pebbles and Bam-Bam being teenagers, DC doesn't wipe out the established history of the Flintstones in these new adventures. Though the origins of some characters are tweaked slightly such as how Gazoo the Great came to reside in Bedrock.

Another thing that for most is a no-go zone was the art. As you can tell from the cover image above, the characters look more like the live-action film from the 90s than the iconic animated style created over 50-years ago. The man behind the updated designs is Steve Pugh (Animal Man.) While he crafts a version of the Flintstones that isn't cartoony, Pugh does delve into the show's original style. All of the photos in the Flintstones and Rubbles households look just like the characters did back in 1960s. Those subtle tributes to the past once again have won me over to this revitalization.

Volume Two is on the horizon. I'm looking forward to reading more entertaining stories about the residents of Bedrock. If you're still on the fence about trying this series, hopefully my opinions will encourage you to give it a try. Don't worry, if you don't like these Flintstones, I won't judge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 136

 

   On today's look at A Madman Turns 40, we reflect on a life that made millions laugh. On this date in history, veteran actor Alan Reed passed away at age 69. 

      Reed was a chronic smoker. He develop emphysema and later succumbed to a heart attack.

Reed on right, voicing Fred. On the left is the legendary Mel Blanc, voice of Barney Rubble
and countless Looney Tunes characters.

       So why is Alan Reed so important on my reflection of my favorite year? For many of you, Alan Reed was and still is the iconic voice of Fred Flintstone!

      Reed was the voice for the entire 1960-1966 run of the Flintstones (except for the Pilot episode.) He also provided the voice of Fred on numerous Flintstones spin-offs such as the Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. So that means, growing up as a kid, I heard Reed's voice a lot!

Reed's eventual successor,  Henry Corden
on a 1965 episode of Hogan's Heroes.

       After the actor's passing, comedic actor Henry Corden provided the voice of Fred Flintstone up to 2000. Though Reed is the voice I am most familiar as Fred, Corden is the face I recognize most, as he was Mr. Babbitt, the landlord, on the Monkees TV-show. Corden's last roll as the boisterous caveman would be in the Bedrock Bowling video game, which I remember playing with my little sister quite a bit. 

     Well, that's my look at 1977 for today. See you soon for another episode of A Madman Turns 40!