054: The Flintstones Evolve

In 2016 I was still reintroducing myself to the medium of comic books after an extended break. I talk at length about this time period in my Gwenpool post, so if you want to know more, check that one out. My hiatus, which started around the year 1999, was partially due to unhappiness about where the Amazing Spider-Man title was going, but mostly it was about money. I just couldn’t afford to keep getting comic books, so had to make some cuts. I never stopped loving comics… during my break in getting new issues, I read through all 300 issues of Cerebus (that series— and the creator— likely deserves its own lengthy post at some point. I have mixed emotions about Cerebus and Dave Sim and it’s a study in separating art from the artist.) I also reread the Maxx and as many of Sam Kieth’s works I could find, and started reading The Walking Dead at Cocoashade’s suggestion. That one was likely the series that served as my real gateway back into collecting… it was dark, gritty, entertaining, and absorbing. Around that time I also started reading Kickass because I’d watched and enjoyed the first movie.

When I started frequenting my local comic store on a regular basis— a different one from the one I visit every week nowadays— on one of my trips I noticed a couple of DC/Hanna-Barbera titles. See, in 2016 DC started an initiative they called Hanna-Barbera Beyond, where they ran gritty modernized reimaginings of some of the cartoon studio’s most recognizable and enduring IPs. The first one was Scooby Apocalypse which transformed the mystery-solving gang into incessantly arguing survivors of an apocalypse. This series envisioned the perma-hippie Norville “Shaggy” Rogers as a tattooed hipster and Scooby-Doo as a failed science experiment with a holographic emoji-projecting visor. Fred and Daphne were supernatural investigators with a public access show and Velma caused an apocalypse that turned ordinary people into monsters. The gang reluctantly teams up to stop it.

This was the flagship title of the initiative… and it also was not the best title they put out. It was fine, and it did keep me reading to the end just to see how it all would turn out. I won’t spoil it here, but I will say it did include some truly surprising twists that impressed me. However, the writing was clumsy and old-school, filled with awkward recaps. A large portion of every single issue was devoted to getting the reader up to speed, which was frustrating for a binge reader like me. It also resulted in some truly dreadful dialog along the lines of: “I don’t trust you Velma. Need I remind you that you recently brought about the end of the world?“ and “Well, need I remind you, Daphne, that I feel just terrible about my part in the near extinction of the human race and have been desperately searching for a cure with your help?“ You may think I’m exaggerating, but no. The dialog was just like that. I expected better of you J. M. DeMatteis. (He did some truly good work on Spider-Man in the 90s.)

This is how people talk. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: J.M. DeMatteis. Art: Dale Eaglesham)

So yeah, Scooby had its good and bad points, but I don’t regret reading it. Hanna-Barbera Beyond also did a decent mash-up of Wacky Races and Mad Max called Wacky Raceland. (I think I’m the only one that liked that one.) There was a great team book called Future Quest that brought together characters like Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, the Herculoids, and more. And there was a brilliant series about Snagglepuss where he was a gay playwright in the 50s dealing with McCarthyism and accused of being a deviant and communist in a world where cartoon characters lived side by side with humans. Seriously, you should look for that one. It was a fantastic series, written by Mark Russell. In a well-executed segue I will mention Mark Russell also wrote the best Hannah-Barbera Beyond title, which was also the one I expected to enjoy the least… The Flintstones.

I really want to know how television works in their world. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Now, I seriously hadn’t thought of The Flintstones in years. Sure, I watched it when I was a kid and I remember finding it amusing. And then I went through a phase in my late teens/early 20s where I revisited a lot of old cartoons— Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes, even some Disney— but I’d long since moved on to other interests. I never saw the live action Flintstones movies (on principal— some things shouldn’t get a live-action treatment) or most of the attempted reboots. (I saw a couple of the reboots from the 90s, but I really don’t remember those much. Something about Pebbles getting married I think?) It never would have occurred to me that anything relating to the IP would be relevant to today’s society or entertaining. I was so wrong.

Hehe. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

That day in the comic shop an issue of The Flintstones caught my eye and I thumbed through it. This was issue 4, which dealt with monogamy, gay marriage, divorce, and the reluctance for those in a society to embrace change. I was surprised to find the often-times silly Flintstones dealing with subject matter like this.

Wait, go back. I wanna know more about this sex cave. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

In my brief time flipping through the issue, I saw Fred Flintstone, the notorious selfish hothead, talking philosophically about the meaning of love and the value of embracing people’s differences. I can honestly say I was stunned. What was this? And why was it? I was intrigued, but not sold yet. I didn’t pick up the issue. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and wanting to know more, so that night I got the first issue digitally. I was floored by it and the next day I went back to the comic store, grabbed all four issues, and added it to my pull list.

This was a fresh take on a stale IP that hadn’t caught my attention in decades. It was a story that covered many modern topics and played with the premise in new, unexpected ways. For instance, the traditional sarcastic animal appliances didn’t just complain about their jobs. They pondered the meaning of their lives and discussed their plight which essentially amount to slavery, being locked away in a closet when not in use, replaced with something new and shiny when their perceived value had faded. Certainly not something you would have seen in the original cartoon, which just played the animal appliances for comic relief. The first issue covered PTSD, racial bias, the neglect of our veterans, the futility of power and wealth, the misinterpretation of history, and much more. It was ambitious, touching, thought-provoking, and funny.

Typical. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Before I continue I feel the need to say that of course there will be many spoilers for the series in this post. However, I plan to leave some things unsaid, including the ending. I won’t go into the issues one by one here, since my intention is to inspire you to read the series for yourself. But I will cover some of the big stories and compare and contrast to the original series and characters. If you want to go into the series fresh without having major plot points spoiled, I urge you to bookmark this post and come back after you’ve read through all 12 issues.

For those not familiar with the original Flintstones, in brief it was a cartoon inspired by the old television show The Honeymooners, but set in a prehistoric age. It was filled with rock puns, talking animals, and slapstick. It was the very first animated sitcom to air on prime time and was created to appeal to both children and adults. It aired from 1960 to 1966 and has had many revivals over the years, including two live action adaptations.

The comic book series keeps the basic concept but elevates it to a higher level, telling more emotional and insightful stories from this world. Rather than being fully rooted in comedy, it uses the comedy as seasoning to keep the subject matter from getting too heavy. It is set in the early years of the Bedrock civilization, which is treated as an experiment by the prehistoric people to live together in a rooted society rather than as roaming hunters and gatherers. They’re making it up as they go, creating concepts like economy, religion, and politics. Wilma’s mother is shown as having “invented” agriculture and an ongoing plot point concerns the creation of a god for the people to worship.

The series changes some things around. Notably they age Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (the children of the Flintstones and the Rubbles respectively) from babies to teenagers, to give more story opportunities. Dino is introduced as becoming the family pet at this stage rather than always having been there. The other pets are mostly ignored. Hoppy the kangaroo/dinosaur that Barney has as a pet in the cartoon is only shown in a variant cover and Baby Puss, the sabretooth tiger that Fred throws outside in the cartoon’s ending credits only appears once as a joke, having eaten a hipster’s pet pig. There were a few nods to the original like this. My favorite example was in one panel there was a box of Fruity Pebbles on the table. The character of the Great Gazoo was completely reworked, and I’ll talk about him later.

The biggest change, however, is in the character of Fred Flintstone himself. In the original media, Fred was depicted as selfish, quick to anger, and boorish. In the comic he is gentle, understanding, thoughtful, open-minded, and suffers from PTSD. (No, really. Keep reading and I’ll explain.) I think these changes, although they deviate greatly from the original characterization, gives Fred more depth and makes him much more relatable.

Poor Fred. I’ve been there. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

This Fred is strikingly different and far more likable. This is a Fred that has been traumatized, tempered by his experiences. He’s been changed by his own decisions and the decisions made for him. He’s been through war and faced his own mortality and that of the people he’s fought. He’s in touch with his emotions and knows what’s important. Although he serves as an underling to his rich, powerful, and generally self-centered boss Mr. Slate, he is still willing to stand up to the man and risk his life to save a stranger from a cave-in.

Mr. Slate is cold. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Rick Leonardi)

I can’t imagine the OG Fred acting like this. This Fred at one point gives an impassioned speech about how if they fail to protect their children it proves they don’t care about their own survival. Fred originally was loud-mouthed, brash, and short-tempered. But he really did love his family and ultimately wanted what was best for them, even when he didn’t know how to show it. In my opinion, this version doesn’t change the core of the character. It just evolves him, makes him more gentle and thoughtful. It highlights his better qualities while taking out the toxic masculinity his original incarnation was steeped in.

The first issue began in a museum where a perfectly preserved Neanderthal is displayed. This specimen is wearing a wolf hood and a necklace. The curator says he was found in a primitive civilization older than any previously seen. This issue has the one and only look into present civilization in this series. I love this beginning, but I do think it would have been a nice endcap to jump back to it at the end of the last issue… a sort of epilogue showing what impact the discovery has had on the understanding modern people have of their roots.

We jump to Bedrock, 100,000 years ago, showing the world this series takes place in and setting up the main concepts. The cavemen are quickly shown to be the dominant species, but there are also Neanderthals, who Mr. Slate has hired as cheap labor at the rock quarry he owns. (He continually calls them Cro-Magnons, showing that he’s racist. Fred and Barney never misidentify them.) Mr. Slate, knowing just how to manipulate his employee, hints that if the cheap labor works out, he may need a new foreman, and Fred dutifully shows his coworkers Bedrock and the glitz and glamor of civilization.

During this we get a lot of set up and see how things work. There are the puns that the original series was known for. Target becomes Tarpit. Outback Steakhouse is Outback Snakehouse. Celebrities include Stony Danza and Werner Herzrock. You get the idea. A nice touch I liked is that almost everybody is muscular and fit in this, even the female characters and Mr. Slate. Everyone has to work hard for survival and they’re evolutionarily built for it. (A notable exception is the “science cave nerd” Professor Sargon, who is depicted as scrawny. His name, of course, is a mix of Argon and noted astronomer Carl Sagan.) We also see that Fred has a “shell phone”, showing that they have updated to modern technology… they just had landlines back in the cartoon.

The plot continues as Fred has to take his new coworkers to his veteran’s support group, and the seeds are sown for a mysterious event called “The Bedrock Wars”. It becomes clear at once that the veterans are traumatized by their part in wiping out the Tree People.

Yeah, this story goes to unexpected places. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

The support group recurs through the series and serves as a stark reminder of the horrors of war and the victims left behind. As a side note, the hats they wear in their support group are basically their “army helmets”. They bring to mind the hats Fred and Barney wore in the original cartoon when they went to the meetings of their secret fraternal society the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes. In a later issue we learn that Fred’s familiar catch phrase “Yabba dabba doo!” is actually a nonsense phrase the support group members use to deal with stressful situations. I thought the support group and the catchphrase were fantastic examples of repurposing the source material for the story’s purpose.

The support group is a jarring look at how society treats their veterans, abandoning them once their job is done and not giving them the support they need. In fact, in a later issue Joe (the veteran shown crying above) calls a suicide hotline and has to wait on hold. Don’t worry, he changes his mind when he realizes that his friends care about him and need him. (And then? Well, keep reading.)

Poor Joe. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

The first issue continues to set up plot threads for the rest of the series. A winning boxer mentions “Morp”, who later turns out to be the initial concept of God in Bedrock. Rather than being just a housewife, Wilma is given a dream… she wants to be an artist. She makes paintings that mostly consist of handprints on canvas. (Her struggle to find appreciation for her art is a running storyline.) And just like in all incarnations of the series, the role of modern appliances are played by servant animals. They can communicate with each other but the humans don’t understand them. We also see the currency of Bedrock is gravel, a fact which confuses the Neanderthals. On their night on the town, one of Fred’s new coworkers wins a wolf hood, which he continues to wear even under his hard hat the next day at work. They prove to be hard workers, but are having trouble grasping the use of society in their lives.

Mr. Slate believes that he’ll be the only one remembered out of all the people of Bedrock because he’s powerful and rich. At a party he convinces one of the Neanderthals (the one with the wolf hood) to kill a mammoth for them to grill. Slate gives him his fancy rock necklace to do this. The poor Neanderthal falls into the icy water and is lost. The others quit and leave Bedrock. It seems to them “the whole point of civilization is to get someone else to do your killing for you”.

After this, Wilma— who has scored an art exhibit— realizes that her art has been put outside near the bathrooms. Cavemen hipsters make fun of her “cave paintings” while Fred clumsily tries to stand up for her. Wilma explains her art to him. She came from a tribe of wandering hunters. They would mark their temporary caves with their handprints so that even if they died, a part of them would be remembered. She feels like painting is proof of her place in the universe, proof that she’s loved. Fred finally understands her art, which makes her feel better about the poor reception.

We cut back to “Lorenzo”, the Neanderthal on display. They speculate because of his necklace (the one that got him killed) that he was important. Possibly the one who ran the quarry. So that’s the final touch on the issue… Slate, who believed that using others and accumulating wealth and power would bring him immortality has been forgotten entirely, not even a speculation, where the lower class man he misidentified and bribed into death is the only one remembered.

So that was issue 1. It told a good story with a B-plot along with setting the stage for the following 11 issues. It touched on hefty topics like PTSD, capitalism, imposter syndrome, racism, classism, mortality, and the meaning of art. It was a lot of ground to cover, but was all handled smoothly, with humor and heart and without falling into the realm of being preachy. It’s a delicate balance, but it was pulled off well.

I love this description. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

The series continues with the first television broadcast (who knows how they got that technology) and the Bedrock citizen’s discovery of a vital aspect of civilization: commercialism! The Bedrock mall opens and the primitive people start buying up crap they don’t need. This is where we get acquainted with some of the “modern” conveniences. Fred’s lawnmower is a goat that he locks in the garage when not in use. Wilma buys an octopus to use as a dishwasher. A little purple elephant works as a vacuum cleaner. (And another is worshipped as a god briefly.)

Modern medicine! (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

This is also the issue where we get our first look at Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm. They went with the teenage versions of the kids for this. For those who may not be well-versed in the deep Flintstones lore (haha) when the cartoon started, there were no kids in either the Flintstone or Rubble family. In the third season, Wilma became pregnant and gave birth to Pebbles. (Pretty impressive to have this kind of a permanent change in that early of a cartoon.) In the fourth season, the Rubbles, unable to conceive, adopted their son Bamm-Bamm. After the series ended, there was a spin-off in the 70s involving the teenaged Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm in adventures that were reminiscent of Archie comics. (I only really know about this because when I was a kid my mom picked up a paperback for me of comic strips starring these versions of the characters.)

Anyway, the second issue is really a lot like a classic Flintstones cartoon episode. In order to afford all the “crap” they’re buying (which is how it’s advertised to the Bedrock citizens) Fred has to work part-time selling vitamins. Barney does much better at this because he uses his son’s freakish superhuman strength to convince people the vitamins would make them super strong. In the cartoon Fred was always embarking on get-rick-quick schemes that would typically backfire in some way. This issue also includes one of the rare instances of Fred losing his temper, but it’s rooted in the fact that he’s stressed and insecure. He doesn’t want Wilma to know that he can’t provide for the family in this hyper-commercial society. By the end of the issue Fred does level with Wilma and she tells him that she doesn’t need things to be happy.

Aww, Dino is on clearance. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

This issue ends with Fred returning his “garbage disposal” lizard and we see that the used appliances are “recycled” as appliance food. This adds a horrifying aspect to the Bedrock commercial economy, but it makes sense. They’d have to feed their appliances, and they would want to do it as cheaply and practically as possible. The clerk won’t give him money back for the used dishwasher, just store credit. Fred sees an obsolete model which turns out to be Dino. They’re not clear on what his purpose it, just that he’s discontinued. Fred buys him as a pet.

Poor Sergeant Grumbles. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Many fans believe that when the Flintstones introduced the Great Gazoo in Season 6 that the show had jumped the shark. The Great Gazoo was a little green alien that only Fred and Barney could see, and acted as a sort of genie, granting wishes to the duo. (According to my research the babies and the pets could see him too.) A lot of people seemed to hold the opinion that introducing an alien and more fantastic elements to the show took it out of the reality it had built for itself. (And also that Gazoo was annoying.)

Gazoo is an interesting character. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

All that said, I find it amusing that Gazoo was introduced early to the comic book in issue 3. No time was wasted bringing in science fiction elements and showing the Bedrock people that they are not alone in the universe. Of course Gazoo’s role is completely changed and updated in this medium. Rather than being a magical-type character, this Gazoo is an observer, being posted on Earth to study and protect the stone age people. He is a “game warden” set in place to keep other alien races from taking advantage of humans so that they can evolve naturally. This comes about because after Professor Sargon attempts to launch a chimp into space, aliens are alerted to the presence of life on Earth. Some younger members of the alien race decide to spend spring break on Earth, causing chaos and vaporizing people with their phone apps.

Poor, poor Joe. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

In fact, after Fred mobilizes the veterans in his support group to try and stop the aliens, poor Joe ends up vaporized himself, heroically sacrificing himself to save Pebbles. And in a final sad end cap to Joe’s plight, he doesn’t even get a statue, like his friends expect. Instead a statue is made of Sergeant Grumbles, who was flung to his death because science hadn’t developed enough to properly launch him into space.

I can’t imagine the original Fred having this conversation. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Before I move on to talk about the ongoing plot threads, I’ll mention one more specific story. Issue 4 was the issue I mentioned earlier as the first issue to catch my eye. It involves the new (to them) concept of monogamy and marriage, which many in Bedrock see as unnatural. What they typically use is something referred to as a “sex cave”, which is likely just what it sounds like. This issue brings in the gay marriage debate and we learn more of Fred’s backstory and motivations. Growing up his tribe all had to pitch in to help raise the children, including a gay couple named Adam and Steve. (Which, yes, it’s an easy joke but it got a chuckle out of me.) Fred gives an impassioned speech supporting his old friend’s right to marry, which Reverend Tom believes is a step too far. Fred also has a heart to heart with Wilma, admitting that much of his insecurity comes from feeling like he doesn’t deserve her love and fearing that she’ll leave him.

Yikes. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

I really love that they included a gay couple in the story and everyone was far more concerned about the dangers of hetero marriage. There was also an interracial couple in the series, but they were only shown a couple of times. I wanted to know more about them… especially since the woman was having an affair and it seemed like there was more of a story there.

I also enjoy a good clubbing. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Some running plot threads in the series include the Bedrock people’s search for a meaning to life. This takes three forms: the commercialism and buying of crap which I touched on earlier. Secondly, science. This is mostly shown through Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm working as unpaid interns to Professor Sargon. And finally, the attempts of Reverend Tom to create an interesting God that would get people to keep coming back to his church.

First God takes the form of Morp, a bird-like deity who guided the primitive people to their new home. Their faith at this point was called Animism. God takes a few more forms, briefly as a purple elephant vacuum cleaner, and then finally as Gerald, an invisible being that Reverend Tom invents on the spot. Gerald is the one that sticks, giving people something to pray to, a feeling that they’re being looked after, and reason not to do bad things like clubbing people.

Clubbing solves everything. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

This goes about as well as can be expected.

But it’s not all theology and clubbing. There’s also an exploration of friendship and purpose in life.

Vacuum Cleaner is as tragic a character as Joe. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

An important plot thread that keeps recurring is the appliances. The growing friendship between the elephant vacuum cleaner and Fred’s armadillo bowling ball is really touching and sad. An interesting point is that Dino can actually talk to the appliances, but the humans can’t understand him or them. (Or maybe they just don’t listen.) The appliances think of Dino as a traitor for debasing himself as a pet. (Actually Dino is just kinda dumb and simple-minded.)

Aww. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

The friendship between the appliances blossoms as the series continues, starting from a small act of kindness, as Bowling Ball lets Vacuum Cleaner out of the closet. The poor little elephant is afraid of the dark and lonely. The pair bond over their forced servitude. Vacuum Cleaner savors every bit of living he gets, while Bowling Ball steeps in his frustration at constantly being thrown at pins. (He doesn’t understand what he’s done to make the human so angry!)

Their friendship is a very sweet part of the series, but unfortunately it doesn’t have a happy ending.

Oh. Oh no… (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

But more on that later.

Hmm, an uncaring and racist megalomaniac in a position of power… this is strangely familiar. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Another ongoing plot point is the Bedrock Wars, which we learn more about as the series goes on. This was a war effort spurred on by the ambitious Mr. Slate, who wanted to build Bedrock on a patch of land near a handy rock quarry. This land, unfortunately, was held by the Tree People. Slate’s right hand man in this conflict was Mordock the Destroyer who organized an enlistment drive, which Fred and Barney both joined in the hopes of protecting their future families and new wives. They were convinced that the Tree People, being different from them and having something they wanted, needed to be exterminated before they had the chance to invade. They were sold the line that these unknown people were their enemies and were out to get them. The terrified men of what would soon become Bedrock were spurred into a war they didn’t understand against people they didn’t know, and they’re never the same afterwards.

This was a powerful scene. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

After the fighting was over and the Tree People lay defeated, their homes razed to the ground, Fred realized that the soldiers were lied to. The Tree People were just defending their homes and families and had no ill will against them.

In the aftermath Barney finds a survivor, a small white-haired baby. He adopts Bamm-Bamm, who is secretly a Tree Person, which finally gives us a reason for his superhuman strength.

Fred gives good speeches. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

The story of the Bedrock Wars ties directly into an ongoing story about the new mayor. Mordock’s son, Clod the Destroyer, runs against the incumbent mayor on a platform of wiping out the Lizard People. Fred sees history repeating itself with this propaganda-fueled campaign of hate.

Yikes. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Other stories include Professor Sargon making a miscalculation and convincing everyone they were about to be hit by a meteorite. The entire populous riots, showing how fragile society truly is. Clod the Destroyer, in his attempts to wipe out the Lizard People takes funding from the children's hospital and everyone’s retirement, making everyone start to regret voting for such a ruthless and dangerous man. (Again, very familiar…) Reverend Tom realizes you can monetize faith and also that that may not be a good idea.

There was an interesting issue where we get some of Wilma’s backstory… she ran away from home when her father promised her to a neighbor for two goats. This story gave a lot of depth to the character of Wilma’s mother, Pearl Slaghoople. She saw her daughter running away and let her go, not feeling like she could speak against her husband. This caused a decades-long rift between mother and daughter. They took a character who, in the original series, amounted to nothing more than a one-dimensional series of mother-in-law jokes and made her a fully rounded person. They did the same with Mr. Slate, who was mainly just Fred’s mean boss, yet here struggles against his insecurities and fears that all his wealth and power mean nothing without friends and family to share them with.

An important running story thread was the Great Gazoo. He spent the series among the Bedrock people, observing them and reporting back to his home planet. His initial assessment is that survival has become easy for the humans and so they’ve grown bored and empty. They shouldn’t be at the top of the food chain, he believes, they should be scavengers. He gives their race odds of 25:1 against long-term survival. Gazoo only showed up in four issues, but he was vitally important to the overarching story and gradually came to appreciate the primitive Earthlings.

My favorite recurring story was about the animal appliances. The act of kindness that Bowling Ball showed by letting Vacuum Cleaner out of the closet was repaid in kind. When Fred got a new bowling ball as a gift, he threw out Bowling Ball. Vacuum Cleaner led the other appliances to the Recycling Plant on a rescue mission, saving their friend just in time. Then he painted Fred’s name on the little armadillo so that he could pose as the new Bowling Ball. The humans really didn’t pay attention to their animal appliances.

The end of Vacuum Cleaner. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Tragically, this precious friendship is cut short as Vacuum Cleaner gets sick and dies. (He was mistakenly used to clean the floor of a movie theater. More needs not be said.) The saddest part is that he died just as Bowling Ball learned a joke to tell him. He’d always wanted to hear a joke.

This loss is shown as just a minor inconvenience to the Flintstones, since Vacuum Cleaner was considered just a possession, not a living, feeling animal. The other appliances though, thought on how he had touched their lives and shown them that they could be more than mere tools.

New Vacuum. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

There is a somewhat happy ending to this, though. Bowling Ball kind of loses it after his friend dies and he finally rebels against the cruel man who insists on throwing him at pins all the time. He attacks a news reporter and loses Fred not only the company bowling tournament, but also a promotion. Because of this he was stowed away in the Rubble’s garage, retired for good. In the garage he meets Shop-Vac, another small purple elephant who’s afraid of the dark. He passes on everything that Vacuum Cleaner taught him, showing that the effect we have on others can outlive us.

The end is near. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Like I said earlier, I’m not going to spoil the ending, but I will say that it brings the Gazoo story to a close, as the aliens decide humanity could be dangerous and should be wiped out. It takes quick thinking to avert this disaster and no one in Bedrock knows what Gazoo did to save them.

In the final issue we get some satisfying conclusions to ongoing plot points, and Gazoo makes his final report. He states that the human race are still toddlers, worrying that toddlers grow into children who can break their toys. He hopes this isn’t the case with the humans of Earth. He admits he will miss the people of Bedrock and that they show a great capacity for change. He believes that their odds of survival are now even.

We also learn that “Fraggle Rock” is a swear in Bedrock. That doesn’t actually relate to anything, but it made me laugh so I wanted to mention it.

Searching for meaning. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

And so that was The Flintstones! Like I said before, I left a lot out, so if you decide to read it for yourself, you’ll still discover quite a bit. I have the single issues and in order to do this post I got the new digital collection. (Easier to make screenshots of digital media.) I’ve recommended this series to several friends, to Cocoa, and to my brothers. It really is a fun read.

The collection also included The Booster Gold/ Flintstones Special, but I won’t bother covering that. It was forgettable. DC pumped out a few of these special issues to serve as crossovers between their characters and Hanna-Barbera characters to boost exposure for the line of comics. They included such odd pairings as Aqua Man and Jabberjaw, Green Lantern and Huckleberry Hound, Deathstroke and Yogi Bear and more. Since I’m a completionist I read them all and while some were mildly entertaining, there isn’t much to comment on. Except for a very strange nod to Marvel’s Dark Phoenix Saga. In the Superman/Top Cat crossover, a plant monster was exiled to another planet and it happened to be one of the planets Dark Phoenix destroyed when she went crazy. It was weird… and inexplicable. (Bordering on copyright infringement but that’s not for me to say. I’m sure it falls under parody.)

The copy. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Dan DiDio. Art: Shane Davis.)

The original. (Credit: Marvel Comics. Writer: Chris Claremont. Art: John Byrne.)

Anyway, I want to talk about the overall Hanna-Barbera Beyond line for a bit before getting back to the topic at hand. They also tried to reboot the Jetsons in the same sort of style as The Flintstones, but that didn’t have the same sort of impact. In that story, the Jetsons live in a future where a meteor hit the Earth, raising water levels and forcing mankind to live far above the surface. Rather than explore the impact this had on their society or their over-reliance on technology… or take an angle that humanity caused their own downfall as many dystopian future works do… they decided to make this catalyst an unavoidable natural disaster mentioned in exposition. Instead of exploring the wealth of potential material in the Jetsons (as Mark Russell did with The Flintstones) the series was devoted to exploring a mystery involving an alien. It was… okay. Just okay. Mostly forgettable. The one part I did like was the recasting of Rosie (the Jetson’s robotic maid) as George’s mother. As she got older, she chose to terminate her own life and download her memory into a robot body so she could continue to be useful. She no longer knew if she was human or robot, and that would have been a great thing to explore. But again, it was mentioned in exposition and served to just flavor the plot a bit. I don’t regret reading The Jetsons, but I feel like it had a lot of wasted potential.

And this would be the best place to digress a bit and mention one of my favorite fan theories that I’ve encountered. There is a theory that has been circulating for years about The Flintstones and The Jetsons taking place simultaneously. The theory goes that in the future the rich and middle class abandon the Earth to live in the sky, leaving the poor down below on the surface of the Earth where they are forced to live as their ancestors would have, without modern technology. This could be because of widespread pollution or because a nuclear war “blew them back to the stone age“, but the result is the same. The poor were abandoned and the higher classes live in the sky, looking down on them. This explains why there are so many contemporary references and analogs for modern conveniences. Note that there is really nothing in the original runs of The Flintstones and The Jetsons to support this… and their crossover movie utilized a time machine, so if that’s canon it directly disputes this theory. Still, it’s become my head canon and I find it a fascinating way to analyze both series. I would love to see a combination series exploring this theory to its fullest.

Baby Bamm-Bamm. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

The Hanna-Barbera Beyond line was an entertaining and interesting experiment, although the offerings varied in quality. I think The Flintstones and Snagglepuss were pure gold. Titles like Dastardly and Muttley and the Ruff and Ready Show were engaging and amusing, but fell a tad flat for my tastes. Future Quest was ambitious, but a bit unfocused. Scooby Apocalypse and The Jetsons had a lot of potential and were fine in their own ways, but could have been executed better. All in all they had mixed results, but I do like that DC explored this concept and let it run for a couple of years. And I’m grateful that a chance glance at the new comics rack set me off on my journey through the different series. Really, I think they would have benefited from more continuity between the series. I thought they were all connected in one universe, but by the time I got a few issues into Scooby Apocalypse and the end of Wacky Raceland, I realized that the titles were not connected. Both series had different apocalypse scenarios, for one thing. I think bringing them all together in one timeline would have given more opportunities for crossover and continuation of the concepts. Maybe the line would have continued for longer, maybe not. Allowing them all to be separate works did give the creative teams much more flexibility and freedom, so there is that. I can see it working both ways.

All in all, Hanna-Barbera Beyond was fun while it lasted and it does appear that the experiment is over. At least we got the titles we got, and saw these old characters in new ways.

Oh, one more diversion before we get back to my review and conclusion. (Side quest time!) One interesting thing I can mention about the Booster Gold special is that in the story Barney Rubble was working as a mechanic. I found this interesting as his job was never mentioned in the 12 issues of the main series. In one issue he worked part time with Fred selling vitamins, and in another he was at home watching Bamm-Bamm, but his job was never clarified.

This led me down some interesting rabbit holes as I decided to find out just what Barney did for a living in the original cartoon. I learned that apparently no one can agree on this point, not even Hanna-Barbera Studios. I found an amusing article that stated drunken cartoon viewers would often call the studio late at night and the security guard would tell them that Barney worked at the quarry with Fred and to call back in the morning. Indeed, in one episode Barney was shown as a quarry worker, while in another one he was actually Fred’s boss at the quarry! At times he worked as a repo man, a geological engineer, or just following Fred around on his schemes. At other times Barney was depicted as a detective, a photographer, a cop, a cook, and a secret agent. So, basically, he just worked as whatever would help the plot along. (When I told all this to Cocoashade, her response was “What you’re saying is Barney is a deadbeat who can’t hold down a job.”) So yeah, no one really know what Barney Rubble really does for a living, not even the creators of the show. Crazy. I guess continuity hadn’t been invented yet. Back then no one could have anticipated that we’d still be discussing and nitpicking a 60+ year old cartoon. But we are and it’s fun, damn it.

Things happened. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

I think The Flintstones as a series was done exceptionally well. The writing and the art mesh perfectly. The art is a great combination of cartoony and realism. Another artist stepped in for one issue, and it wasn’t quite the same. The art for this was perfect, in my opinion. The pacing of the story and the gradual reveals of the deeper plot served to keep the story interesting and to keep the reader invested.

I feel like this series makes great commentary on the human race, society, and our place in the world. The focus on both science and religion reflects that both aspects are important for analyzing the human condition. What really matters is what we take meaning from and how we treat each other. 100,000 years may have passed between the stone age and current time, but we’re still just as primitive, still just as lost. Gazoo observed that humans knew somewhere deep inside that they were never meant to be in charge, so they self destruct. They fill the void made by forcing their way out of their place in nature by devouring and destroying. It’s a good lesson to keep in mind. Especially in a time of climate change, environmental disaster, and escalating world tensions. As Fred stated, we don’t seem much like we care about our own survival. Did we really change, as Gazoo hoped, or are we still those scared, empty cavemen? The facts are pretty clear, but we still have the capacity to change, so hope is not lost.

My stance on reboots or reimaginings is pretty lax. I take them on a case by case basis. I believe if you have something fresh to say, some new angle to approach the property from, then it’s worth it. A perfect example is Battlestar Galactica. I know this ages me, but I grew up watching the original incarnation of Battlestar… not as it aired, but in syndication. And it was great. It sparked my imagination, held my attention when I was really young, and left me with fond memories. It stuck with me all my life, and started me down the path of science fiction even before I discovered Star Wars and Star Trek. When I first heard about the reboot on the SyFy Channel, I was hesitant. I didn’t see a reason to revisit it. I was very much wrong. I eventually relented and watched the reboot and absolutely loved it. It took the bones and spark of the original series and built on it, modernized it, gave it new depth, evolved it.

That’s what I feel The Flintstones comic series did for its source material. It rooted itself in the concept but allows itself to grow beyond it. Plans for a Flintstones reboot have been circulating for ages, following some attempts in the 80s, 90s, the 00s, and even more recently, all with mixed results. I will say that I am glad that Seth McFarlane’s planned reboot wasn’t greenlit. From everything I’ve read it would have essentially been Family Guy in animal skins. That’s not faithful to what The Flintstones was meant to be, and it would have gotten old fast. I will likely check out Bedrock (the upcoming reboot/sequel television series) but if it adds nothing to the franchise and is poorly executed, I likely won’t continue after the first season. (I generally give a show at least a season to prove its worth and get settled.) The new series will most likely be shameless nostalgia mixed with topical references and quickly-dated parody material. Until I see otherwise, that’s what I’ll be expecting.

Regardless of what happens going forward, Mark Russell’s take on The Flintstones will be, to me, the pinnacle of what this franchise could be. It paid homage to the source without copying it. It allowed room for the characters and their world to grow, and left me with fresh observations and insights into our current society through the lens of a primitive one. Although the people of Bedrock were just starting out on building a lasting and mutually beneficial society, they really weren’t much behind where we find ourselves now. In an age where one setback, one change in our worldview can almost topple us, sending us back to the frame of mind where we want to beat people with clubs. (You all know what I’m talking about… ) Daily we show that we don’t care about our survival or that of the people around us, and we had every opportunity to grow and change before we got to this state. We’re far too close to chaos and clubbing sprees and The Flintstones reminds us that where we are now is pretty much right where we started… confused, unsure, empty, and lost.

Fred is a thinker. (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)

Before coming across this comic book, I hadn’t thought of The Flintstones in years. It was a part of my childhood but not, I would say, a significant part. I watched it again a bit as a teenager, but not since then. I never would have imagined finding new value in something that was so long forgotten and unimportant to me. I am grateful that this happened though… we all need these kinds of reminders. Just because something isn’t even a blip on our radar doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be. Just because something hasn’t made an impression on us doesn’t mean that it couldn’t some day have impact if approached from a new perspective or at just the right time.

For me, this is the definitive version of The Flintstones. It is a perfect example of taking the seed of a property— the spirit of it— and improving upon it. Showing it in a new way and finding new value in it. I barely thought of The Flintstones for much of my adult life, but now I know its potential.

The 2016 comic run of The Flintstones was one of those works that deserved more than it got. It deserved more attention, more regard, more chance to thrive. It could have gone on for many, many more issues. But what we got was gold and I am grateful for that. Writer Mark Russell knew his comic wouldn’t last. As it was being developed he was asked how many issues he needed to tell the story he wanted to tell and he said 12, thinking it would never happen. They gave him 12. He managed to do a lot with only a dozen issues. This incarnation of The Flintstones is touching, thought-provoking, and memorable. 12 issues was all we got, but maybe that was all we needed. I know I’ll never forget my time exploring a more modern and mature Bedrock. I hope you all remember it too.

I really hope you all enjoyed this in-depth (and yet purposely vague) look at a comic book that I found to be meaningful and entertaining. If I’ve sparked your curiosity at all, by all means check out any of the series I mentioned, especially The Flintstones. The collection or individual issues are all readily available digitally or in the back issue bins at your local comic book stores. (If not, they can order them. Support your local comic book store!) I thank you all for taking this journey with me, I appreciate you all. I’ll be back soon with more content!

That’s all folks! (Credit: DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera. Writer: Mark Russell. Art: Steve Pugh)