The Flintstones #2
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
A review by Robert Coffil
Growing up, I was never too interested in The Flintstones. I’d watch it if it was on television, but it was never something I sought out. When DC announced that it was doing a comic book for all the Hannah-Barbera titles, The Flintstones was not one that even piqued my interest. Then, I began to hear rumblings on the internet. “Flintstones is going to be very Mad Men-esque in its take on the family.” That’s all it took for me to snatch this title off the shelf. (Mad Men is one of my absolute favorite shows ever) I really enjoyed the first issue and the second issue follows suite being a scathing satire of modern society set in a prehistoric time.
The thing about this book and The Flintstones in general is you really have to engage your suspension of disbelief. There are dinosaurs and humans, even though historically they never existed at the same time. Also, there are TVs, in the prehistoric. If you are able to get past the anachronisms there is a lot to enjoy in the book.
The comic has all the characters from the show with Fred, Wilma and their child Pebbles. Pebbles has one line of dialogue, but between that, her funky hairstyle, and the way Pugh draws her expression throughout the entire book, she figuratively screams teenage defiance and angst. And of course no Flintstones comic would be complete without the Rubbles: Barney, Betty, and Bamm-Bamm.
In the normal set up of the show, it was Fred who was the principal protagonist and Barney who was the side kick and butt of a lot of the jokes. Russell and Pugh are very subversive in their approach to the book. Even though Fred is the character whom the reader spends the most time with, he comes off as the simple one. Fred talks back to the TV, Fred doesn’t know what a ‘weed’ is, and he is a terrible sales person. It is Barney who has the nice things in his house, and Barney who is a better sales person than Fred.
Not since I read Superior Foes of Spider-Man have I laughed so hard reading a book. Russell and Pugh set up some glorious sight gags and comedic juxtapositions that really take advantage of the time period and weird animals in The Flintstones. These jokes are so good they don’t deserve to be spoiled in a review.
The Verdict
Buy It! If you want a book that is a combination of comedic and social commentary on commercialism, the Flintstone comic is (believe it or not) the comic book for you!
