It’s the end of the world as Bedrock knows it, and the prehistoric people do not feel fine. The latest issue of The Flintstones from DC Comics continues its run of satire and societal commentary, as Bedrock prepares for a cataclysmic event.
The Flintstones 6
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Steve Pugh
What happens when a civilized prehistoric society finds out that a meteor is going to crash into the planet and kill everyone? Well, they don’t handle it very well.
One of the things I really enjoy about this rendition of these characters is the focus on the people of Bedrock, and this issue builds on that, as we see the town’s reaction to a newscast report that the world was coming to an end. The source of the information is the head of Bedrock’s Science Cave, Sargon, who uses a new “computer” for the calculations. With the recent end of the Wacky Raceland book from DC’s Hanna Barbera imprint, I was starting to worry that The Flintstones was going to end in a similarly depressing fashion to the old 1990s TV show, Dinosaurs.
Seriously, what a depressing end to what was essentially a kids’ TV show. I’m still traumatized from watching that 20-plus years later.
But no, the comic will go on, because Sargon’s calculations were thrown off by a couple of mating moths. The meteor passes by the planet without killing anyone, and everything is gonna be ok, right? Not so much… Bedrock’s citizenry went overboard when the news of the meteor hit. The town rioted and the more civilized nature of the people in town went right out the window. And here is where the real genius of Mark Russell’s writing comes in. Instead of the regular shenanigans being set off by Fred or Barney doing something stupid, the main cast of this revamp serve as straight men for all the craziness that surrounds them.
Fred and Wilma and Barney and Betty, with Pebbles and Bam Bam in tow, try and find a safe haven from the rioting and ruckus and watch as everything they have come to take for granted fades right before their eyes. And not even the Church of Gerald can keep people calm.
While I really do enjoy Keith Giffen’s work on Scooby Apocalypse, The Flintstones is really the crown jewel in the Hanna Barbera reboot line.