This issue is all about consumerism and religion. The Flintstones and the Rubbles deal with the need to buy more than they need, finances, and choosing which animal god to worship. Seriously, this needs to be the next take on the cartoon. The main plot focuses on the need to buy things, or “crap” as the first ever televised newsman announces. Most of the “crap” is actually animals who serve as various appliances. Like in the original cartoon, they all can talk, but thankfully none of them turn to the camera and make bad puns. The best appliance of them all is the Powergoat 3000, a goat who is a weedwacker who also loves to yell powergoat. I would so buy one of these and will happily shill for them once they enter the marketplace. “Powergoat biznitch!”
But the consumer plotline is a backdrop for the best part, the Flintstones take on religion. The first issue briefly mentions the god Morp, who is actually just a pelican the nomadic people who eventually inhabited Bedrock saw a few times and proclaimed not only an omen, but a god. At church, they bring out Morp, who then shows off his record playing prowess and plays the newest pop single. This causes a lot of the church goers to lose heart in Morp. Not because Morp is a record player, but because no one seems to be a fan of the song.
So what is a church to do? Why show up with a new god! Meet Peaches, the pink elephant who just wants people to get along and have a fun time. Everyone cheers and is happy. Then they realized that Peaches is just an elephant vacuum they can find down the street. What follows is the one of the best analysis of faith and church ever. The priest quickly proclaims he rushed to find a new god and made a mishap but what matters is the good the church has done, not who they worship. The people just want a god they can believe in, one that can’t be bought at the mall. The god created by the priest in the end is absolutely perfect and I shall not even try to spoil it.
In between the wonderful religion story, we have Fred and Barney and their first job that isn’t working on at the quarry, another staple of the old show. This time they shill vitamins door to door. Somehow this very typical troupe just works, even though it starts with Fred doing door to door salesmen gags.
We also get the first real appearances of Bam Bam and Pebbles. Both are older, around teen/pre-teen age, and have personalities that fit the cartoon. Bam Bam is still insanely strong and Pebbles is a little hip, into the newest music. Hopefully both will get some more screen time soon. The same goes for Barney and Betty. Barney gets more pages in this issue than before but still feels like a complete add-on. I want to know the neighbors some more. Really, the lack of knowing who anyone is beyond Fred and Wilma would be my only complaint about this book, which is very minor. At this point I feel like I fully know this version of Fred and Wilma is pretty fleshed out. I so badly want an issue focusing solely on her though with Fred just making a smaller appearance, not because Fred is a bad character, I just want to know more about Wilma who seems to have more intelligence and true depth as a person.
Really, I just want more of this book. It is fantastic. Praise Morp for its existence.
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The Flintstones #2 Writer: Mark Russel Artist: Steve Pugh Publisher: DC Comics Price: $3.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital
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