Comics Review: The Flintstones #1

It’s better than Viva Rock Vegas, but not by much.

Spoilers Below

When I first saw the idea for a Flintstones Comics reboot, I was a bit perplexed. Instead of sticking with the tried and true classic characters of yesteryear, DC Comics has decided to reboot the franchise to appeal to an older audience. The irony is this, when The Flintstones were originally on TV, they were already appealing to older audiences. The programming was tailored towards the prime-time audiences and shit, Fred Flintstone used to hawk Lucky Strike cigarettes every chance he got!

Enter Flintstones #1. The first issue features a story that in essence is kinda funny, and hear and there, the writers are certainly trying to lay some jokes, but not in the classic Flintstones way where akin to The Simpsons you get setup and knocked out, a prehistoric take on a suburban life. For this reboot, we’re introduced a Fred Flintstone, ex-war veteran, and his smoking hot wife Wilma. Oh yea, any thoughts of a Fred Flintstone and Wilma portraying a lovable oaf coupled with a loving wife are out the window. Instead, get ready for a hulking brute of a Fred Flintstone and a Wilma Flintstone that looks as though she can’t wait to fuck her husband in just about every panel. Betty Rubble comes off as even more sexual, and I gotta say, I don’t think it’s just Barney she’ banging out. Oh yea, and Dino has bizarre written all over him.

I get it, we’re trying to make a Flintstones that doesn’t remind people of what they see on the boxes of Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles. Though, if the producers of the comic were REALLY smart, they would’ve kept the old-school look of The Flintstones and point to the fact that those same cereal companies are spending more ad dollars on throwback culture anyway. I’m weary of this reboot, and all of a sudden, Seth MacFarlane’s attempt may have been the reboot we truly needed.