Subscribe to get a recap of the days posts & never miss the latest breaking news or exclusive content.
Written by: Mark Russell
Art by: Steve Pugh
Colors by: Chris Chuckry
The Flintstones remains one of the most socially relevant titles on the market. After 11 issues, Mark Russell continues to find meaningful and biting ways to reflect the current American culture back at readers. The Flintstones #10 contained poignant criticism about racism mixed into one of the four plot lines of the issue. Russell scales back the plot lines in this issue and the book flows better for it. Issue #11 contains two central plot lines that both coalesce around the judgmental nature of groups.
Fred and Barney are faced with a growing number of new BedRock residents trying to gentrify the neighborhood. The suggested changes first come in judgmental side comments, then the new neighbors become more forward and ultimately take action. When the new residents cannot change Fred’s stance, they take action to isolate him and his house. Over the last ten issues, Russell’s commentary was equally biting toward both liberals and conservatives. Here Russell takes on urban, upscale liberals not looking to object to a person’s lifestyle, but concerned that it hurts their own image.
The second plot involves a group of judgmental aliens. The great Gazoo, the alien observer, is pulled back to his home planet and told that a group of planetary
While Russell reduces the plot lines in this issue, readers still spend a significant number of panels gaining a context for the alien “Neighborhood Association.” Without any preexisting story connection or meaningful resolution to the alien characters, the judgmental “Neighborhood Association” plot feels stretched.
Russell has time and again held a mirror up to human nature to reflect back our own ugliness. The Flintstones #11 reminds readers that judging others or groups, based on one’s own set of beliefs, creates more problems than it corrects. Russell reflects that through the abstract world of BedRock, but the criticism for modern day is relevant. To say it in stone aged speak, “No judge, understand.”