The Flintstones #3 Review: "It's Spring Break, Dum-Dums!"

The Flintstones #3 is decidedly the darkest issue in the series so far, but that’s not a bad thing. The side-plot revolves around Fred and Barney’s life after serving in the army and the substandard treatment of war veterans. Given the quality of the past issue, I shouldn’t be surprised by how well-written it is—and yet, I am. One of Fred and Barney’s fellow veterans gives a beautiful speech about how they were treated as heroes after the war, but all of that seemed to go away shortly thereafter. Steve Pugh adds to the gravitas with a very moving picture of several homeless veterans huddled for warmth in the streets right next to a mega-corporation.

It gets even darker when Joe, a different veteran, tries to call a suicide hotline for help, only to be put on hold for an inappropriate amount of time. In fact, all of the members of the Loyal Order of the Water Buffaloes seem to be veterans, as some of the homeless veterans are seen with their distinctive headgear. I do like how the emotional support group is portrayed in a realistic and helpful manner. I’m still unsure of how I feel about “Yabba dabba do!” being a mantra for the group, but the new context will grow on me.

On a similar note, I noticed that Mark Russell also referenced the controversial name of a certain Washington sports team with the Bedrock Middle School’s resident sports team, the Fighting Tree People. A later scene in the issue reveals that the citizens of Bedrock conquered them in a battle and presumably took their land.

On the lighter side of things, the main plot revolves around an invasion by rowdy alien teenagers. They just want to have a good time and they don’t care who has to die for that to happen. In a way, their arc is similar to the war veterans, but reversed. In this case, Bedrock is once again being invaded by people who want their land and resources, but for partying and raucous "fun," not for any more substantial reasons.

I was happy to see Pebbles and Bam-Bam get more focus in the plot. We see a glimpse of their respective personalities, hopefully to be expanded on in the future. Overall, The Flintstones #3 is worth a read. The social commentary continues to be as sharp and witty as ever, and I do like seeing how the various mythologies of the original show is expanded upon and altered. Give it a try!

I really want to see more of what Sargon has to say about climate change. Someone introduce him to the Fox News-esque anchors for a debate. If you need me, I'll be thinking of rock-based puns for a Stone Age version of Bill Nye.

The Flintstones #3 is written by Mark Russell and drawn by Steve Pugh. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.