Gene Hazelton’s Flintstones writers must have been briefly preoccupied with garbage. Two consecutive weekend comics deal with it 50 years ago this month.
Trying to locate newspapers on-line that printed full versions of the comics has become challenging (just about all the papers I’ve been using in previous months dropped the Bedrock gang in 1964), but I’ve managed to find them. I may not be so lucky from here on.
![]( "Flintstones comic, Feb. 2, 1964")
The first and last panels of the Sunday comics are probably the most interesting every week. The artists always manage to fit a lot in but there’s not too much going on. I like the layout of the opening panel on February 2nd. The action’s going on in the centre, you have two well-drawn shoppers kibitzing on the left and a quizzical Dino on the right. The street is circular. The artist could have drawn it like you might have seen in the cartoon series—two characters in medium shot with maybe a textured stone wall behind them. But the comics, at least at this period, always give you more.
The middle row has different angles and perspectives on Fred’s car. And I like the triceratops rushing out of the rain. A funny little expression.
![]( "Flintstones comic, Feb. 9, 1964")
Another nice use of space in the opening panel of the February 9th comic. The action is in right-hand two third. The artist chose not to waste space below the masthead in the other third and gives us a little Dino gag instead. Note the black background behind Wilma in the little panel in the bottom row.
![]( "Flintstones comic, Feb. 16, 1964")
Nice story payoff on February 16th. Sounds like an H-B employee went outside his home to find a crunched-up garbage can and used it as the basis for a story.
![]( "Flintstones comic, Feb. 23, 1964")
Nice use of perspective in the opening panel on February 23rd. We get a silhouette panel next to it. And is Fred kind of praying in the last panel?
You’ll notice something is missing this month. I don’t mean Baby Puss; I’ve given up hope we’ll ever see the poor cat again in the weekend comics. I mean Pebbles. It’s nice to have the comics focusing on the adults. And Betty gets a bit of a spotlight in the final comic.
Click on each comic to enlarge it.
Trying to locate newspapers on-line that printed full versions of the comics has become challenging (just about all the papers I’ve been using in previous months dropped the Bedrock gang in 1964), but I’ve managed to find them. I may not be so lucky from here on.
The first and last panels of the Sunday comics are probably the most interesting every week. The artists always manage to fit a lot in but there’s not too much going on. I like the layout of the opening panel on February 2nd. The action’s going on in the centre, you have two well-drawn shoppers kibitzing on the left and a quizzical Dino on the right. The street is circular. The artist could have drawn it like you might have seen in the cartoon series—two characters in medium shot with maybe a textured stone wall behind them. But the comics, at least at this period, always give you more.
The middle row has different angles and perspectives on Fred’s car. And I like the triceratops rushing out of the rain. A funny little expression.
Another nice use of space in the opening panel of the February 9th comic. The action is in right-hand two third. The artist chose not to waste space below the masthead in the other third and gives us a little Dino gag instead. Note the black background behind Wilma in the little panel in the bottom row.
Nice story payoff on February 16th. Sounds like an H-B employee went outside his home to find a crunched-up garbage can and used it as the basis for a story.
Nice use of perspective in the opening panel on February 23rd. We get a silhouette panel next to it. And is Fred kind of praying in the last panel?
You’ll notice something is missing this month. I don’t mean Baby Puss; I’ve given up hope we’ll ever see the poor cat again in the weekend comics. I mean Pebbles. It’s nice to have the comics focusing on the adults. And Betty gets a bit of a spotlight in the final comic.
Click on each comic to enlarge it.