This, more so than the older strips I often see at Yowp, is the way I remember it. When the writing seemed to mildly take on issues (as seen in some of these examples) like smoking and even racism!
I can even remember strips about the “ABM” anti-ballistic missile. And there were characters like “Pops” and “Annie”. That would have put it around 1969-1970. Am I close?
I especially liked the ones where Pebbles thinks – and sometimes even philosophizes.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the comic strips. Yeah, all of these are from the 1970s. Gene Hazelton really did a great job of drawing the Flintstones in his own style.
Yes, Gene Hazelton certainly had a pleasing and distinctive style with the characters. All the more so, as the comic books of that general time period – after Harvey Eisenberg’s death, and when they were not done by Pete Alvarado or Phil DeLara – were simply awful. Especially those by Charlton!
I used to try and emulate that “bemused or annoyed horizontal line across both eyes” thing he did (see the final panel of the “Buck Stops Here” strip) in my junior high school era drawings.
Are you able to zero in on an actual year of publication for those? Just fannish curiosity. And how long did the strip actually run? I don’t think I saw it after 1970.
Also, any idea on the writing? It seems to read more like a late ‘60s – early ‘70s comic STRIP (again, occasionally wandering into the “thoughts of the day”), while the older ones could have been expanded into good comic book stories of the Dell and early Gold Key era – or even contracted versions of TV episodes.
Such a pity these can’t be collected somehow. I’d love to put The Collected Flintstones and Yogi Bear strips alongside those for Popeye and Mickey Mouse.
The strips' publication dates vary, but all of them are from the 1970s. Gene Hazelton drew both the Flintstones and Yogi comic strips until 1980, I believe, so they ran for a long time. As for the writing, I won't be of much help. I read somewhere that a man named Dale Hale wrote some of the Flintstones strips in the 1960s, but beyond that, I'm not sure. Perhaps Hazelton took over the writing duties later on, but I really don't know. Again, I'm glad that you've enjoyed the strips!
Don't forget that Dale Hale also produced a comic strip between 1970 and 1985, titled Figments, which was distributed by Universal Press Syndicate for the newspapers from the whole world. Dale Hale is also a very talented script writer for animation.
Wonderful stuff! Thank you for posting it!
ReplyDeleteWhat year(s) were they from? I can’t make it out.
This, more so than the older strips I often see at Yowp, is the way I remember it. When the writing seemed to mildly take on issues (as seen in some of these examples) like smoking and even racism!
I can even remember strips about the “ABM” anti-ballistic missile. And there were characters like “Pops” and “Annie”. That would have put it around 1969-1970. Am I close?
I especially liked the ones where Pebbles thinks – and sometimes even philosophizes.
Hey Joe,
DeleteI'm glad that you enjoyed the comic strips. Yeah, all of these are from the 1970s. Gene Hazelton really did a great job of drawing the Flintstones in his own style.
Thanks for the reply, Mark!
DeleteYes, Gene Hazelton certainly had a pleasing and distinctive style with the characters. All the more so, as the comic books of that general time period – after Harvey Eisenberg’s death, and when they were not done by Pete Alvarado or Phil DeLara – were simply awful. Especially those by Charlton!
I used to try and emulate that “bemused or annoyed horizontal line across both eyes” thing he did (see the final panel of the “Buck Stops Here” strip) in my junior high school era drawings.
Are you able to zero in on an actual year of publication for those? Just fannish curiosity. And how long did the strip actually run? I don’t think I saw it after 1970.
Also, any idea on the writing? It seems to read more like a late ‘60s – early ‘70s comic STRIP (again, occasionally wandering into the “thoughts of the day”), while the older ones could have been expanded into good comic book stories of the Dell and early Gold Key era – or even contracted versions of TV episodes.
Such a pity these can’t be collected somehow. I’d love to put The Collected Flintstones and Yogi Bear strips alongside those for Popeye and Mickey Mouse.
Joe,
DeleteThe strips' publication dates vary, but all of them are from the 1970s. Gene Hazelton drew both the Flintstones and Yogi comic strips until 1980, I believe, so they ran for a long time. As for the writing, I won't be of much help. I read somewhere that a man named Dale Hale wrote some of the Flintstones strips in the 1960s, but beyond that, I'm not sure. Perhaps Hazelton took over the writing duties later on, but I really don't know. Again, I'm glad that you've enjoyed the strips!
Mark,
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that Dale Hale also produced a comic strip between 1970 and 1985, titled Figments, which was distributed by Universal Press Syndicate for the newspapers from the whole world.
Dale Hale is also a very talented script writer for animation.