Moovians

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Comic strips are an interesting medium to see how the author develops the story. Hamlin was notorious for taking readers down a certain route and then all of a sudden throwing a wrench into the story and taking it in a different direction. Usually, but not always, the change was effected by some malfunction of the time-machine. Part of the fun of reading the stories was to see how the characters would adapt to the different environment. But no matter what happened, the action always seemed realistic and the characters' reaction believable once you accepted the basic premise of a time-traveling caveman. A good example was the recently posted story on the classics page where Oop and Boom are supposed to go to New Orleans at the time of the Louisiana Purchase but end up in Paris instead. The two decide to stay in Paris to see what happens rather than have Doc retrieve them and a great story involving Napoleon ensues followed by another story involving 19th Century pirates. In contras...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's strip serves up another dose of "fake drama", a hallmark of every Sayers story since the takeover. Doc Wonmug is frantic because he has lost the time-cubes and he feels that the lives of the Three Stooges is now over and they will have no way to return to the 21st Century. That makes no sense for Alley and Ooola who are from Moo and would have no trouble returning to life in Moo as they have for decades since the time-machine was invented. But why can't Doc get back to the modern world? Is the time-machine borken? Has Joey forgotten that Ava is back in the time-lab and can bring them back anytime she wants just like in the olden days? There really hasn't been any dramatic tension in any of the stories as Joey winds up her third year with the stip. The drama is fake which is why the stories are so drearily boring. The latest doom and gloom from the Undynamic Duo: https://www.gocomics.com/alley-oop/2021/09/18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Lemsay introduced the time-cubes, they were supposed to be an improvement over the "amulet". But the amulet allowed more than one person to be transported in time, much like the original time-machine which simply picked up the people within a certain radius. How is having each person need their own personal time-cube an improvement? Plus the old device could be worn around a person's neck so that you wouldn't have the problem Doc is having today. The new devices are also far bulkier than the amulet ever was and more difficult to carry. There is no way, other than Lemon's poor drawing, that Doc could fit three of the time-cubes in a single hand. Maybe Alley Oop with his Johnny Bench-size hands could do it but Doc, no way. Other than Joey saying the cubes are an improvement, I just don't see it.  Is there any point any more to the retconned, purple-haired Ava? Couldn't she pull them back to the 21st Century like in the olden days if the cubes are lost? ...

 

 

 here are a lot of reasons to dislike the current version of Alley Oop. The really dumb jokes, poor artwork, lack of detailed backgrounds, silly stories with huge plot holes, the over-reliance on "magic" to get the characters out of trouble, Ollie Arp, the dumbing down of the characters, the elimination of major characters (Boom, King Guz, Foozie), the time-cube, the multi-dimensions, the lack of understanding of basic science - phew, that's quite a list and I probably missed a few. But one that has bothered me for some time is the total disregard for what has happened in the past. Long-time fans know of stories from the past that contradict whatever nonsense that Joey has cooked up. Today is a good example where Joey throws out the idea that there are only two "countries" in the Bone Age - Lem and Moo. Sure, saying that sets up today's joke but it isn't a very funny one. Fans know that over the years there have many other places besides Moo and Lem.  So...