On Today's Alley Oop - 9 September 2021

 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.  Some of them are one shots, like Gonwanda, but there have been a few, like Sawala, that have appeared in several stories. Sure, Joey would have to read the canon to know this but isn't that what a creative person would do if for no other reason than to pay homage to the strip's creator? Jonathan supposedly has read all of Oop but doesn't have enough courage to call call Joey out on on this. Almost 85 years of "Alley Oop" has been relegated to the waste basket but it sure hasn't made the comic strip better.

The latest affront to the past: https://www.gocomics.com/alley-oop/2021/09/09