Librarian note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
John Lewis Hart, also known as Johnny Hart, was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator (with Brant Parker) of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including five from the National Cartoonists Society, and the Swedish Adamson Award. In his later years, he sparked controversy by incorporating overtly Christian themes and messages into the strips.
B.C., Peter, Thor, Wiley, Carp and Curls -- My favorite cavemen! Plus the cavewomen, Fat Broad and Cute Chick! Johnny Hart's prehistoric B.C. cartoon characters have been entertaining readers since 1958. I first came across the cartoons as a teenager in the 80s. This year I want to focus on reading what I enjoy, so I thought it would be a great time to re-read some of Hart's cartoon collections. The topics are still so relevant today....and I'm having a great time revisiting the prehistoric but oh so modern antics of his characters!
The B.C. cartoons poke fun at everyday life in general -- relationships, sex, politicians, sports, transportation, work, hobbies, religion, business.....nothing is sacred. In between his jabs at human foibles, Hart sprinkles in dictionary jokes, ants with marital problems, a philosophical turtle and his bird pal, anteaters on the hunt, and snakes trying to steer clear of cavewomen with clubs.
In Hey! B.C. the cavemen discover the wheel, fire.....and women. They also invent baseball and football. :) Another fun nostalgia read!
Johnny Hart also created the Wizard of Id cartoons (I loved those too!) He created the B.C. characters in the late 1950s. Wizard of Id came along in the 60s. Both cartoons ran in syndication in newspapers and were collected in multiple books until Hart's death in 2007.
BC: the modern day stone ager! Where pre-historic meets Pre-hysteria! This collection of Johnny Hart's BC strips from the 60s is nothing short of inspired Bro-Magnon fun. BC the humble hero, Peter his best friend, Wiley the peg leg who fears nothing...except water, Clumsy Carp, Curls the one with the sarcasm that fits the situation, and Skinny Girl and Fat Girl, the only two women on prehistoric earth who have ways of outsmarting these cave-dudes. Fans of Fred Flintstone and Alley-Oop will like this set of strips. It's the Triassic period: TRY A SICK new approach to the way we see the cavemen mentality that somehow still exists, and is made all the more laughable thanks to Johnny's....heart! Four stars BC: Beyond Coolness!!!
This was the first B.C. book. And it was abridged at some point. No explanation given for what might've needed to be removed. (Probably just a way to condense it to make it cheaper. No Sunday strips because those need to be in color?)
At this point the characters basically have wedges for bodies, though unlike a lot of early versions of strips (like "Peanuts") the characters were solidly in place from day one. Dinosaurs in this era, too. (Dinosaurs came and went, as the gags required.)
The guys discover women in this, which is a cute conceit. The women, as always, are ahead of the guys in every respect. The ants are the everyman but there's no sign of their otherwise advanced technology yet.
Another B.C. collection from way back. I like these as they include some really early drawings and it's kind of fun to see how the characters develop and change over the years. Lots of fun, but then B.C. is always fun. :)
The first book in the B.C. Series Like all first books for a series, the characters are a bit... crude and not what you are use to. (Think Garfield. Dennis the Menace. Peanuts. Marmaduke. Bloom County. Doonesbury). The introduction of many the familiar characters, and situations.