Alley Oop (Standard)

    (Standard, 1947-1949)
™ and © Standard

Lest anyone think that irreverence and sarcastic wit are modern-day inventions to the world of comics, this late-1940s comic should quickly dispel such notions. The brusque, wise-cracking caveman Alley Oop, girlfriend Ooola, and the brilliant Dr. Bronson go gallivanting across time in the somewhat erratic time machine of the genius Dr. Wonmug. Along the way they encounter such historical figures as Cleopatra, and led by the unflappable Oop, bust people’s heads across a myriad number of centuries. Nothing is sacred; mummies, ancient religious worshippers, and otherwise innocent crocodiles all become fodder for an amusing altercation or incident.

It’s great raucous fun. Alley Oop seems an ancestor of Indiana Jones, if not the Fantastic Four’s Ben Grimm. Lots of sight gags and one-liners (”I’ll bang him so hard his ghost will have to walk on crutches”) help make this an entertaining piece of the past.
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