In the recent Stripschrift issue mentioned below I mentioned that the B.C. strip has been taken over by Johnny Hart's grandson Mason Mastroianni. I have taken some samples of this strip from the Creator's Syndicate website to show how he is both continuing and reviving the humor of his grandfather. He is helped by a small team of writers including his cartoonist brother and his mother Patti Pommeroy. Patti graciously helped me getting the cover for Stripschrift done and sent me some great photo's of her father and her son and we talked about my interviewing Mason, which I hope to do in the near future. I think they are doing a great job of bringing new life to B.C. A lot of the silly and sarcastic humor of the earlier days has returned and Mason is not adhering to the style of Johnny Hart so slavishly that the thing has become lifeless, as so many continued strips. Rather than getting stuck in a style, they are continuing the heart and humor of the strip.
Here are some samples.
In the old strip, the sundays were often the place where Johnny Hart could show his flair for comic timing. It seems Mason has inherited that gene.
In the next sunday we see a line-up of Johnny Hart's strange beasts, including one that Mason has introduced himself. It appears that he stays closer to the classic look of the strip on the sundays, but the dinosaur is all his.
This sunday celebrates the 50th aniversary of the strip. I am not sure I like the new 'skirts', but fashions do change, even in pre-historic times,
The next sunday commemorates the death of Johnny Hart.
Finally, a classic gag on a current subject.
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