Imagine your Tuesday meeting, your Netflix queue, or your morning commute—if all of it happened 10,000 years ago. That is the engine behind The Stoned Age, a comic series by cartoonist Zack Rhodes. The strip drops familiar modern frustrations into a world of cavemen, dinosaurs, and very questionable inventions. The art is deliberately simple, which lets the absurd scenarios carry the weight.
Scroll down for prehistoric takes on some very modern problems, and upvote the ones that made you laugh the most.
How the joke lands
The humor works because the gap between the modern problem and the prehistoric setting does the heavy lifting. A caveman attempting yoga is funny because you already know what yoga looks like. A dinosaur functioning as a parental alarm clock is funny because you already know what your own mornings sound like. The setting is the prop, not the point.
The simple drawings reinforce this. When the art gets ornate, the eye pauses to admire it—and stops reading the joke. Strip the visuals down, and the reader's brain fills in the rest. That is where most of the actual humor lives.
Our analysis
What separates a durable comic series from a passing trend is the ability to stay flexible without losing identity. The Stoned Age's caveman frame is broad enough to swallow almost any modern topic: procrastination, tattoos, algorithms, parenting. Swap the subject and the joke still works, because the gap between "now" and "then" is structural, not topical.
The risk is repetition. Once the format clicks, it is tempting to rely on the visual contrast and coast on the setup. But the strips that stick are the ones where the writing earns the punchline. A caveman annoyed at cave Wi-Fi is mildly funny. A caveman annoyed at cave Wi-Fi because his partner keeps streaming cooking shows is funnier—because the writing did the work, not just the premise.
What to watch
Watch for whether the series starts running longer narrative arcs alongside single-panel jokes. Comics that can toggle between standalone strips and continuing stories tend to survive algorithm changes better than one-trick formats. Also keep an eye on whether the creator moves into prints, books, or licensing. That step usually comes once a steady audience settles in.
Should you follow?
| If you… | Then… |
|---|---|
| Laugh at the roundup | Sort by recent posts on the Instagram page and read three in a row. If the writing holds, follow. |
| Only like the roundup picks | Bookmarks beat follows in this case—check back later. |
| Want to support the creator | Credit the artist in reposts. That is the minimum effort. |
Key takeaways
- The Stoned Age is a prehistoric-themed comic series by Zack Rhodes with deliberately simple art.
- The humor relies on the gap between modern problems and a caveman setting.
- The format is flexible enough to absorb a wide range of everyday topics.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes The Stoned Age comics?
Cartoonist Zack Rhodes, posting under the Instagram handle @_the_stoned_age_.
Why is the art so simple?
Simple drawings leave more room for the punchline and the absurd scenario to do the work.
Where can I read the series?
On Instagram, where the series is posted regularly.
What kinds of situations does the series cover?
The strip adapts modern frustrations—procrastination, parenting, algorithms, tattoos, and more—into prehistoric settings.
What should I watch for next from this series?
Whether the creator moves into longer narrative arcs or expands beyond Instagram into prints or merchandise.