…and we can thank Donald Trump.
USMagazine—Rejoice! Chubby penguin Opus and crazy Bill the Cat are returning! Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed revealed on Sunday, July 12, that he is bringing back his critically lauded comic strip, “Bloom County,” after 25 years.
“Feels like going home,” the 58-year-old cartoonist captioned a photo he shared on Facebook of a new “Bloom County 2015” panel in the works.
Breathed debuted his comic strip, which often took on political topics, in 1980, and ended it in 1989. “Deadlines and dead-tree media took the fun out of a daily craft that was only meant to be fun,” he told The New York Times on Monday about “Bloom County’s” conclusion. The strip, which featured a younger Donald Trump as a character, wrapped up with the mogul — whose brain was transplanted into Bill the Cat’s body — buying out Bloom County and firing the cast of characters.
When a fan noted on Breathed’s Facebook page that “it is only fitting” for “Bloom County” to return as Trump takes the political stage again, the cartoonist replied, “This creator can’t precisely deny that the chap you mention had nothing to do with it.”
Trump, who announced his presidential campaign for the GOP nomination on June 16, once again created controversy and plenty of fodder for late-night comics during his speech, when he called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and accused them of bringing crime and drugs. “And some, I assume, are good people,” he added.
But it turns out that the businessman isn’t the only reason Breathed is bringing “Bloom County” back. He revealed to the Times that he had planned to revive the strip in 2001, “but the sullied air sucked the oxygen from my kind of whimsy.” He added that the “fake” Iraq War kept the strip dead for another 10 years, but now, the timing feels right. “Silliness suddenly feels safe now. Trump’s merely a sparkling symptom of a renewed national ridiculousness. We’re back, baby,” he told the Times.
Fans used to reading “Bloom County” in their local papers’ comics section can now find the renewed strip on Facebook. “That’s where my old school readers can reach me,” Breathed explained to the Times.
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I know. I know. Lefty wing nut alert. I grew up on Bloom County so I’m doing my best to look past that aspect and enjoy the humor. I always thought the characters were well drawn too. Honestly, I wish Donald Trump would inspire Bill Watterson to come out of retirement and start drawing Calvin and Hobbes again. America needs some Calvin and Hobbes right now.
while your at it.. bring back Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes” and Gary Larson’s”the Far Side”.
Best damn comic strip period.
Bloom County was a little political but nothing like Doonesbury. It was silly and funny, and poked both sides in the eye as far as I remember. I grew up on it too, I had all the collections and a stuffed opus.
It’s been 25 years? Good lord. Seems like yesterday. I’ll have to ask my mom if she knows where my opus is.
The Far Side.
Pure genius.
Bill the Cat might categorize the return of Bloom County by saying: “Ack!” or maybe even “Thbbft!”
And does this mean a return of that heavy metal band “Billy and the Boingers?”
Can’t wait to see the Purple Snorklewhacker come out of the Anxiety Closet again!
Favorite strip was when the congressman was out pressing the flesh and chatting up a farmer about his “corn” crop. Farmer replies ” ‘T’ain’t corn, it’s dope!” Congressman flees…..
Can you all imagine having a few beers with Mssrs. Watterson, Larson, and Breathed?
Wow. Just wow.
I was a firefighter in a large western city at the time and was assigned to a ladder company. It was a 90ft American LaFrance “snorkel”. I used to refer to it as the Great Yellow Snorklewhacker”. The other guys just looked at me like …huh?
I liked this strip because Breatherd wasn’t afraid to poke fun at both sides of the political spectrum.
Coming back just in time for the death of newspapers – who cares?
My two still sit proudly on the bookshelf.
ok, I think it should come as no surprise how elated I am. You may also be able to figure out how I got my screen name in the first place 🙂 YAY!!! I am stoked!!!
YES!!! Calvin and Hobbes.
For that matter bring Walt Kelly back from the dead and reissue Pogo.
The Far SIde, Berkeley Breathed and Calvin and Hobbes…..in that order please.
I almost named my second cat in Brooklyn Opus, the character. (He became Indiana Jones instead).
I also miss “Cathy.”
“Calvin and Hobbes”
My absolute favorite!
My dad’s, too. He had several books and still laughed at them while suffering 4 years with dementia.
I’m just glad they’re back…even as lib as Breathed is, he’s a “take no prisoners” type in his humor, and I like that.
Deos anyont remember what caused the death of Bloom County? It was the spot on portrayal of a lesbian feminist that feminists went berzerk over.