Berkeley Breathed Revives Bloom County Comic Strip After 25 Years 109
cold fjord writes: Just as it was needed then, it is needed now (more than ever). NPR reports, "Fans of the well-loved comic strip Bloom County are celebrating ... cartoonist Berkeley Breathed issued the first panels of his satirical strip in decades. Breathed won a Pulitzer Prize for his work on Bloom County back in 1987; two years later, he quit producing it. ... It's unclear whether Breathed will syndicate his new work in newspapers; he recently recalled how an editorial dispute with a publisher had a direct role in his decision to quit cartooning in 2008. His Facebook postings, Breathed said earlier this month, are "nicely out of reach of nervous newspaper editors, the PC humor police now rampant across the web ... and ISIS." When Bloom County went idle in 1989, it was one of several clever and inventive comic strips, such as Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side, that were beloved by fans and yet were also comparatively short-lived. Today, devoted fans are treating its return as a small miracle." — The Washington Post adds, ""Honestly, I was unprepared for it," Breathed tells me of the public outpouring. "It calls for a bit of introspection about how characters can work with readers and how they're now absent as a unifying element with a society. "There is no media that will allow a Charlie Brown or a Snoopy to become a universal and shared joy each morning at the same moment across the country," Breathed continues. 'Maybe the rather marked response to my character's return is a reflection of that loss. A last gasp of a passing era.'"
Re:cold fjord (Score:4, Insightful)
I'll be sure to pass your comments to NPR and the Washington Post where the excerpts came from.
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So was I. Hint: look for quotation marks.
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That's not garbage, that's a hot load of steaming feces. It's unreadable.
How the fuck can something be needed now "just as it was" then, but also "more than ever"?
If it's needed "just as it was" then it's needed to the same degree.
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That's not garbage, that's a hot load of steaming feces. It's unreadable.
Really now? Lets examine that proposition.
How the fuck can something be needed now "just as it was" then, but also "more than ever"?
Based on this sentence it appears that it actually wasn't garbage, feces (steaming or not), or unreadable. You actually did manage to read it. The problem you have is comprehension, so lets tackle that. The main problem you seem to have is one dimensional thinking. Saying that something is needed then and now establishes the need in terms of time - it is needed in both times, the first dimension. That says nothing about the urgency of the need, the degree of n
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The first two web links are not essential to understanding the content. What they lead to is enhanced content as you indicate. You should have understood the main theme of the story based on the title which informs as to the main subject. The problem here is your comprehension not the writing.
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Make sure you provide proper attribution for those comments, ok?
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Did you miss the statement of where they were from and the quotation marks?
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You're a horrible writer; please don't quit your day job...that is all.
I'll be sure to pass your comments to NPR and the Washington Post where the excerpts came from.
When you do, are you going to summarize it as "please don't quit your day job"?
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Maybe. ;)
Opus is like Jesus (Score:1)
Given that the last strip ended with Opus being put down at the animal "shelter" and Berkley making some very definite statements about this being the end of Opus and how we should all know that he wasn't coming back, it is interesting to see that Opus is back from the dead. Like a religion I guess we are expected to overlook the details.
Good to think that it might be coming back though.
LOLWUT (Score:1)
Don't think so http://herocomplex.latimes.com... [latimes.com]
Re:Opus is like Jesus (Score:4, Funny)
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That can't be true or you would be medicated and receiving the help you need.
Breaking news from last week (Score:2)
This happened, what - a week or two ago? It's been so long since I saw the story and first new strip I'd forgotten it was even a thing.
I'm glad they're back, but this whole "Slashdot is even faster than the Pony Express bringing California Headlines to New York" isn't going to win them any contests.
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If you've already forgotten then you should be celebrating since it's news to you.
Did I miss your story?
Ack! (Score:5, Funny)
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Should have left the crypt unopened (Score:2, Interesting)
I *loved* Bloom County and read it from when I first discovered it in 1982 while I was in university. It was funny, relevant and smart.
It continued to be right up until Mr. Breathed ended the strip. But it ended, I've (and I think most people have) moved on and, now that it's 25 years later, Mr. Breathed should be looking at new avenues for his considerable talents.
Now, having said that, the example panel is pretty vintage but I still think it's time for Mr. Breathed (and us) to move on.
Re:Should have left the crypt unopened (Score:4, Insightful)
I *loved* Bloom County and read it from when I first discovered it in 1982 while I was in university. It was funny, relevant and smart.
It continued to be right up until Mr. Breathed ended the strip. But it ended, I've (and I think most people have) moved on and, now that it's 25 years later, Mr. Breathed should be looking at new avenues for his considerable talents.
Now, having said that, the example panel is pretty vintage but I still think it's time for Mr. Breathed (and us) to move on.
It's traditional to include some sort of reason for your opinions so people can debate and discuss them. You've said what you think, but not why you think it, or even why you think you think it.
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Good point. Can I say simply that I believe that once something is over, it should stay that way?
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Good point. Can I say simply that I believe that once something is over, it should stay that way?
You can, you have, and I respect and thank you for it.
Now comes the discussion and debate. I'd counter by pointing out meals are an excellent thing to revisit once they're over. To never order pizza again because the first box is emptied is a sad, sad thing. I'd point at orgasms as another excellent thing to strive towards recreating as soon as one is done.
All I'm saying is that there are exceptions to your guideline. Some artistic works shouldn't see sequels, remakes, or revivals. I think we can a
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... I still think it's time for Mr. Breathed (and us) to move on.
See ya later, then ... I'll be here reading the new strips.
Re:Should have left the crypt unopened (Score:5, Funny)
Me too.
Damn. I think he's still got it. Haven't laughed that loud at a comic strip in a long time.
"suds" "nuns" .... priceless.
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If you live in the shit, it is sometimes hard to see it.
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Wow ...old story .... (Score:1)
Magnificent (Score:2)
I read Bloom County throughout the eighties. It was a brilliantly funny comic, nothing like Doonesbury which was highly political. Yes, Breathed obliquely dealt with political issues ("caucus raucous!") but in an evenhanded fashion, which was unusual for back then. I'm amazed Breathed is bringing this back. I'm really looking forward to it and hope he has a long and humorous run.
Bill the Cat (Score:4, Informative)
Maybe this time Bill the Cat will win the Presidency. It would be an improvement compared to all the current candidates.
Re:Bill the Cat (Score:4, Insightful)
Maybe this time Bill the Cat will win the Presidency. It would be an improvement compared to all the current candidates.
Probably Bill the Cat with Donald Trump's brain in his head will win.
I figure the Trump campaign is the reason Bloom County is coming back. So much new material, for free.
It's about damn time! (Score:2)
What took him so long?
I would pay for the strips (Score:5, Interesting)
This is one of the few strip I would pay to access. While I wouldn't be paying to access the strip itself, I would be paying to support Breathed and to encourage him to continue the strip. I can't really think of many other comic strips, modern or otherwise that I would do this for.
Meanwhile.... (Score:3)
...Bill Watterson says, "Self...I still have my integrity."
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Welcome back, I guess... (Score:1)
I loved Bloom County in the 80s. I was sad to see the strip stop. However I moved on and now there are a ton of quality comics to take its place. Do you want sharp, pointed humor? Try Non-Sequiter (ex http://www.gocomics.com/nonseq... [gocomics.com]). There is xkcd.com, userfriendly.org (yeah, I know the comic is semi-mostly-retired), and PhD (Piled Higher and Deeper) http://phdcomics.com/comics.ph... [phdcomics.com].
I'm sorry Bloom County, you were great in the 80s but now it is the 2010s. It might be interesting to read the new strips
Opus wakes up ... (Score:2)
Hey Berkeley. Remember hearing about that thing called ARPANET?
Berkeley Breathed (Score:1)
I look forward to this (Score:2)
I was ~10 in the mid-80s, remember reading Bloom County every Sunday in the Boston Globe. I didn't get half of what it was about at the time, like why arming a bassalope with a warhead was funny, why Ed Meese didn't want them to say "snugglebunnies!", why Steve sued the camera company when Sean Penn broke his back, or why the gang wanted to visit a "wild, spunky, chunky planet of Mary Lou Retton clones". But things gradually made sense, from reading top looking up things to listening to one of the Big 3 n
Not hacked by Oliver Wendell Jones (Score:2)
In the immortal words of Mikhail Gorbachev and Pravda:
"SLASHDOT SINGS TRACTORS! TURNIPS! BUTTOCKS!"
Re:I'm surprised (Score:5, Insightful)
I thought Breathed tended to be both more good natured and fairly even handed in poking fun at people. Doonesbury, not quite so much in either respect.
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I thought Breathed tended to be both more good natured and fairly even handed in poking fun at people. Doonesbury, not quite so much in either respect.
Well you have to remember that back then, there were such creatures as conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, which are almost extinct today. War hawks, religious fundamentalism, friendly to big business, anti-nuclear power/weapons, and so on and so on were all issues that spanned the aisle.
We need more satire (Score:1)
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I think it would have been hard for him to resist the GOP clown car. Especially after Trump forced himself into the driver's seat.
In any event, I'm glad he's back.
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Re: I'm surprised (Score:2)
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He can have a lot of fun with Hillary, too.
The possibilities are immense. The 'first female candidate' who then chooses to use her first name as her primary identifier. Who is also a very well known female-cuckold. So many contradictions.
Bill for President, indeed. I suspect he'd run as a Democrat in the primaries.
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The 2016 campaign season is going to be a doozy.
the only comedians not lining up for this party are those that have already did their time and gotten burnt out from the last several cycles.
Gary Larson (Score:2)
I'd rather the Far Side came back.
"Sarcasm" is synonymous with Preachy and condescending.
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Bloom County was about as tendentious in their criticism as Doonesbury.
That comparison is really unfair to Bloom County, because:
a) Bloom County was actually funny, not just smug and pretentious.
b) Berkley Breathed, unlike Gary Trudeau, didn't spend all day just smelling the fragrant scents of his own liberal farts.
c) Berkley Breathed could draw well and write well.
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Extending ridiculous social programs and benefits to everyone with a pulse, regardless of your country's actual wealth, income, or budget is a decidedly Liberal thing to do. Your point?
Re:I'm surprised (Score:5, Insightful)
Can't believe I'm replying to a downrated AC, but here we go. Chicago politics have nothing to do with 'liberalism'. Chicago politics are all about cronyism, and Chicago politicians just belong to the Democrat party because they need a national party to belong to. The Greek political mess is due to massive entitlement, which believe it or not has nothing to do with liberal politics. For better examples of liberalism at work, on the international stage look at the nordic countries, and how they somehow manage to stay at the top of the world quality-of-life indexes, and domestically, look at the policies of Minnesota, and specifically how Minnesota has fared economically since Dayton became governor, compared to how Wisconsin has done since Walker came. Wisconsin's economic numbers have improved since the recession, but a rising tide lifts all ships, and Minnesota's numbers and rankings on various economic lists are consistently significantly better than Wisconsin's, despite (or I would argue because of) Dayton's liberal policies vs. Walker's tea party approach.
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I find replacing what you (and most other entitled conservatives) wrote with "fuck you, got mine" seems to work with surprising accuracy.. kinda sad.
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> Modern liberalism is very much taking from earners and giving to scum
Wow. I had no idea that retirees, veterans and active soldiers were "scum." They're the ones getting most of your tax dollar.
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For better examples of liberalism at work, on the international stage look at the nordic countries, and how they somehow manage to stay at the top of the world quality-of-life indexes, and domestically
The Nordic countries have significant advantages over most of the world: great access to natural resources, a relatively small, homogeneous, well educated population; limited border access (and much of that is trackless wilderness); little need to spend much on research or defense (they can just mooch off the USA and others), and so on. They can afford to experiment with liberal policies that might destroy other country's economies.
The nordic countries have had liberal politics for decades. That's not experimentation. That's established policy. Norway has great natural resource wealth with their oil reserves, but Sweden has a much more manufacturing & trade oriented economy, with several major private companies that play on the world stage such as Ericsson, SAAB, and IKEA. And somehow these corporations are wildly successful in a country known for high taxes.
Also, investment in education is a liberal policy known to benefit societ
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If you think Chicago pols are just 'coincidentally' Democrats, please, give us an example of an equally fucked-up city plagues by crony politics inhabited forever by Republicans. I'm sure there must be one, right?
Let's just grab the 10 poorest cities in the US:
Detroit, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) no Republican mayor for 54 years.
Buffalo, NY (2nd) no Republican mayor for 65 years.
Cincinnati, OH (3rd)...31 years
Cleveland, OH (4th)...26 years;
Miami, FL (5th) Never had a Republican mayor
St. Louis, MO (6t
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Meanwhile one of the leading Republican party Presidential contenders just insulted a guy who was tortured as a prisoner of war, and said Mexico was sending rapists into the United States. Another one is still trying to fight the gay marriage debate after it's become legal and the majority of Americans have accepted it. A fight that was lost a long, long time ago, and you'll only increasingly look out of touch if they continue on that path.
By contrast, the "fringe" Democratic candidate for president, Bern
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Oh, and his hair is a bit unkempt.
At least it appears to be firmly attached to his head.
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McCain obviously thinks he can shamelessly denigrate anybody without consequences, and his alleged supporters will howl when criticism is set back to him.
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Re:I'm surprised (Score:5, Insightful)
"If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain."
Perhaps we should see who he lampoons first...
This saying has always felt like a selfish, vapid outlook on life. Should we push for progress and get what we want when young, then when we have what we want,, resist the progressiveness of the next generation? "I got what I want so shove off" ?
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This saying has always felt like a selfish, vapid outlook on life. Should we push for progress and get what we want when young, then when we have what we want,, resist the progressiveness of the next generation? "I got what I want so shove off" ?
The opposite (and just as valid, heh) way of looking at it is to say "when you have nothing, you don't care about taking from others, but when you actually have something worth protecting is when you start getting protectionist about money, property, etc."
Opus played a cow once (Score:1)
He had to replace the squashed styrofoam cow in the Christmas play manger scene:
http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1982/12/22 [gocomics.com]