ephemeralbison's review against another edition
5.0
I laughed, I cried, I felt like a kid again. Thank you Mr Breathed for helping me see the bright side again.
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic, so glad he is writing Bloom county again.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
This is a collection of what used to be called "comic strips" that used to run in something called a "newspaper". Long ago, children, comics were large things, taking up pages and pages on Sunday. And during the week the "comic strips" were large enough to read without a magnifying glass.
As a child, we didn't have comic strip collections, so I would cut them out of the paper, and put them in a scrap book, to make my own. I used to cut out Doonseburry, and occasionally Bloom County, as well as Calvin and Hobes. (showing my age here). Since that time, books collect strips all the time, some are good, and some are not. Pogo still ranks up there as holding up after all these years, although, like Bloom County, it was political, so you had to know your history sometimes to get the events, and understand why they were funny.
This collection, of Bloom County, is from the newly relaunched strips, and is still quite current. Although I caught some of these on-line, it is nice to have them all together as a collection, and is still funny. And because some of the stories take several strips to tell, it is nice to have them together.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
As a child, we didn't have comic strip collections, so I would cut them out of the paper, and put them in a scrap book, to make my own. I used to cut out Doonseburry, and occasionally Bloom County, as well as Calvin and Hobes. (showing my age here). Since that time, books collect strips all the time, some are good, and some are not. Pogo still ranks up there as holding up after all these years, although, like Bloom County, it was political, so you had to know your history sometimes to get the events, and understand why they were funny.
This collection, of Bloom County, is from the newly relaunched strips, and is still quite current. Although I caught some of these on-line, it is nice to have them all together as a collection, and is still funny. And because some of the stories take several strips to tell, it is nice to have them together.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
sharonfalduto's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so glad Bloom County is back. And this gave me a chance to catch up on the strips, some of which I missed in their new Facebook form. This collection also included reader quotes.
brizreading's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa, this was a blast from the past. 3.75 stars, rounding up.
Berkeley Breathed, the cartoonist, makes a good point in his foreword: a lot of the great cartoonists of the 80s and 90s - Gary Larson, Bill Watterson, and himself - kinda disappeared in the mid-90s to vague early retirements. Bill Watterson had his hole anti-corporate, hermit thing going on; Gary Larson I have no idea where he went; and same with Berkeley Breathed. They just stopped. Meanwhile, we lost Dilbert's Scott Adams to virulent Trumpism, complete with a totally snide twitter/blog "voice". Ugh.
Hey, what about Foxtrot guy? Bill Amend? He doesn't seem very political. Holy shit, I just googled, Foxtrot started in 1988. That man's been cartooning that for THIRTY YEARS PEOPLE.
HANNNYWAY. I used to binge this stuff back in the 90s, and I remember that Bloom County - more than any other strip, except maybe Gary Larson's - made me LOL the most. I still chuckle when I think of the strip about the resident Bloom County unreconstructed chauvinist asshole, Steve the Lawyer, getting a table at a restaurant. The maitre'd asks him a bunch of questions: "Smoking or non?" "Smoking!" he obnoxiously announces. More questions, ending with "Did your ancestors violently conquer and oppress large parts of the world?" Steve leans in, "YEEEESS!" Last panel: Steve sitting, cramped into a tiny table, asking a woman of color nearby for salt. "Apologize," she deadpans. HAAAAA.
The 2016 presidential election lured Berkeley Breathed out of his 25-year retirement, and this book is a collection of his comic strip-sized reactions to Trump, American politics, identity politics, the new Star Wars movies, screen addiction, and did I mention Trump? He skewers right and left pretty evenly (which is probably safer for his bottom line), but doesn't seem so much angry as amused by the incoherent raging and doomsday panic and quasi-religious consumerism of this American life.
I LOLed quite hard at some of his little punchlines, which are usually delivered via Opus the Penguin, a soft and squishy idiot. I screenshotted (screenshat?) a LOT of panels, just because they either tickled or charmed me. The little girl offering free yoga classes and decorating Opus into "Zenguin" were some of my favorite moments.
Berkeley Breathed, the cartoonist, makes a good point in his foreword: a lot of the great cartoonists of the 80s and 90s - Gary Larson, Bill Watterson, and himself - kinda disappeared in the mid-90s to vague early retirements. Bill Watterson had his hole anti-corporate, hermit thing going on; Gary Larson I have no idea where he went; and same with Berkeley Breathed. They just stopped. Meanwhile, we lost Dilbert's Scott Adams to virulent Trumpism, complete with a totally snide twitter/blog "voice". Ugh.
Hey, what about Foxtrot guy? Bill Amend? He doesn't seem very political. Holy shit, I just googled, Foxtrot started in 1988. That man's been cartooning that for THIRTY YEARS PEOPLE.
HANNNYWAY. I used to binge this stuff back in the 90s, and I remember that Bloom County - more than any other strip, except maybe Gary Larson's - made me LOL the most. I still chuckle when I think of the strip about the resident Bloom County unreconstructed chauvinist asshole, Steve the Lawyer, getting a table at a restaurant. The maitre'd asks him a bunch of questions: "Smoking or non?" "Smoking!" he obnoxiously announces. More questions, ending with "Did your ancestors violently conquer and oppress large parts of the world?" Steve leans in, "YEEEESS!" Last panel: Steve sitting, cramped into a tiny table, asking a woman of color nearby for salt. "Apologize," she deadpans. HAAAAA.
The 2016 presidential election lured Berkeley Breathed out of his 25-year retirement, and this book is a collection of his comic strip-sized reactions to Trump, American politics, identity politics, the new Star Wars movies, screen addiction, and did I mention Trump? He skewers right and left pretty evenly (which is probably safer for his bottom line), but doesn't seem so much angry as amused by the incoherent raging and doomsday panic and quasi-religious consumerism of this American life.
I LOLed quite hard at some of his little punchlines, which are usually delivered via Opus the Penguin, a soft and squishy idiot. I screenshotted (screenshat?) a LOT of panels, just because they either tickled or charmed me. The little girl offering free yoga classes and decorating Opus into "Zenguin" were some of my favorite moments.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
5.0
Ah! Back to good ol' Bloom County. I'm so glad that Berke Breathed has returned to his roots and given us more of Bill, Opus, Milo, Steve, and the rest of the gang.
In dark times we need to be reminded that we should still laugh at life.
I snickered and guffawed through this volume. I think my girlfriend is planning on reading it after just hearing me laugh through it.
Highly recommended to Bloom County fans. And if you're not, what are you waiting for!
ACK! THBBT!
Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and IDW for a copy in return for an honest review.
In dark times we need to be reminded that we should still laugh at life.
I snickered and guffawed through this volume. I think my girlfriend is planning on reading it after just hearing me laugh through it.
Highly recommended to Bloom County fans. And if you're not, what are you waiting for!
ACK! THBBT!
Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Distributors, and IDW for a copy in return for an honest review.
laurenla's review against another edition
4.0
A glorious return to life of Opus the Penguin, Bill the Cat and all the humans too. 80's comic strip Bloom County returned this year on Facebook, and everyone who's missed the mix of political jokes, pointers on being human and pure absurdity should get a copy of Bloom County Episode XI: A New Hope.
Something for everyone, from tween to seniors, including Fowl for Trump, Baby Bullies on Facebook, Binkley's Night Terrors and a few purely lovely comics about To Kill a Mockingbird. The book is gorgeous, with a mix of colour and black and white comics, detailed with small images and letters from readers.
Disclosure: I've had a poster of Opus reading books in New York on my wall since the 1980's, and I received a copy of the book for reviewing purposes. (less)
Something for everyone, from tween to seniors, including Fowl for Trump, Baby Bullies on Facebook, Binkley's Night Terrors and a few purely lovely comics about To Kill a Mockingbird. The book is gorgeous, with a mix of colour and black and white comics, detailed with small images and letters from readers.
Disclosure: I've had a poster of Opus reading books in New York on my wall since the 1980's, and I received a copy of the book for reviewing purposes. (less)
karmakat's review against another edition
5.0
I have been avidly following Bloom County on Facebook since it's return, and I cherish my Bloom County collection on my bookshelf. I had seem most of these strips when they were published online, but it was so wonderful to be able to read them in one collection. I cannot wait for the next collection and love seeing the new strips every day. Bill for President!
cabridges's review against another edition
4.0
I was a Bloom County fan back in the day, when Berke Breathed came charging out to challenge Doonesbury and Calvin & Hobbes for comic page relevance and did pretty damn well. I faded back in the later years when he trimmed his cast down to just the "popular" ones and then went to Sunday only and got stranger. Strange is good, but I missed the old group.
Then, 25 years later, he brought them all back, posting on his Facebook page without much warning new daily and Sunday strips. (OK, I was just happy to see Cutter John back.) And while I don't think Breathed hits the manic brilliance he did upon a time, he's wiser and more observant now and it shows. And in our current political situation, we need biting commentary and satire like this again.
Then, 25 years later, he brought them all back, posting on his Facebook page without much warning new daily and Sunday strips. (OK, I was just happy to see Cutter John back.) And while I don't think Breathed hits the manic brilliance he did upon a time, he's wiser and more observant now and it shows. And in our current political situation, we need biting commentary and satire like this again.