The Bloom County Library, Vol. 5: 1987-1989

Bloom County: The Complete Library #5

by Berkeley Breathed

-The Library of American Comics is the world's #1 publisher of classic newspaper comic strips, with 14 Eisner Award nominations and three wins for best book. LOAC has become "the gold standard for archival comic strip reprints...The research and articles provide insight and context, and most importantly the glorious reproduction of the material has preserved these strips for those who knew them and offers a new gateway to adventure for those discovering them for the first time." - Scoop

Genres: Comics, Humor, Comic Strips, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comedy, Reference

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed is an American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director, and screenwriter, best known for Bloom County, a 1980s cartoon-comic strip which dealt with socio-political issues as seen through the eyes of highly exaggerated characters (e.g. Bill the Cat and Opus the Penguin) and humorous analogies.

Reviews

[Kevin Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This (along with the previous volume) is the pinnacle of Breathed's work on the classic Bloom County. The Mary Kay Commandoes. The pregnancy of Rosebud the Basselope. Bill'n'Opus '88. It's all here.

At the same time, you can see his dissatisfaction with the daily strip creeping in as you watch the Sundays get more and more Krazy-Kat-inspired. Even the ones that are otherwise normal have the desert hues and wide-open vistas.

...and how could I have forgotten the in-strip reason for the end of Bloom County?

Donald Trump ('s brain in the body of Bill the Cat) bought the strip and fired all the characters.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could tell the daily strip grind was wearing Breathed out. Genius nonetheless.

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloom County went out strong, with the final years featuring some of Breathed's most pointed satire and politics, notably his attacks on the anti-drug industry and the cosmetics industry (the Mary Kay strips are vicious in the best way). The overt pimping for the follow-up strip, Outland, over the final weeks leaves a bit of a bad taste--seems a tad too commercially savvy--and I really wish there had been more extensive ancillary/editorial material. The introduction by Breathed is illuminating but brief, and his comments on individual strips, though often insightful and/or amusing, are far too infrequent. I'd have loved to see much more of the proto-Bloom County stuff as well; a very few pages at the end of the book are devoted to it, but there was more such material in Bloom County Babylon decades ago. Still, it is nice to have a comprehensive collection of this seminal strip in well-designed and produced durable volumes.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty great finish to a brilliant cartoonist's original run.

Breathed kept up the pace here, mostly, though you could see that he was growing weary of the newspaper format, having to crank out material on a daily basis. In his added commentary in this edition, he even says as much. It can be seen in the sometimes odd, sometimes abstract, sometimes dreamlike nature of some of the strips. One can start seeing the seeds of his following strip, Outland, taking root here and there.

Still, this one has plenty of classic bits and routines. Though some are rather dated, most still have fun appeal and some frightening relevance in 2019 (the running gags about Trump are eerily insightful).

This is the ultimate way to check out this all-time great strip's final run in its original daily format. Highly recommended to fans of comic art of any type.

[Mat Brewster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always surprised at how well these books hold up. Maybe its because I was old enough in the 80s to remember most of the pop culture references or maybe its because Breathed's stories go beyond silly references and even sillier jokes. These are the last comics he did for Bloom County (he later did the Sunday only strips Outland and Opus) and you can definitely tell he was getting burned out by this point, but its still filled with good humor with loads of heart.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloom County goes out at its best. The Trump strips ending the book become funnier now than I'm sure they were in the 80's.

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

End of an era. Felt a bit repetitive towards the end and it was beginning to feel past its prime, but overall an interesting ending and it could still be as funny as its best years.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7

[Tom Croom · Rating 5 out of 5]

In late elementary school and middle school I suffered from an overabundance of intelligence made worse by my insatiable addiction to reading. Unlike most of my peers in the geek industry, I wasn't really into comic books. I read some Star Wars (because it was STAR WARS) and the occasional limited series (like Transformers, which after the limited series, was NOT a limited series.) I read books without pictures... with two notable exceptions:

Bloom County and Calvin & Hobbes.

Over the past few months I read all five volumes of "The Bloom County Library." Doing so was amazing for two reasons:

1. NOSTALGIA. Before the Internet, pop culture existed in print. Bloom County reflected the world of celebrity, technology, commercialism, and politics similar to the snark of today's websites and memes. It was intelligent, funny, and you can't go wrong with seeing the world through the eyes of a hypersensitive penguin. My favorite? The adventures of hacker and online pirate Oliver wreaking havoc via a dial up model on a monochrome monitor.

Good times.

2. COMMENTARY. Berkeley Breathed took the time to add anecdotes on various comics in the library. Some of them have to do with eighties pop culture. Others have to do with his processes as a writer and artist and his dealings with the newspaper industry.

Watching old movies brings back memories. Reading something as insightful as Bloom County brings back more than just the memories; it immerses you in an era.

I am glad I own these because I *will* read them again.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloom County goes out successfully, as creator Berkely Breathed skewers '80s politics and his fun cast of characters. This volume has some top storylines, including Steve Dallas' lawsuit against Santa and the scuzzy lawyer's abduction (and "Gephardization") by aliens.

The highmark is the arc where Oliver discovers that cat sweat makes for a potent baldness cure; the substance is promptly banned by the government, spurring a grand spoof illustrating the counterproductive outcomes of the drug war, a subject that's still sadly relevant today.

The humor does seem a bit more caustic than earlier volumes. Knowing in hindsight that the strip was ending, it's easier to read the sharper bits as reflecting burnout on Breathed's part. The arc riffing on the strip being an "all-male club" seems problematic too in pointing out the lack of any female presence in the comic's later years.

But it's still an all-time favorite, building up to an ending that keeps its sense of humor while being surprisingly moving. It's nice to have it collected in complete form (although I also wish there were more commentary from Breathed throughout).

[Brian Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason the books I ordered are coming in reverse chronology, so I'm starting at the end. And it's clear that at the end Breathed was ready to move on. The snap that I remembered just isn't there, which jibes with my feel of the strip when it was coming out originally, and the disconnect between the madcap imagery of the Sunday strips with the dailys is enormous. That the last year's worth of plots involve Donald Trump buying up the strip so he can tear it down and replace it with a monument to his greatness doesn't help in reminding us both of our now and of pockets of 30 year cultural stagnation in terms of entertainment figures and shticks.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berkeley Breathed had already decide to quit during most of this run of Bloom County, and I've always thought that his weariness with it shows. Most of the time he seems either tired or trying to reignite his interest by pushing the strip in directions it didn't want to go. But the moments between are brilliant and wonderful, especially when the characters/actors learn they're being fired and set out to find work elsewhere on the comics page, and especially especially when Milo punched up Opus's autobiography and retitles it with a name I've never forgotten: Naked Came I.

[Carl Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final volume of the original "Bloom County" cartoons is bittersweet. "Bloom County" definitely ended at the top. Despite sometimes dated references, the jokes still elicit laughs and the barbs still sting. More importantly, the innate sweetness and naive optimism of the characters still bring them to life. It's been a fun trip down memory lane with the crazy inhabitants of Berkeley Breathed's comic strip.

[Rob Hermanowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berke Breathed's classic '80s strip closed out it's run a little less brilliantly than it had been in the middle part of the decade. I think the grind of churning out a daily strip was starting to show, although it was still better than most other comic strips out there. Breathed would then switch to Sunday-only strips "Outland", and, later "Opus".

[Steve Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

the end of the original series. not as classic as vol 4 when he was at the peak of his power but still definitely worth the read. I'm actually looking forward to the Outland collection coming next. I remember my 15 year old self being pretty disappointed because I wanted it to be just like Bloom County and of course Berke had other ideas.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last 2 years of Bloom County. Foreshadows Outland. Highlights: Opus and Bill run as the Meadow Party for 1998 Presidential Election, Steve is abducted by aliens and returns with a nicer and wimpier personality, Opus attempts to rescue his mother from Mary Kay Cosmetics, and Ronald-Ann becomes a permanent character.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

More people talk about doing it than actually pull it off, but Breathed really did quit Bloom County while he was still at the top of his game. There's some really funny stuff here, and a great reminder of just how crazy the 80s were. And for all the craziness, it was a kinder, gentler time.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite comic strip of all times, and it was magnificent to have the ability to read all of them. They are also a great introduction to the 80's zeitgeist, and it is shocking to me how some things have really not changed.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love.

[Elton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad that I've now read all the Bloom County that exists. But still amazed at how funny & somewhat relevant these strips still are.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading all five volumes of the Bloom County Library, I'm amazed we're still wading thru the same shit that Mr. Breathed lampooned more than twenty years ago. I'm laughing and crying.

[Mark Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to start the year: the final volume of Berkeley Breathed's complete collection of Bloom County, a Christmas gift from my daughter and son-in-law.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two-and-a-half stars. The strip feels repetitive here at times. There's gold, for sure, but you can sense the cartoonist's growing irritation and discontent. It does a few bits for far too long like Steve Dallas turning into a sensitive guy which deprives the strip of its primary dirtbag.