Happy Trails!

by Berkeley Breathed

Berke Breathed delivers another book with his Bloom County comic-strip characters of Opus, Bill the Cat and the rest of the gang as they engage in their rollicking adventures.

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

87 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

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

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the line. The collected comic strips leading up to the eventual end of Bloom County. It was fun while it lasted!

Trying to explain Bloom County to those who aren't familiar with it is difficult -- the appeal was part of the zeitgeist of the times -- let me put it this way, Bloom County was to 1980's comic strips what South Park was to 2000's TV cartoons.

Perhaps Donald Trump said it best on the Critic's Page of the book...

"'I never thought Berke Breathed had talent, so he was probably forced to quit.' Donald Trump, Albany New York, May 4, 1989"

Or perhaps not...

Try it, you'll like it!

[Charty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 In a case of cosmic luck, someone in my Buy Nothing Group was giving away this book, which also happens to be the only volume I was missing in my Bloom County collection. I haven’t read any Bloom County for a while and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the strips have held up, covering the late 80’s which, I hate to admit, was a lifetime ago. Sure, Oliver North and Dan Quayle have mostly been relegated to the bin of history, but who pops up with a long-running storyline? Donald fucking Trump. If only we knew then what we know now - oh wait, we did kinda know.

I was happy to enjoy some laughs and spend time with familiar characters. Goodbye, Bloom County and happy trails!

[spike marlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good romping read. As funny as ever. I had forgotten that this was the last Bloom County book before Berke Breathed went off and did Outland. Another thing. I wonder why no one has picked up and rerun the cartoons about Donald Trump. They are funny. Anyway. I never did like Outland and stopped reading Berke Breathed and his comics. It was too bad. I really liked Bloom County.

[nimrodiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this comic quite a bit back in the day. However, As I was a child in the late 80's a lot of the political humor went over my head. It wasn't until I hit high school in the early 90's that I began to appreciate the humor of this comic. So flash forward to 2018 and I'm reading a book collecting a story line from 1989. Almost 20 years ago. I have to admit that I had a hard time with this one because of the Donald Trump's brain inside Bill the Cat's body plot line. Because of today's political landscape with Trump as president. He comes off as an insane little man in this comic from so long ago, and it makes me wonder when did satire hit so close to home, and why did this crazy man end up in charge of the country I live in?

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this at dads and for being published in 1990, it was shockingly relevant with so many trump, global warming, and general depression over the state of the country references.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best comic strip

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end of the series. Dan Quayle jokes just don't hold up in 2021.

[Sean]

So strange to read '80s and '90s pop culture references to Trump, and this was one was stranger than most.

[Ben Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing I thought of when it became obvious Donald Trump was going to be president the first time around was that Berkeley Breathed’s head was going to explode.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Trails is the final book of new Bloom County comic strips. This makes me so sad, even to this day. I know Berke Breathed went on to create and draw Outland for a few years, but in my opinion, it was never the same. I loved Milo Bloom, Michael Binkley, and Oliver Wendell Jones. Yes, Opus was one of my favorite character also, but those three boys is what made the comic strip genuinely funny to me.

Bloom County was one of the best comic strips ever invented. Politically-charged with witty dialog, this strip often pushed the boundaries of modern comics. I remember when the last comic strip came out in the newspaper and it showed Opus walking off into the fading distance, I nearly cried. It just wasn't fair that Berke Breathed has decided to stop creating this wonderful comic strip that had been a part of my life for ten years.

The comic strip I chose to display from this book has stayed fresh in my memory for over 20 years. I still love it to this day as I remember the "Flesh" colored Crayola crayon. In Bloom County, the next day, Senator Bedfellow explained that Crayola hadn't carried "Flesh" since 1963. Opus then mentions that they do carry "Indian Red" and wonders if they have "Negro Brown." Senator Bedfellow pokes him with his cane trying to make Opus stop speaking. Maybe I like this comic strip so much because I really enjoy dry humor. Bloom County is all about dry humor.

Overall, Happy Trails is a book that I will always treasure. It is the last glimpse of comic genius that Berke Breathed is. Although there followed some Outland books, they never lived up to the wonder that was Bloom County. I miss it still.

[Valerie]

Turns out I do have another Bloom county collection, after all. I've got to get better lighting in my library, so that I can see what's on the bottom shelf without being blinded.

As the valedictory collection, it's bound to induce nostalgia. My main regret is that it doesn't really have the Sunday cartoon that introduced Outland--and (I've checked) that cartoon is not in the one Outland collection I've seen, either.

Pity, that. It was one of my favorites, and I nursed along a clipping of it through several moves. It was the one that boggled at the idea of Dorothy 'spend(ing) the WHOLE story trying to get back to the MUD FARM'. I agree with
Ronald-Ann. Nobody with any sense ever DID buy that part--not even Baum himself, who eventually moved Dorothy into a nice little villa outside the Emerald City with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry in a neighboring villa.

The back cover is a (probably deliberate) homage to the scene in Fantasia where Leopold Stokowski shakes hands with Mickey Mouse. Just thought I'd mention it.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was working in any of the many bookstores where I was employed and I did not want (or have the time) to read my current book, I would grab one of these collections to read on my too short break. I slowly but surely worked my way through several series. These are great time killers and will usually improve your mood no matter how hectic the day. Laughter can be the best solution to dealing with the public.

I was first introduced to Opus and gang way back in college.(You know those days when you had to walk to class through ten foot of snow, uphill both ways, while dodging the rich kids riding their dinosaurs.)A nice little mix of pop culture, humor, and social commentary(which unfortunately continued to grow at the expense of the humor).Opus was always my favorite and I am not ashamed to admit that I stll have most of the plush Opus collection. I just realized I don't really have a point for this, just travelling down memory lane and smiling.

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final collection of Bloom County strips, being the book in which Donald Trump's brain is transplanted into Bill the Cat's body. About as dated as you'd expect a mainstream newspaper comic from 1989 to be, but as always, the heart (and the politics, sadly) are timeless.

[Jeremy Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 re-read. The end of the 1980s Bloom County run. I always felt that the following Opus series were never as good as Bloom County. Highlights include Donald Trump's brain being transplanted into Bill The Cat's body, resulting in Trump laying off the Bloom County characters.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes TV doesn't work, and 'serious' books are too serious, and you just need to break it up with something really different. Like intelligently written and witty cartoons.

[angrykitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was so sad when bloom county ended. even though i tried, i just never got into the spinoffs that much. so sad....i saw that the latest spinoff just ended......bummer.....

[Spudsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opus with a thin nose

"nudeness week"

Mary Kay

Snoopy stops by

Rosebud preggers!

Near death

The end

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stuff.

[Sabur76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, good. A sign of the times.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

this made me laugh.

[Dan Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always good stuff, especially the return of the non-Vegan Steve Dallas. A little too long with the Donald Trump's brain in Bill the Cat, Billy and the Boingers is still my favorite.

[Aaron P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it. It was good enough!

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy is twisted and funny.

[Melissa Lee-Tammeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series - I can't collect enough

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bittersweet. The humor is still there but muted, and the satire mellows as the whole weird world of Milo and the Boardinghouse closes up and Opus takes off for Outland.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opus is the man, well a man in penguin form. Excellent comics to cheer you up on a down day. I read a few every morning to start my day off right. Very recommended

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful collection of Berkeley Breathed's fabulous Bloom County Characters. See my other reviews on Mr. Breathed's books.

[bluetyson]

isbn,original

[Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

More stories from Bloom County.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also not as funny as the others, but still good.