Orlando Bloom Has Ruined Everything: A FoxTrot Collection

FoxTrot (B&W) #21

by Bill Amend

Appearing in more than 1,000 newspapers, FoxTrot is one of America's most-read comic strips. Key to the strip's huge following are its razor-sharp parodies of pop culture and current events. Meet ten-year-old Lord of the Rings nerd Jason Fox and his high-school freshman sister, Paige. Jason can't believe he and his sister are both vying for front-row seats to the release of the movie. There's no denying that things will never be the same with heartthrob Orlando Bloom's involvement in Jason's favorite series. Don't forget their underachieving older brother, Peter. With three strong adolescent personalities in one household, colorful stuff often hits the fan; dad Roger usually ducks to avoid it, while mom Andy tries to keep it from staining the rug.
Orlando Bloom Has Ruined Everything lampoons memorable moments from 2003 and 2004, such as the East Coast blackout. In the FoxTrot version, an "ink outage" renders several days' strips only partially drawn. "I called Funky Winkerbean. He says the ink's out over the entire grid," Jason reports.
In another series of strips, Jason's latest money-making scheme involves creating an animated film to rival the box office blockbusters of Pixar and "It's the tender story of a leech's search for his missing son. I'm calling it Finding Hemo.
The success of FoxTrot has yielded consequences creator Bill Amend may never have imagined. The strip has been used as a question on the game show Jeopardy! and as an answer in the New York Times crossword. It's a fitting irony that FoxTrot has become a fixture of pop culture, the very phenomenon it parodies with such keen wit.

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Bill Amend is an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip FoxTrot.
Born as William J. C. Amend III, Amend attended high school in Burlingame, California where he was a cartoonist on his school newspaper. Amend is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He attended Amherst College, where he drew comics for the college paper. He majored in physics and graduated in 1984.
After a short time in the animation business, Amend decided to pursue a cartooning career and signed on with Universal Press Syndicate. FoxTrot first appeared on April 10, 1988.
Amend currently lives in the midwestern United States with his wife and two children, a boy and girl.

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe because I also grew up in a family with three kids, Foxtrot just strikes a chord. I just love the whole shabang--goofy kids doing all kinds of ridiculous things to get on each other's nerves. In particular, I like the creative pranks. I also think some of the themes in the book are particularly good. Comics. Fun. What more is there to say?

[Mita · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no other way of saying it except that FoxTrot is made of awesome. Amen!

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic FoxTrot comics! What more could you ask for?

[Melmo2610 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 star rating overall. A few funny moments for me, but overall not my favorite collection.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I love Foxtrot and Jason's geekiness. This book is hilarious!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I acquired this almost 20 years ago because of the title, mainly. There are actually only a handful of Lord of the Rings-themed strips in the book. I do like the strip that gives the book its title.

FoxTrot is one of the few comic strips I actually enjoy, and this is a decent collection. Now it will be heading off to the free shelf at the library for someone else to enjoy.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The humor is kinda droll, geeky, enjoyable. Great title, though. The comics occasionally engage current events, such as the release of Peter Jackson’s The Return of the King or the leak of Windows 2000 source code. It’s kind of nostalgic to relive those times.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As entertaining as ever, loved the LotR film conversations between Jason and Paige.

[Russell Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Foxtrot.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Orlando Bloom Has Ruined Everything" is definitely my favorite of all the FoxTrot collections. It's Bill Amend at his best, and he's hysterically funny in this book, especially from the perspective of those happy people who have both read the LotR books and seen the movies directed by Peter Jackson.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lord of the Rings may have been good for Bloom's career, but his popularity among teenaged girls certainly ruined the movie experience for Jason, who can't stand the idea that he and sister Paige like the same movies. Roger tries to help Andy by sending out the family Christmas cards, with dire results in this collection of comic strips.

[Seth]

Hilarious!

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more recent Foxtrot's are the best. Word of advice from AVID comic book reader: The newer the cartoons, the better they are.

At least that's true with foxtrot, in my opinion.

[Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Fox Trot. One of my favorite comic strips.

[Debrarian]

An okay Fox Trot collection.

[Mat Brewster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun if very short Fox Trot collection. Its actually the perfect size as the big collection make me realize how repetitive some of the jokes are.

[Clyeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this family! all the antics, some made laugh out loud, some I laughed so hard my mom ask me if I'm crazy.I'm addicted

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

foxtrot is always fun!

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG Foxtrot are my favorite comics!!! I love Paige and Peter and Jason!!!!

[Ming · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really funny and even though I did not expect it, I enjoyed reading it.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Funny as always

[Ane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!! Totally struck a chord with me :) loved it!!

[April eclecticbookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

:)

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great foxtrot collection!