Bloom County: Best Read on the Throne

Bloom County Relaunch

by Berkeley Breathed

Collecting year three of the Bloom County relaunch begun in 2015! The stakes are higher, the punchlines are sharper, and the laughter is more desperate!

Bloom County: Shenaniganary picks up right where the previous volume left off. When that book, Brand Spanking New Day, came out we said we needed Opus, Bill the Cat, and all their friends more than ever before. Well, what was true then is even more true now!

The residents of Bloom County are back to put their trademark tragi-comic spin on the horrors of the last year, so lock all your worries in the anxiety closet for a bit. Who knows? When you come back they may be just the tiniest bit funnier.

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

144 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2018

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

[Alan Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Breathed does a fantastic job of taking the days events and turning them on their head. Opus and Bill, Milo and Binkley, Steve and Frank all show off well in this fine collection of Bloom County cartoons. You'll definitely enjoy the shenanigans as only Berkeley can devise. It's a great change of pace from your regular reading.

[Rosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never stop loving this comic :) characters stay fantastic no matter how many years in print

[Dan Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Bloom County- so glad it came back. The artwork is fantastic.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE IT!!! The new Bloom County is just as good as the old Bloom County I grew up with!

[Scotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very good, and my final read of 2018. Purposely avoiding reading the daily strips so I can binge them in one collection. The idea of waiting an entire year for more Bloom County sucks.

Awesome, fun, irreverent, and yet incredibly heartwarming. Truly reading Bloom County takes me to my happy place.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Either my tastes have changed greatly as I've aged or Mr. Breathed is no longer as funny as he used to be. Very disappointed. I guess I can still reread the old books and get a chuckle

[Dennis Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

All new cartoons from 2018!!!

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of two Bloom County books that my wife gave me for Christmas this year that I finally made time to read. I'm glad I did as I haven't had this many laugh out loud moments since Opus, Bill, Milo, Steve Dallas and Binkley left the local paper pages in the 1990s (I believe).

Berkeley Breathed has a keen eye for what's going on in society and captures it in a fun, yet serious way. Opus's anxieties and Steve's unfiltered, unthinking machismo take me back to the 1980s when the world was a much different place than today.

I think my favourite cartoon in this book was a toss up between World Penguin Day, or the comic strip character Cathy's reaction when she woke up after a night of binging with Steve Dallas. It reminded me of an oldie but goodie where Opus took on the Mary Kay Cosmetics company.

You either love this stuff or hate it. I have to admit that when it comes to Bloom Country, I love it. Well worth the time spent reading.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff. Buuuuuuut I still roll my eyes at the way Breathed portrays women/girls. It's like he's afraid to make them messy or silly or weird or gross or just plain wrong like so many of the Bloom County characters we love. Maybe you'll see those traits shown in some one-off or minor side characters who are ladies. But generally, they are always portrayed as always right, put-together people who work hard and are hard-pressed and put upon to put up with the men in their lives. Or sometimes they are portrayed as gentle flowers who are damaged... by men. And like, there is truth there, sure. But also, I wanna see a Jill the Cat or Eve Dallas. Gimmie a messed-up lady causing havoc and making bad decisions!
Still, good stuff.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breathed used to be my favorite comic strip author and his art is still great and his humor is still great but it's been at least a decade since I've looked at his work and I'm a little lost in the continuity. I was surprised how much I remembered. I think he only publishes on weekends, which is very difficult pacing for a strip that used to be five days and then a Sunday strip, and then was only a Sunday strip, and now you have one strip that's not quite a Sunday strip and one that is.

[Popzara Press · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The third collection of Berkeley Breathed’s resurrected Bloom County comics is his best – and strangest – yet."

full review at Popzara Press.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember this hilarious comic from late 80s & early 90s? Berkeley is back with a collection of strips that makes fun of the man in the White House, Amazon and men like Harvey Weinstein. Great for giggles and laughs.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloom County comes through again! 2017 and early 2018 strips are gathered together, molded, melded and sold for the readers enjoyment or not, just so long as you buy the book and not just read it in the bookstore! Really liked the Calvin County strip and the appearance of Charlie Brown.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloom County collections are always a joy--and this one came with bonus extra sprinkles visits from Calvin & Hobbes and good ol' Charlie Brown. Cherry on the top were all the beautifully executed quips and visual jokes aimed at then-president Trump. Opus was Opus--always a delight.

[Frank Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little palate cleanser after the book before. The usual excellent Bloom County. I giggled, I sniggered and I generally enjoyed myself. Recommended.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried. I laughed some. A real lot more! Heart, pathos, humor and a penguin's rapier wit. Who could ask for anything more? Thank you Berkeley! #penguinsrule

[George Polansky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually give Bloom County 5 stars. Maybe I'm starting to mature ( I hope not). still very enjoyable.

[J.R. Murdock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner!

Berkley Breathed was something young me greatly appreciated. Now that I'm older, I appreciate the wittiness even more. I'm so happy part of my youth returned.

[Nathaniel Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloom County, pleeease come baaaack…

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that the custodian is the hero and that one character is more rational than I am. Steve Dallas gets called on his bad behavior. The cure for what ails you this year.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of a collection of the return of Bloom County. While many of the characters of Bloom County made appearances in Outland and Opus, it wasn’t quite the same. However, Berkeley Breathed decided to resurrect the whole gang in 2015, with a few new additions. This the third year of that new effort. The style of humor is the same, a mix of slapstick, politics and a hefty-nose penguin trying to navigate the world. Amusing, even if not great literature.