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Bloom County: The Complete Library #2
The Bloom County Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984
Bloom County burst onto the American comic scene in December of 1980 and it soon became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. The quirky denizens of the strip included Milo Bloom, Steve Dallas, Michael Binkley, Cutter John, Bill the Cat, and Opus the penguin, along with so many others.
Volume Two of the Bloom County Library continues right where volume one left off, with Berkeley Breathed's endearing, enchanting, and occasionally infuriating inhabitants of Bloom County treating us to their madcap adventures, cynical observations, and optimistic innocence - sometimes all at once!
Volume Two of the Bloom County Library continues right where volume one left off, with Berkeley Breathed's endearing, enchanting, and occasionally infuriating inhabitants of Bloom County treating us to their madcap adventures, cynical observations, and optimistic innocence - sometimes all at once!
297 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2010
7 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Berkeley Breathed
91 books415 followersGuy 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 1, 2014
After the terrible experience of reading A Gate at the Stairs, what I needed was a palate cleanser. Something light, something fun, probably something I'd read before. Luckily for me, my husband and I had spotted this volume on sale for a mere $15, instead of the $40 or so it usually goes for, and snapped it up.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
March 24, 2011
What makes this collected volume of Breathed's works fun, aside from revisiting the all too familiar strips, are the little asides and footnotes injected here and there. It seems impossible that these strips are 30 years old; it feels like yesterday when i was cutting them out of the paper to hang on my cube...
November 1, 2019
Tons of material in here I'd never seen, and so much of the door breaking down genre expanding that Breathed did is now such second nature, how much of the culture of 82-84 is still with is in pop culture and politics, and how much has changed. Its interesting to read Breathed's editorial comments from 2010, and think of how much has changed since then.
If you grew up with this stuff, or came to love it in collections in the 90's, this volume is a must read. For kids now? Hard to say. Binkley's dad's anxiety of his son's lack of manliness reads very differently in 2019 than in 1983, but it's a theme that still has resonance.
It's scary how much still makes sense, but parts of this veer into the Pogo territory of politics from generations back can be lost to comprehension if not humor.
If you grew up with this stuff, or came to love it in collections in the 90's, this volume is a must read. For kids now? Hard to say. Binkley's dad's anxiety of his son's lack of manliness reads very differently in 2019 than in 1983, but it's a theme that still has resonance.
It's scary how much still makes sense, but parts of this veer into the Pogo territory of politics from generations back can be lost to comprehension if not humor.
April 12, 2020
I love Bloom County but have never read it all the way through. It amazes me how well it holds up—it is oddly comforting to know that the frustrations (with politics, news, neighbors, and family) are basically the same even after nearly 40 years. I was not old enough to read this strip in the early 1980’s but I enjoy it anyway. Lots of love for the anxiety closet, the birth of home computers, and the everyday life of people as they navigate the weirdness of the world.
December 22, 2024
It just keeps getting better and better.
Want to read this, too? You can find the whole series of this library at this website:
https://readallcomics.com/category/th...
4 stars, and recommended.
Want to read this, too? You can find the whole series of this library at this website:
https://readallcomics.com/category/th...
4 stars, and recommended.
October 20, 2025
As a teenager I found it funny, now I can spot many flaws such as skin deep political satire, skewed morals, relentless emasculation, radical chic nihilism and the usual product placement. A very ambiguous mix.
June 5, 2017
Amazing how well these strips hold up.
December 13, 2017
Love this series of books. These bring back so many great memories. I had all of the paperback publications, but lost them to a flood. So I am very happy to see this series. On to the next one.
April 12, 2018
Solid but not as great as I've always been led to believe. Most of the jokes land and the it's a fun group of characters to spend some time with.
July 23, 2018
One of the classics as newspaper strips go. Some parts haven't aged as well as others, but a good way of looking at the era.
Read
April 16, 20201982 to 1984 or so, every strip. I miss you, Opus.
May 15, 2021
Stumbles along at times but I feel like we're finally getting to the good stuff.
November 17, 2021
Unfortunately this look back at one of my favorite comics and small communities from childhood, didn't really carry the same weight 30+ years on
February 10, 2024
Fun, fun, fun. Much of the political commentary would fit in today if a few of the names were changed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2024
Simply some of the very best comics EVER are contained in this volume. The. Best.
January 10, 2025
All of these strips were originally read by me in the daily newspaper 41-43 years ago
June 16, 2025
The addition of Opus really helped this strip, I think. Very enjoyable.
October 26, 2012
Few artists shaped my own personal drawing style the way Berkley Breathed did. And, few writers, outside of maybe Douglas Adams or (in an odd way) Hunter S. Thompson have shaped my sense of humor the way he did.
So, when the began releasing these "complete" chronological editions in hardcover, I sold my old soft cover editions to Half Price Books, and began leverage those funds into buying these volumes. As far as the the presentation goes, there's little to quibble about here. The blurry reproductions of the color Sunday strips which plagues volume 1 are much improved in this volume. Still not crisp in the way I'd wish they were, but fine for what they are. And, while the cover design leaves a little to be desired, the spines look handsome on my bookshelf.
With regards to the content, these are probably some of Bloom County's golden years. It feels like, at this point in the strip, Breathed had found his voice, pace and style. Most of the major characters have been introduced (with the exception of some of the later Outland characters, like Milquetoast and the Basselope) and we see a lot of Bloom County's best tropes and themes emerging here. Also, we have a couple of quintessential arcs included, such as Bill the Cat's death and subsequent run for Presidency.
The annotation, similar to volume 1, is neither here nor there. There are times when it's genuinely insightful, other times it fails to add to the strip, and other places where it seems oddly absent. Reading through these as an adult, it's fun to see a new perspective on a favorite strip. The antics of Bill always entertained, and before I could relate to many of the reoccurring childhood motifs; but this read through the political and social humor made more sense. Sadly, much of it still resonates today.
Overall, great volume. Nice, but not excellent packaging.
So, when the began releasing these "complete" chronological editions in hardcover, I sold my old soft cover editions to Half Price Books, and began leverage those funds into buying these volumes. As far as the the presentation goes, there's little to quibble about here. The blurry reproductions of the color Sunday strips which plagues volume 1 are much improved in this volume. Still not crisp in the way I'd wish they were, but fine for what they are. And, while the cover design leaves a little to be desired, the spines look handsome on my bookshelf.
With regards to the content, these are probably some of Bloom County's golden years. It feels like, at this point in the strip, Breathed had found his voice, pace and style. Most of the major characters have been introduced (with the exception of some of the later Outland characters, like Milquetoast and the Basselope) and we see a lot of Bloom County's best tropes and themes emerging here. Also, we have a couple of quintessential arcs included, such as Bill the Cat's death and subsequent run for Presidency.
The annotation, similar to volume 1, is neither here nor there. There are times when it's genuinely insightful, other times it fails to add to the strip, and other places where it seems oddly absent. Reading through these as an adult, it's fun to see a new perspective on a favorite strip. The antics of Bill always entertained, and before I could relate to many of the reoccurring childhood motifs; but this read through the political and social humor made more sense. Sadly, much of it still resonates today.
Overall, great volume. Nice, but not excellent packaging.
January 14, 2012
Back in the early eighties, when I was in high school (and the last time I was truly happy, now that I think of it), there were three comic strips that I absolutely HAD to read every day in the papers: “The Far Side,” “Calvin and Hobbes,” and “Bloom County.” I have the complete collections of the first two (and reread them all recently), and now I am building up the collection of the third.
This volume collects all strips between September, 1982 and June, 1984. Among the highlights of this volume are:
Senator Bedfellow goes to jail.
Binkley begins to be tormented by his “Closet of Anxieties.”
Steve Dallas tries to win Bobbi Harlow back from Cutter John.
The Meadow Party is formed and runs Limekiller and Opus for president and vice president.
Opus goes in search of his Mom.
Bill the Cat is tragically killed either in a car accident or from acne, depending on who you listen to.
Mr. Breathed scatters comments throughout on some of the strips, mostly on the ones that have references to things that people who weren’t there wouldn’t know anything about.
I know a lot of my friends from “back in the day” used to read “Bloom County.” I heartily urge them to pick up these books and relive the good times. Ack!
This volume collects all strips between September, 1982 and June, 1984. Among the highlights of this volume are:
Senator Bedfellow goes to jail.
Binkley begins to be tormented by his “Closet of Anxieties.”
Steve Dallas tries to win Bobbi Harlow back from Cutter John.
The Meadow Party is formed and runs Limekiller and Opus for president and vice president.
Opus goes in search of his Mom.
Bill the Cat is tragically killed either in a car accident or from acne, depending on who you listen to.
Mr. Breathed scatters comments throughout on some of the strips, mostly on the ones that have references to things that people who weren’t there wouldn’t know anything about.
I know a lot of my friends from “back in the day” used to read “Bloom County.” I heartily urge them to pick up these books and relive the good times. Ack!
June 28, 2018
The second collection of one of the greatest comic strips of all time.
In these complete collected works between 1982 and 1984, we see artist Berkely Breathed hit his stride in terms of characters, tone, and art. And boy, were the early to mid-eighties chock full of popular culture silliness for him to parody? Just between Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson, he could have done two years' worth of material. As it was, though, he didn't lean too heavily on such topics and continued to use his own creations to poke all sorts of fun as hypocrisy and insanity within U.S. and world culture. Sure, some of the references are outdated to the point of being downright confusing, but this is rare. Even if the details are no longer crystal clear to all of us, the heart of most of the jokes is still there. The frightening thing is just how many of the social ills which Breathed points have become highly relevant once again, even over three decades later.
These volumes also have little side comments sprinkled into the margins, which Breathed added in 2009, when the books were published. Many of them are just as hilarious as the strips themselves. Any fan of Breathed's works would enjoy this collection.
In these complete collected works between 1982 and 1984, we see artist Berkely Breathed hit his stride in terms of characters, tone, and art. And boy, were the early to mid-eighties chock full of popular culture silliness for him to parody? Just between Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson, he could have done two years' worth of material. As it was, though, he didn't lean too heavily on such topics and continued to use his own creations to poke all sorts of fun as hypocrisy and insanity within U.S. and world culture. Sure, some of the references are outdated to the point of being downright confusing, but this is rare. Even if the details are no longer crystal clear to all of us, the heart of most of the jokes is still there. The frightening thing is just how many of the social ills which Breathed points have become highly relevant once again, even over three decades later.
These volumes also have little side comments sprinkled into the margins, which Breathed added in 2009, when the books were published. Many of them are just as hilarious as the strips themselves. Any fan of Breathed's works would enjoy this collection.
October 24, 2016
A five-star volume that fulfills the promise shown periodically in the second half of Volume 1. Opus starts becoming the fully embodied character he is, not just how he is drawn, but also how he is noticeably more articulate, comically so. (60) It also introduces some great new bits the comic would revisit:
May 22, 2010
"Bloom County" becomes much more familiar in the second volume, both in terms of general art style, characters moving to the forefront, and being strips I've seen before. Despite remembering it as topical, it holds up very well; even the strips where Breathed is mocking something very specific and dated, there's goofiness where other satirists might be tempted to be vicious. "Bloom County" doesn't need to declare victory. Still, it's kind of amazing that this ran on the comics page; it was almost certainly the most bizarre thing there in the 1980s.
IDW, as usual, does a great job of packaging the strip. The pages look like newsprint rather than the too-bright paper other collections of strips use, although they're much thicker and sturdier. I just wish it had a more colorful spine, even if that means a dust jacket.
IDW, as usual, does a great job of packaging the strip. The pages look like newsprint rather than the too-bright paper other collections of strips use, although they're much thicker and sturdier. I just wish it had a more colorful spine, even if that means a dust jacket.
April 6, 2011
The second volume of the collected editions of Berkeley Breathed's Bloom County is just as good as the first, if not a little better. Breathed's wit is becoming a little sharper; his characters a little more defined, both artistically and literarily; he's beginning to find his way with the characters and the direction that he wants to take his strip in. His social commentary is starting to really solidify into what made this strip what it was: a commentary on us in the 80s. And what rings true then seems to still ring true in some cases today.
The reproduction quality of the strips could be a little better, but to be able to have all of the strips collected like this in such great editions, I'm willing to overlook that.
The reproduction quality of the strips could be a little better, but to be able to have all of the strips collected like this in such great editions, I'm willing to overlook that.
November 6, 2011
It is constantly amazing to me how comics so well-grounded in their era can still be as relevant as these are today. Yes, sometimes I don't get the jokes. Sometimes they're just silly one-offs about cats (which I do get, and which make me laugh). There are, however, a startling number of extraordinary ones which are at least as powerful in the modern era as they were when they were first drawn. I wasn't born yet when these comics were running in newspapers, so I'm very glad of these omnibus collections. It's a rare newspaper comic that can make me stop and think the way Bloom County so often does.
January 31, 2012
Classic stuff. Pretty much everything is in place by now, especially the dynamic between the characters, which is so much of what made/makes the strip funny--and it's not got TOO Opus-centric or Bill-centric yet; much of the fun comes from characters whose role diminishes as time passes. The introduction of Oliver Wendell Jones is perhaps the final piece in place. Not a strip that often makes me laugh out loud, but one that always impresses me with its wit and diversity. The archival project is a nice way to get it, though the notes are sometimes haphazard, and I'd like to see more "bonus materials." Overall, well worth while.
February 9, 2015
Exhausting but awesome. But very big and very heavy. Actually it was quite nostalgic. I figure I started reading Bloom County at Ga. Tech in Sept 1983. So these comics were ones I would have read at the time - they definitely felt vaguely familiar. I didn't realize that Oliver Wendell Jones had just been introduced - definitely he had some of the best bits and was always one of my favorites. Actually this book is a hard one to judge. It doesn't actually have a through story, but it does have a certain intellectual silliness, some of which is timeless. 3.5 of 5.
May 29, 2011
The best thing about re-reading Bloom County comic strips, in order, from decades ago, is realizing how flat-out brilliant Berkeley Breathed was. Despite some of the political and cultural references that might be lost on the current generation, this body of work holds up extremely and should be easily enjoyed by those too young to have read them in the newspapers when they were originally published.
God, I love Bloom County!
God, I love Bloom County!
January 7, 2012
By midway through this collection the strip hits its stride and finds the originality and voice that makes it classic. Two things that struck me: First, there hasn't been a better illustrated newspaper strip since. Second, some of the satire gets pretty shrill. As a kid I don't understand enough of the references to realize that.
Oh, and the annotations are better in this edition. There are more notes from Breathed, though he doesn't seem any less embittered.
Oh, and the annotations are better in this edition. There are more notes from Breathed, though he doesn't seem any less embittered.
February 15, 2012
This second volume of the Bloom Country collection brings us the Bloom County we remember. Fully developed, with ridiculous pop-culture references and plots. Cartoonist Breathed gets even more into the Bill the Cat mythos, presenting the Bill the Cat film festival with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre rip-off. Hilarity.
For those of you that spent your teens reading this comic in the newspaper or in collections like me, then this book will take you right back.
For those of you that spent your teens reading this comic in the newspaper or in collections like me, then this book will take you right back.
March 21, 2020
I have always had a spot in my heart for Opus and the gang from Bloom County. :) I have all the books but as I am overseas they are in America I love that I can get The Bloom County Library on my kindle. The best part of having it digital is all the comments Breathed writes on some of the pages. I still laugh out loud and some of the strips take me right back to High School which is when I discovered Bloom County.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews