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Bloom County: The Complete Library #4
The Bloom County Library, Vol. 4: 1986-1987
-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
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2011
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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 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 19, 2014
This is the fourth of this complete library I've reviewed, and I don't think I really have anything new to say. I love Bloom County, the characters, the references to politics and pop culture I just barely get (but get enough to understand.) I love the way Breathed messes with cartooning conventions. But it is mostly the characters.
This particular volume covers the time that Bill is traded to the Russians, comes back, becomes a heavy metal star, then a super-wealthy leftist pop star, then a televangelist. (That's a lot of changes over two years!) And where Opus meets Lola Granola and their romance ensues. Complete with the dissection of relationship pitfalls.
There's nothing I can really add that I haven't already said. These are lovely. You should read them.
This particular volume covers the time that Bill is traded to the Russians, comes back, becomes a heavy metal star, then a super-wealthy leftist pop star, then a televangelist. (That's a lot of changes over two years!) And where Opus meets Lola Granola and their romance ensues. Complete with the dissection of relationship pitfalls.
There's nothing I can really add that I haven't already said. These are lovely. You should read them.
February 25, 2017
This is classic Bloom County. Lola Granola, Billy and the Boingers, boycotted by Donald Wildmon, the cast walks out due to the shrinking size of the newspaper strip.
All that's missing is the flexi-disc.
All that's missing is the flexi-disc.
October 24, 2016
“It’s okay to worry, teaches Bloom County, because it’s okay to care. Yes, you may wear the armor of the cynic if you like. God / knows there’s enough hypocrisy, stupidity and failure around us to justify it. And cynicism is always funnier than actually giving a damn.” (Introduction, 6-7)
This volume celebrates the return of the comic after a two month hiatus, due to the cartoonist getting in an ultra-light plane accident. After the burned out feeling I had from Vol. 3, it is nice to see the comic find the shape I fondly remember it as: zany with a heart, timely but not hack, politically clever rather than pandering. While certain plots could fall flat, like the heavy metal group Deathtongue, they are ultimately a success because of Breathed’s hilariously hyperbolic song titles and lyrics. (Usually Breathed’s poetry in the comic seems more stumble than smooth for me, but in heavy metal mockery he shines.) This volume also features:
This volume celebrates the return of the comic after a two month hiatus, due to the cartoonist getting in an ultra-light plane accident. After the burned out feeling I had from Vol. 3, it is nice to see the comic find the shape I fondly remember it as: zany with a heart, timely but not hack, politically clever rather than pandering. While certain plots could fall flat, like the heavy metal group Deathtongue, they are ultimately a success because of Breathed’s hilariously hyperbolic song titles and lyrics. (Usually Breathed’s poetry in the comic seems more stumble than smooth for me, but in heavy metal mockery he shines.) This volume also features:
August 4, 2019
Another brilliant collection of the Bloom County comic strip. This one, gathering all of the strips fro about an 18 month period between 1986 and 1987 include plenty of the more memorable storylines, such as the "Deathtongue/Billy and the Boingers," Opus getting kicked out of the meadow for "penguin lust," and plenty of other hilarious arcs.
Artist Berkeley Breathed had, by this point, received plenty of acclaim and attention for the strip, which had broken so many conventions of the medium, and he just kept pushing the envelope further. As I read through these (many of which I never remember seeing before), I often realized how many of them simply would NOT get printed in the funny pages today, given how political the strip was or just how overly sensitive the reading public has become. And Breathed adds some commentary, written in 2010 and 2011, to certain strips to offer some often-hilarious insight into what he was thinking about a particular strip, either back when he created it or much later upon revisiting it.
As I worked my way through this collection (the fourth out of five), I was laughing out loud plenty of times - perhaps more than the previous three collections. This was just a brilliant addition to not only the comic strip medium but also a great work as a very American variety of satire and humaneness.
Artist Berkeley Breathed had, by this point, received plenty of acclaim and attention for the strip, which had broken so many conventions of the medium, and he just kept pushing the envelope further. As I read through these (many of which I never remember seeing before), I often realized how many of them simply would NOT get printed in the funny pages today, given how political the strip was or just how overly sensitive the reading public has become. And Breathed adds some commentary, written in 2010 and 2011, to certain strips to offer some often-hilarious insight into what he was thinking about a particular strip, either back when he created it or much later upon revisiting it.
As I worked my way through this collection (the fourth out of five), I was laughing out loud plenty of times - perhaps more than the previous three collections. This was just a brilliant addition to not only the comic strip medium but also a great work as a very American variety of satire and humaneness.
October 3, 2019
This is absolutely Breathed at the top of his game.
The introduction makes an excellent observation that the motivating emotion of the strip is Anxiety, which is why the strip worked so well for we Gen-Xers. Being a teen in the 80's was balanced between these years on Bloom County and the parallel childhood of Calvin & Hobbes. For those who weren't alive then, the annotations from the author are super helpful.
The introduction makes an excellent observation that the motivating emotion of the strip is Anxiety, which is why the strip worked so well for we Gen-Xers. Being a teen in the 80's was balanced between these years on Bloom County and the parallel childhood of Calvin & Hobbes. For those who weren't alive then, the annotations from the author are super helpful.
August 26, 2021
A classic era for Bloom County including the Deathtongue/Billy and the Boingers saga and the introduction of Opus' fiancé Lola Granola. There does seem to be some whiff of the end though, with the brief introduction of Ronald-Ann and Opus disappearing from the comic almost entirely for several months. Perhaps it's just me, but there seemed to be a lot more cheap shots at various celebrities in this collection as well, the whole thing showing some signs of fatigue.
December 31, 2025
The olive loaf vigilante storyline was great, but the author's obsession with celebrities and dead cats is disturbing to say the least. Hollywood pandering, product brand placement and common people pictured as helpless slaves of consumerism is tiresome and not much for satire. I thought it was funny when I was a child, now I'm not so sure anymore.
May 23, 2018
Several of the original characters take on more supporting roles as Breathed moves Opus and Bill the Cat front and center in some pretty solid stories. Best collection so far.
December 18, 2025
Another enjoyable volume of Bloom County. Finally, Bill the Cat starts to be funny along with the rest of the gang.
August 24, 2015
The strip continues strong here with a few classic sequence,s notably the Billy and the Boingers rock parody, and Bill the Cat's brief stint as a fundamentalist preacher. Breathed's growing dissatisfaction begins to become evident, both in how he begnis to experiment with the Sunday strips and with how he makes one storyline about the characters going on strike to try to increase the space available for comics in the newspapers. as Breathed's disappointingly sparse and brief notes indicate, some of these strips have not aged well, but many others are frighteningly just as true today as they were almost thirty years ago.
November 6, 2013
The very first strip in this collection reminded me of Berkeley Breathed's most brilliant idea in Bloom County: that Opus, Milo, Steve, and all the others are actors performing in a scripted production, like a sitcom that that we view through the windows of the panels, but that those actors are playing themselves living their real lives in the world of Bloom County, which only exists for our benefit.
Alas, this also made me realize that I subconsciously stole that idea whole cloth for a pilot I wrote in 2010. It's flattery, Berke.
Alas, this also made me realize that I subconsciously stole that idea whole cloth for a pilot I wrote in 2010. It's flattery, Berke.
January 13, 2012
Bloom County was the first comic strip that really captured my imagination and it's been a joy to go back and read these strips over again. In this volume we see the first appearance of Billy and the Boingers (and the Sunday strip that launched the songwriting contest that resulted in the plaastic record in "Billy and the Boingers! bootleg"). Of course there were plenty of "oh yeah!" moments as I read strips I had forgotten but read multiple times in my childhood. One more volume to go!
December 21, 2013
Hilarious stuff as Breathed continues to play with both his format and his times. This volume has several classic storylines, including the crew forming a heavy metal band, Bill the Cat becoming a televangelist (with the consequent epidemic of "penguin lust") and finally the whole cast going on strike to protest the shrinking of the comics page. Hard to describe, but easy to enjoy, especially if you like clever, anarchic wit.
September 26, 2016
These first six or seven years of Bloom County were just awesome, containing classics from my childhood that I’ll never forget. Looking back through each and ever daily strip, though, also reminded me of some I’d completely forgotten about, plus the first book let me see the early strips I missed, before my local papers had syndicated the comic.
February 6, 2012
Breathed's brilliant '80's strip was never better than during these years ('86-'87), especially with the introduction of the Heavy Metal band "Deathtongue" (add umlaut on the "o"), which later morphed into "Billy and the Boingers" - great memories!
November 3, 2011
A wonderful walk down memory lane. All the comics, in a wonderfully bound book with high quality paper. A must read for those who had to endure the '80s. Can not wait for the next volume - "Outland."
May 3, 2015
Breathed was in fantastic form for this run of the strip. I particularly liked the section dealing with the rock and roll career of Deathtongue, aka Billy and the Boingers. Though really, their antics weren't any more over the top than a lot of real life bands of the era.
April 17, 2011
This is a must-read for just about everyone I know. This volume includes the Deathtöngue / Billy and the Boingers storyline as well as Oral Bill. Read it. You'll like it.
April 9, 2011
I freaking love Berkeley Breathed. Love.
April 23, 2011
HILARIOUS and timeless!
June 2, 2011
One word--Deathtonuge.
January 8, 2012
Still funny and smart and weird.
January 24, 2012
Volume 4 contains what is far and away my favorite Bloom County storyline: the Deathtöngue/Billy and the Boingers saga. This volume has page after page of favorites. A real treat!
February 1, 2012
Mike gave me this one (and the other three). After writing reviews on four volumes, you run out of things to say, but I still loved it. If you have ever been a Breathed fan, check this one out.
August 22, 2012
These comics serve as a reminder of how cyclic everything is and how little things have really changed.
February 9, 2014
Reliving one of the best comic strips ever. This volume covers the DeathTongue/Fundamentally Oral Bill period. Yes, many of the references are dated, but it is still a joy to read.
May 2, 2016
Love these guys, and it is amazing how well Bloom County stands up over time. Berk Breathed is a genius.
July 24, 2016
Still brilliant 25 years later
January 22, 2019
Yep, awesome, just as I remember it.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews