Of all the Bloom County collections I own, this one is the only listed for review here at our glorious epinions.
I know many people out there are now scratching their heads. I'll take a chance to say that a good many people reading this review have never seen Bloom Countyin their newspaper. This strip ran through the 80's and was drawn by man named Berke Breathed (that's his name... honest! Who would make a name like that up?)
The theme of the strip is a general social and political commentary on the times. And that becomes a minus, because unlike Peanuts or Garfield which you can pick up and read regardless of when the strip was written, Bloom County needs you to understand some of the specific references to that decade.
Some people may claim that the strip leans a little to the left. It may be true, but I found plenty of jabs to the liberal side of our country, as well as digs into Phyllis Schafly and the Moral Majority.
The book begins with a bit of a narrative into The Great Larouche Toad-Frog Massacre. If you don't know who Larouche is, chances are you won't get many of the references in this strip. There are jokes at the expense of The Moral Majority, Prince Charles & Diana, the US festival, and a running commentary on the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
This collection begins at the beginning. The strips there are a bit rougher, and the characters are still being roughed-out. Milo Bloom is the first main character we are introduced to . He lives at the Bloom Boarding House with his grandmother and grandfather. His grandfather - The Major - sees communists everywhere. He also coaches the local football team and runs them pretty much the way you would an Army troop.
Ms. Bobbi Harlow is the teacher at school. A feminist, at 24 she was considered an old maid at the beginning of this strip. She briefly dallies with lawyer Steve Dallas at the beginning of this book, but thankfully moves on to greener pastures.Steve is a hard drinking, sunglasses wearing, cigarette smoking male chauvinist.
Mike Binkley is the not-quite-as-slick friend to Milo. Binkley is innocent and sensitive with a whole closet full of anxieties - literally.
It is Binkley Who introduces us to the heart of this strip, Opus the penguin, when he acquires him as a pet. Other animals that dot the landscape include Hodge Podge the rabbit and Portnoy the possum.
These animals are frequently seen in the company of Cutter John a Vietnam vet confined to a wheelchair and the steady boyfriend of Ms. Harlow. His wheelchair is The Enterprise and Cutter John is its captain as he and the animals have different adventures around Bloom County.
Later in the series we are introduced to Bill the Cat. Bill is the antithesis of the warm and fuzzy comic book cats we're used to. He is no Garfield or Heathcliffe. Other than standing around hacking up hairballs, this orange and black striped cat doesn't say much. However, once dead he does manage to find himself running for President on the American Meadow Party ticket (with Opus running for Vice-President) against Reagan in 1984.
Of course, he is eventually cloned (wow - ahead of it's time here!) And resurrected thanks to the computer hacker Oliver. Watching Oliver's Banana series computer follow him around is hysterical, as well as watching the fallout from the havoc he creates.
Another strip that really seemed funny now was one where Binkley light-sabersGeorge Lucas and says "Jedi Knights don't wait 15 years for a sequel." Who knew?
Berke Breathed continued on with his strip Outland. Still, it didn't have the same heart and general merriment that Bloom County did. Out of the two, I enjoyed the silliness and continuing stories of Bloom County much more.
In times of overload, the Bloom County characters often retreat to the meadow to stand among the dandelions. Reading through these books is a nice way to get a dandelion break of your own.
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