The Bloom County Library

Books, comics, TV, music
1

Finally!

(San Diego, February 4, 2009) IDW Publishing is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of The Bloom County Library. Beginning in October 2009, each of the five volumes will collect nearly two years worth of daily and Sunday strips, in chronological order. This will be the very first time that many of these comic strips have been collected, and the first time in a beautifully designed, hardcover format. The books will be part of IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint, and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney.

“Fans have pestered me for years,” said Berkeley Breathed, “for this ultimate BloomCounty collection in that polite, respectful badgering way that only fans can manage. Thank God I can now tell them something better than just ‘please remove your tent from my lawn.’ I can say, 'It’s coming!”

Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed newspaper strips of modern times. Premiering on December 8th, 1980 - a month after the election of Ronald Reagan as President - the strip brought to the comics pages a unique amalgam of contemporary politics and fantasy, all told with hilarious humor and wit.

The beloved and quirky denizens of Bloom County include Opus, Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, Milo Bloom, Michael Binkley, and Cutter John. Breathed was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1987 for his work on Bloom County. The strip was published in an astounding 1200 newspapers.

The phenomenon that was Bloom County spawned a merchandizing bonanza, as well as two spin-off strips, Outland and Opus. The first paperback collection of the strip, Loose Tails, sold over one million copies. Bloom County paperbacks cumulatively sold over six million copies. At the height of the strip’s popularity, Breathed walked away on August 6th, 1989.

IDW Publishing Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier conceived the series. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be editing the Bloom County Library,” said Dunbier. “This is a series that I can’t wait to hold in my hands.”

The Bloom County Library will also contain a series of “Context Pages” sprinkled throughout the volumes. These pages will provide perspective for the reader, presenting a variety of real-life events and personalities that were contemporary at the time of original publication.

That last bit sounds interesting. Hopefully these will come with a flexidisc of Billy & The Boingers.

2

I really like Bloom Country but I’m confused about the statement about this collection being “the very first time that many of these comic strips have been collected.” As far as I know that happened some time ago with previous books. I know I have several collections, anyway.

3

Gonna get me sum of dat hair tonic

4

Those collections didn’t necessarily have all the strips from the periods in which they were published.

5

Given that these are from IDW, they’ll probably cost $500 per volume.

6

Hilarious humor and wit?

7

Bloom County is wonderful, although I wonder if it has aged quite as well as the two other great 80s strips (Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side), given how topical it is. Endless references to Reagan and Tip O’Neil and Boy George and whatnot might tire me out. I guess much the same thing could be said of Pogo, though, and its reputation remains secure.

Bill the Cat was a stroke of genius. The anti-Garfield.

8

I honestly never liked Bill the Cat. I know what he was doing with the character, but I just never liked him. Now Steve Dallas…THERE was a guy to model your life after.

9

I wonder if it will be in a similar price range (proportionally) as the complete Calvin and Hobbes. That’s a Christmas gift that’s kept on giving.

10

In the late 80s, two of my most prized possessions were a Bill for President t-shirt (America’s ill, but so is Bill!), and Billy and the Boingers concert t-shirt.

I can’t wait to get these collections.

11

I voted for Bill and Opus in 2000. I have all the original books signed. I am such a huge fan. I’ll have to own these, but I thought I had them all already. Out of order though they are.

12

Assuming they aren’t $500 per volume, I very much look forward to getting these books.

And yeah, even though many of the Bloom County strips are dated by their topical humor, I find they still hold up well. In retrospect it is kind of weird the way Opus’s beak got bigger and bigger over the years. And the introductory strip that brought in Bill the Cat as their answer to Garfield remains a favorite.

I think Breathed hanging it up was the right choice in the end, as the latter strips had lost some of the zing of the earlier ones. The 1985ish stuff is probably his best work (featured in the Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things compilation).

13

Probably not, since, as you say, it is clearly a product of the 80s. However, it is still hilarious, with Opus being one of the great comic characters of all time (until he was run into the ground in the latter day and post-Bloom County strips).

I have been waiting for this for years. I only wish that it was part of the “Complete” series, so that it would match my Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes volumes.

14

I was not around for much of the stuff Bloom County made fun of. I am still an enormous fan, because for all the topical humor, there is also a lot of really weird, off-the-wall humor (which is exactly what I like). Unfortunately neither followup strip quite captured the same magic. I have this feeling I’ll be buying these if they aren’t ridiculously expensive.

15

I still have my Billy and the Boingers flexi-single

16

I doubt I will get these but Bloom County was my favorite.

17

i will buy these

idw has done great stuff with their america’s comics library and it will be rather nice to have ALL the strips

let’s just hope they stay in business long enough to publish these all

18

I will certainly get this. I’d imagine that for all the pop culture/political references there are simple, human observational ones as well. It reminds me of The Simpsons in that regard. Do the younger viewers really get all the references of the early episodes?

19

Bloom County is finally being offered in a single collection. Large paperbacks, so not as high-quality as the Far Side or Calvin and Hobbes collections, but also only a hundred bucks.

https://www.berkeleybreathed.com/store/limited-editions-and-vintage-strips/bloom-county-real-classy-compleat-1980-1989

21

I’m holding out for the Bill the Cat edition with authentic hairball.