Billy and the Boingers Bootleg

Back in the eighties, I considered the "Bloom County" strip to be the best cartoon feature of the time. Therefore, reading this book was a humorous and nostalgic look back to another time in America. There were references to presidency of Ronald Reagan and the Iran Contra scandal, the nuclear arms race, the evil empire of the Soviet Union and the first president Bush. For one moment, I forgot the time context of the strip. On page 50 boy genius Oliver W. Jones has created a teleportation device. In the final caption of the segment, his father asks him, "Could you put George Bush into the White House?" To which he responds, "OH, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS EXPECT THE IMPOSSIBLE FROM ME?!" At first, I thought the reference was to George W. Bush, but then realized it was about George Herbert Walker Bush. I laughed at that one because it certainly could be applied to both. Cartoon strips provide us with humor and a cynical look at the political and social forces of the time. Therefore, if you have little knowledge of the events of the eighties, then you will have a difficult time understanding many of the cartoons. However, if you lived through them and were old enough to be politically acute, then you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Ok for you Get Fuzzy fans, this is what I am talking about. On the cover of this collection we see Berkly Breathed using the Bruce Springsteen album collection set(from Christmas 1987) for inspiration. Take a look at the cover, Are You Bucksperienced just plagerizes this idea.

Bloom County was without a doubt the most insightful, funny, and beloved comic strips of all time. It's rabid following has never gotten over the disappearance of Opus and the Gang from the funny papers. That's because nothing has ever been able to take it's place. Could you imagine Opus, Bill, Steve, and Milo tackling today's issues? What besides G.W. Bush and Saddam would be in the anxiety closet. Alas, we can only remember the good times.This is one of my favorite Bloom County books. It mostly took on an issue that has always been important to me, rock n roll. The gang takes on the PMRC by forming their own metal band Deathtongue. After battling Washington though, Steve Dallas caves in and Billy and the Boingers is born.Long live live Opus. He is sorely missed.

This book is probably the best Bloom County book published, and not just because of the Burger Chef value meal-type "record" that was part of the book.Breathed was, quite bluntly, a comic genius and social satirist. Those who characterize Bloom County as a comic strip miss the point. The strip was a satire and commentary on the go-go economy and society of the 80s, human relationships, and economics.This book contains some of the best, funniest, most powerful stuff in Bloom County's history. Just writing about it makes me want to go into the basement and play with my Opus phone.You can't go wrong with this book. Again, it appears to be out of print (most of the best comic works are out of print, unfortunately).

Bloom County was a politically charged comic strip that was a Doonesbury for the 80's. Berke Breathed created one of the most bizzare collection of cartoon characters, mixing animals and people with neither one noticing. Billy & The Boingers Bootleg in part chronicles the metal band Billy & The Boingers which had Bill The Cat on tongue & Opus on electric tuba. They were metal gods and their crazy antics were an obvious swipe at all the Parents Against Explicit Lyrics action that was going on at the time. The events taking place in the meadow also find Opus getting a girlfriend, Lola, and other incidents that mirrored the times. For anyone who remembers the 80's, Bloom County remains a touchstone. The original release contained a 45 that had two Boingers songs and the back cover is a hilarious spoof of U2's Joshua Tree album cover.