'Toons for Our Times: A Bloom County Book of Heavy Meadow Rump 'n Roll

These strips aren't just funny. They're laugh out loud, roll on the floor, tears streaming down my face, people coming into the room to see "WHAT-are-you-laughing-at?!" funny.Berkeley Breathed has created a perfect 'toon universe populated by funny and poignant humans, along with funny and poignant penguins, groundhogs, Bill the Cat and purple critters that hide in your closet of anxieties waiting to grab you as soon as you sleep. Breathed was an absolute genius at seeing some topical issue of the day (circa 1984 for this voume) holding it up to the light so that we could see it just the way that he did, then skewering the thing with what would be the humor equivalent of cupid's arrow.

I had no idea this book was still around. I had picked it up in the mid-eighties, lent it to a friend in the early nineties, and it was gone. I never thought I would see it again. What a surprise to find it again. Immediately, I picked it up and started where I had left off years ago... roaring with laughter. This collection of Bloom County golden oldies is hysterical and clever. The years have been very kind to this strip because it is as fresh as it was during the Reagain administration. Pick up "Toons for Our Times: A Bloom County Book of Heavy Metal Rump 'N Roll" and laugh your rump off!

The first time I ever picked up a Bloom County book at a bookstore in the mall...and this was the book. After a few pages, I found myself having to close the book in order to gather my wits about me, wipe the tears off my face, then attempt to forge farther ahead...usually having to immediately close the book because glancing at the same page instantly initiated another wave of helpless laughter. Had this only happened once, I could have dealt with it as the adult that I believed myself to be...but, since it happened every few pages, I realized myself to be captivated in the tormented world of Opus and friends. Unfortunately (and much to my surprise, I didn't really care), this resulted in more than a few patrons of the bookstore in question to raise their eyebrows in my direction. I would like to thank the kind person that finally joined me (they picked up a copy of their own) and together we chortled together, pausing at times to close our books at our respective pages to momentarily regain our composure. Whimsical, thoughtful, introspective, silly, hilarious, thought-provoking...If you never read another comic, even if you think you're too old for silliness, you owe it to yourself and Berke to read this...and yes, I bought the book!

When this book first came out, I was 9. I was already reading the strip, and loved it. I've never stopped doing either. Like many other comics and cartoons, it has many levels for appreciation. It combines a genuine understanding of the overall importance of silliness, sharp and brilliant satire, and brief, poignant moments of sincere emotion. I keep copies of this book and Penguin Dreams in my car and read a page before I walk into my office most days. Happy reading!

Probably THE book of the 1980s, comic strip or not. The wide cast of characters includes a Miami Vice style jerk, aging hippie, despairing leftist, Reaganites, etc. The sureal-ness of the series really highlights the social and political satire that climaxes in this collection. The endless optimism serves as a vivid contrast to the time period so much that it sorta trascends the time it was written (and drawn) in and can really show someone what the period was like. Some younger readers may not understand the political humor. A masterpiece.