Opus the Penguin Back In the Funny Business (Breathed to do new strip)

Washington Post ^ | 9.9.03 | Reilly Capps

[Phsstpok]

several years ago there was a one time "benefit" event of some sort where lots of artists traded their daily strips. The one I really remembered was where Wiley (non-Sequitur) drew Hagar the Horrible. It had a little mideavil accountant type trying to collect taxes from Hagar, while Hagar "persuaded" him with a big war hammer. I loved it.

OK, I just did a Google and found it.  It was the "great April Fools Switcheroonie" on 4/1/98.  It was a systems analyst and "sneak attack with a big honkin mallet" was the comback... well, see for yourself.

I'm going to try to link the picture, but if that fails it's at:

http://www.reuben.org/rosenthal/april%20fools/hagar.html

[Timesink]

Yes! Yes! YES! I knew it was only a matter of time...

ACK Phffht!

[Politicalmom]

YAY!!

You can only re-read the books every so often. I miss my fix!!!

[Politicalmom]

YAY!!

You can only re-read the books every so often. I miss my fix!!!

[Grammy]

My favorite Far Side cartoon.....
A jar with wild animals in it.
Titled "Wildlife preserves".

[Politicalmom]

Oops. Sorry. That comment wasn't profound enough for a repeat..... : )

[new cruelty]

From the article:

I can't say it wouldn't be appealing to bring back Opus to the Sunday pages," Breathed told those gathered, according to Editor & Publisher. "It was painful to sit through the war without a public voice."

I wonder what his voice would have said.

[far sider]

[Timesink]

I have had a small Opus stuffed figure since high school (circa 1987) and it's sat on my desk at every job I've ever had. (Personally, I think either Opus or Bill are the only masculinely-acceptable stuffys available...)

Me too!

[Coop]

It probably doesn't translate well without the picture, but my all-time favorite Bloom County strip had Opus sitting in the middle of two gopher-like creatures. One of them lights up a cigarette and says "Mind if I smoke?" The other, eating a sandwich, says "No, mind if I belch pastrami in your face?"

Then all you can see is poor Opus' eyes and the top of his head protruding from a cloud of smoke and patrami odor. :-)

[Timesink]

I think I still have my Boingers 45 album, which came as part of the book. If I recall correctly, it contained the classic single, "I Love You (But You Stink)".

I think it was called "You Stink (But I You)".

[LTCJ]

Thppft! Truly one of the funniest applications of ink to paper in the history of civilization...

[Snuffington]

If he wants to do a comic strip in the newspapers again, then let him draw a daily strip. Is it THAT hard to come up with 3 or 4 new panels of illustrated humor a day?

I agree with you. I happen to think Breathed's best work was in the Bloom County daily strips. He occasionally had a good Sunday one (his Pulitzer came from one of those, perhaps that's where the trouble began), but overall his comedy worked best in those little 3-4 panel black and white strips.

However, back when he switched from "Bloom County" to "Outland," I read a lengthy interview with him in some comic industry trade rag (the name escapes me). He rambled on and on about comics as high art, and how the daily strips continually shrinking size was killing the art form. Then he unleashed that incoherent acid-trip known as "Outland" (which got better as it progressed only because it became more and more like the old Bloom County) as Sundays only. This one goes a step further - Sundays only AND he gets a full half page.

I have a feeling this effort may get even further away from what Berke does best.

[Timesink]

Let me try that again: "You Stink (But I <heart> U)".

[Alouette]

My favorite strip is the one where the guy goes "huntin' for liberals." He has a special whistle that plays the liberals' "mating call" -- "No Nukes! No Nukes!" Then when he bags his leftist, the critter yells "Ow! Socialized medicine! Socialized medicine!"

[talleyman]

"A wish for wings that work!" bump.

[Erasmus]

My youngest son, age 35, and my trophy wife will be overjoyed with the return of Opus.

Is that her, on that plaque in the den?

<];^)

[joesnuffy]

[ffusco]

Aaaack!