This time, it took three and a half years

[Peter Paltridge]

Which was a longer holdout than last time.



Binkley officially returned to the comics this morning. Speaking as someone who was writing Binkley fanfiction in third grade, I couldn't be more thrilled.

If you're reading this board, then you probably know Breathed wrote Binkley out of "Opus" as soon as he began it. It wasn't the first time; he'd also been written out of "Outland" in the first two years.

What I don't understand is this: Breathed obviously has as much affection for these old characters as his fans do. And I know from experience that refusing to draw a character you've grown attached to is a painful form of cartoonist self-mutilation. So why does he keep doin' this to himself? Is he a masochist?

The rationale this time was that Binkley could not appear because in this strip's time frame he would be a teenager, and teenagers don't work on the comics page (if you ignore "Zits" being in over 500 papers). I can't tell if this is indeed a teenage Binkley or if Breathed has dropped the age idea altogether. What's YOUR opinion on that?

[J. B. Warner]

I think (or I at least hope) that Breathed has finally realized that he has total control over the universe he's created for these characters, and he doesn't have to let things like the passing of time affect them. Or maybe he just realized that Opus works best when he's paired with the characters he worked with in "Bloom County", not the random passersby that he's continually been paired with over the last four years, who appear in one strip and then are never seen again.

With any luck, we'll see the likes of Oliver, Milo, and Cutter John make a grand return too. Opus is a great character, but he can't carry an entire strip by himself.

[Dynamite XI]

This strip works with the formula of one of the Binkley strips of old, but at the same time it's confusing. It could have easily been an Auggie strip (we all know that Auggie's been a surrogate-Binkley for a good while now), yet it's Mike Binkley. And with a quick reference to Tom and Margaret, to boot.

Then again, there's that line in the first panel regarding sentimentality about the past. Surely that plays into it somehow.

If Binkley sticks around, it'll be interesting to watch how the dynamic of the strip changes. We might get to see some of the old cast interact with the new.

In any case, it's weird that there's not any fanfare in the strip about Binkley's reappearance. He's just there. But it's still good to see him.

[Zorak Masaki]

So lets see, how many former bloom county cast members have appeared in Opus so far? Not counting Opus himself we've seen:
Steve Dallas
Bloom Beacon/Picauyne<sp?> boss
Bill the Cat
Binkley
Giant Purple Snorklewhacker
I think Senator Bedfellow was mentioned as well

[nakak]

Anyone know if Breathed said anything about why he brought him back? You'd think there would be another interview about it soon.

[Dynamite XI]

Now he's brought back Oliver, too. I had a hunch that this would happen sooner or later.

[J. B. Warner]

Now he's brought back Oliver, too. I had a hunch that this would happen sooner or later.

Good to see that Berke's brought another classic character back...I just wish he hadn't recycled another punchline to do it.

[Peter Paltridge]

Mixed feelings on this one. Of course, I wanted Oliver back badly, but this one's a little too cute for him (never mind that a similar theme was done in Outland before).

But it is actually true; I was taking an astronomy class when they did it: they decided to point Hubble at a spot they previously assumed was blank, and leave the focus there longer to overexpose the picture. They ended up finding thousands of new galaxies that were just too far away for their light to register normally. It's a big universe, all right.

[Peter Paltridge]

HOLY %&*# LOLA GRANOLA



Never expected her again!

[J. B. Warner]

Wow. You know, I think Berke must be listening to the fan feedback - we want the old characters back, and he's giving them to us (note also the presence of Bill in this strip, a character who's become criminally underused in recent years). Is it possible that "Opus" might be pulling an "Outland" and gradually morphing into a Sunday-only version of "Bloom County"?

[Zorak Masaki]

Personally, i wouldnt mind seeing Cutter John, portnoy, and hodge podge return (though cutter may be a longshot since berke has mentioned that he has trouble drawing people in wheelchairs).

[Dynamite XI]

Wow. You know, I think Berke must be listening to the fan feedback - we want the old characters back, and he's giving them to us (note also the presence of Bill in this strip, a character who's become criminally underused in recent years). Is it possible that "Opus" might be pulling an "Outland" and gradually morphing into a Sunday-only version of "Bloom County"?

Could be, but even Outland didn't go THIS far. Already in Opus we've seen the editor of the Bloom Picayune, Senator Bedfellow, and now Lola Granola. And those three were well-known secondary characters who hadn't been seen in years!

Still, though, I can't wait to see who else shows up. This could get interesting.

[Peter Paltridge]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ea..._id=1003631122

You may not see the next two strips with Lola, depending on how strict your local newspaper is.

[Dynamite XI]

I've been reading LiveJournal's Bloom County feed for a while now...funnily enough, the thing that was most talked about today WASN'T the controversy, but the fact that Lola and Steve are now an item.

Lola and Steve... Who would have seen THAT coming?

[Peter Paltridge]

I'm not that surprised. When I saw Lola's first new appearance I kinda figured there must be something there. How else could she have gotten into Steve's boat? He wouldn't take a girl along on any sort of trip without a motive.

I'm looking forward to this; their personalities are so opposite from each other it could lead to some great Dharma-and-Greg-like situations. I don't think it's creepy. Come on, her last two boyfriends have been a penguin and Tweety Bird. Though true, Steve isn't much of an upgrade.

As for Opus remembering he was once engaged to Lola...you know how reliable the continuity is around Bloom County; don't wait for his reaction.

[veemonjosh]

Rofl.

[J. B. Warner]

Rofl, indeed.

Can't people just get off Berke's back and let him draw his cartoons? I mean, this is the kind of stuff that should be happening within his strip, not to it.