‘Bloom County’ Is Back (On Facebook, Anyway)

There were two things that really helped define my sense of humor when I was a kid back the 80's: David Letterman's 'Late Night' show, and the comic strip Bloom County. And while Letterman just retired this May, Bloom County has just made a comeback.

Yes, the classic 80's comic strip, starring Opus the Penguin, Milo Bloom and, of course, Bill the Cat, was a favorite of mine when I was growing up. It poked fun at the various cultural and political events and people in the news back then, all filtered through the fictitious small town of Bloom County. I read it faithfully every Sunday in the Wausau Daily Herald, and bought most of the Bloom County books, as well. I loved its ability to satirize current events that seemed somewhat ridiculous to me, too.

And now, it's back. While the version of Bloom County comic strip that appeared in newspapers went away in 1989, a new version is back on cartoonist Berkely Breathed's Facebook page. According to a story in the New York Times, Breathed wanted to bring the strip back in 2001, but didn't feel the time was quite right.

"Last Sunday, Mr. Breathed published a photo on his Facebook page that showed him working on a comic strip entitled “Bloom County 2015.” An accompanying caption said: “A return after 25 years. Feels like going home.” And a new “Bloom County” comic strip, reacquainting readers with Opus and his human friend Milo Bloom, appeared the next day."

So while I've been in a bit of a Letterman withdrawal these days, it's good to know at least one of the pillars of my childhood is back-- if only on Facebook!