Friday, October 17, 2008


Apparently, many newspapers refused to print this most excellent cartoon by Berkeley Breathed. He explained their reluctance thus: "Fear doesn't so much rule the wood pulp news industry. More like pee-on-themselves existential terror."
And there you have it, in a buttshell.
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Salon.com recently interviewed Berkeley Breathed about his life after ending his Opus cartoon on November 2. One question was:

Your children's books seem to appeal to your gentler, Charles Schulz side. But how -- without Opus -- will you exercise your Michael Moore side?

BB: I'll be on my couch Sunday mornings screaming at Brokaw and Stephanopoulos to call out the blathering bastards on their stupid fucking talking points and pin the dancing, lying, spinning Tasmanian Weasels down about something, ANYTHING for Christ Bloody Sake THE COUNTRY IS GETTING STEERED INTO CHAOS AND INSOLVENCY AND WAR BY ITS UNREAD UNINFORMED DULLARD SHEEP CONSTITUENCIES AND YOU JUST LET THE CANDIDATE SAY ONE MORE TIME WITHOUT OBJECTION THAT HE'S GOING TO CUT TAXES WHILE HE CALLS FOR FREE 24 KARAT GOLD FRANKFURTERS TO BE INSERTED INTO EVERY AMERICAN'S ASS JUST BECAUSE BUTT BULLION POLLS WELL.
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Has anyone, anywhere, described our current American political scene as well as this?

11 comments:

will said...

Oh, you had fun with this posting, didn't you!

Great cartoon.

Anonymous said...

Z, I can't say that I can. But then again, I am Opus deprived as Breathed's strip has not appeared in a NYC area daily (mine is Newsday on LI) since the mid-1990s.

Anonymous said...

That's hilarious! I am huge Bloom County fan, but I never lived anywhere the carried the Opus strip. What have I been missing?

We need to put our comics in charge of informing our citizenry. The Daily Show, David Letterman, Berkley Breathed, The Colbert Report. They offer a much more honest view of things than the false "balance" on alleged news programs.

Randal Graves said...

Oh, that's just the most offensive comic I've ever seen, disparaging fine folks such as oil tyrants in dresses, oil tyrants in suits and the CheneyBot.

Liquid said...

Good one!

fingers said...

You don't have the franchise on dullard constituencies over there.
Last night, a 'must-see' (according to the network carrying the special screening), live audience with our Prime Minister, who was to explain the global financial catastrophe (and our government's splendid response to it) was ended mid-question so that scheduled programming would not be interrupted.
Apparently the nation's dullards are more worried about missing their 'Kath and Kim; The American Series' than they are about their missing 401K...

Madam Z said...

bill: Why, yes! I did have fun!

spartacus: I'm sorry to hear of your Opus deprivation. Try looking it up online. That's where I found this cartoon.

dcup: I agree. The comics may be the best source of citizen information, since they are more likely to be read and watched by the typical citizen.

randal: I'm so sorry to have hurt your tender sensibilities...oh wait...you're kidding, right? :)

liquid: Glad you like it!

fingers: Re: the "dullard constituencies," is it something about the English language that does it?

One Man’s Opinion said...

I use to like him, but I thought he sold out with the Sunday only comic.

DED said...

Nice!

Didn't know "Opus" was even out there. Ack!

Hopefully, there is/will be a book.

Dr. Zaius said...

"...in a buttshell."

Ha! Great line!

Mike Eberhart said...

Nice cartoon.
Thanks for the posting!