Will 'Opus' No Longer 'Bloom' on Comic Pages?
Is "Opus" the comic ending? Will Opus the penguin die? Or is cartoonist Berkeley Breathed just playing around with readers?
The last two episodes of the Sunday-only comic have certainly given readers food for thought. Yesterday, Elvis Presley visited Opus' bedroom to say: "Hey, I hear you'll soon be checking out for good, hound dog." The week before, an omniscient narrator (Breathed?) told the popular penguin: "It's been 30 years. Let's talk about ... finality.... Time to face resolution. Termination. Closure."
When asked today about the future of "Opus," Washington Post Writers Group Comics Editor Amy Lago replied: "No official word from Berkeley." She also told E&P that "if there ever is" official word, the syndicate will let the media know. (In the above WPWG image by Berkeley Breathed, Opus draws the guy who draws him.)
"Opus" -- which turns five this November (hmm, five-year syndicate contract?) -- kind of continues Breathed's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Bloom County." The latter comic appeared in nearly 1,300 newspapers at the end of its 1980-89 run. -- Dave Astor
In an interview he did that appears in the upcoming Stay Tooned! 2, Breathed talks about how much fun he's having doing "Opus," with no hint of a desire to call it quits. I, for one, would hate to seen him leave the Sunday funnies (again).
Posted by: John Read | September 08, 2008 at 02:37 PM
I do hope Opus remains in the comics. Of course, in the 80's, Opus has faced death before. Surprise us, Berke.
Posted by: Sunny G | September 20, 2008 at 07:44 PM
I do believe we're nearing the end of this strip. The latest episode seemed very retrospective, complete with various "highlight moments" from Bloom County. Seems that a final goodbye is only weeks away. Maybe Breathed will publish the last episode around election day.
Or he's just yankin' our chain. God, I hope so!
Posted by: L. H. Puttgrass | October 02, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I have been a Sunday comic fan since my dad read them to me. Now at 39 I read them to my kids. Opus/Bloom County is my all time favorite. Don't go Opus don"t go.
Posted by: rich v | October 05, 2008 at 09:23 AM
I see very clearly where Breathed is going with this, October is "Adopt A Shelter Dog Month" and he's a well-known animal rights advocate. Notice how Opus landed in the animal shelter with a doggie who has never had a home and this week he remarked that he wasn't sure what he was put on earth to do? He's going find meaning by rescuing the dog and maybe some of its buddies, and all the "death" stuff was probably just to draw attention to the strip and the cause. But if it gets even one dog adopted, I say good for him.
Posted by: Lucy | October 06, 2008 at 01:59 AM
Perhaps Breathed is suggesting that he is dying of (or being forced to retire by) Spasmotic Torticollis, so he is going to end the strip when the syndication contract is up.
cf. http://www.salon.com/comics/opus/2008/05/18/opus/
Since then, there have been hints slowly building in the strips that there is an end coming.
Posted by: Sabrina Star | October 06, 2008 at 07:29 PM
It seems like Opus got a lethal injection; he sacrificed himself to save the dog.
Perhaps one can write a fanfic about Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, and Milquetoast planning Opus's funeral.
Posted by: Dane Furvowitz | November 04, 2008 at 12:16 AM