Berkeley Breathed says goodbye to Opus: 'I'm destroying the village to save it'

EXCLUSIVE

Berkeley Breathed is putting his penguin on ice. The 51-year-old cartoonist said he will pull the plug on his comic-strip career and “Opus” after Nov. 2.

In an e-mail to the Los Angeles Times, the 51-year-old Breathed wrote, “30 years of cartooning to end. I’m destroying the village to save it. Opus would inevitably become a ranting mouthpiece in the coming wicked days, and I respect the other parts of him too much to see that happen. The Michael Moore part of me would kill the part of him that was important to his fans.”

"Opus," a 5-year-old Sunday comic with a madcap political bent, stars the pudgy penguin from Breathed’s classic “Bloom County” strip. It will end just before the presidential election.

Breathed, who won a Pulitzer Prize for “Bloom County,” also writes screenplays, novels and children’s books. In a press release from the Washington Post Writers Group, which syndicates “Opus,” he said, “With the crisis in Wall Street and Washington, I’m suspending my comic strip to assist the nation. The best way I can help is to leave politics permanently and write funny stories for America’s kids. I call on John McCain to join me.”

“Opus” will end with an online contest asking readers to guess the fate of the penguin. At Breathed's website there is a notice that "The Opus Paradise Contest" begins Oct. 12. The Times has not yet decided on a replacement for “Opus” on Sundays.

-- Sherry Stern

Image of Opus, drawn by Berkeley Breathed, courtesy of the artist and the Washington Post Writer's Group.

January 2007 photo by the Associated Press shows Berkeley Breathed and his penguin creation.

Comments

[tom w.]

NO...... this is one of the few good strips left. WHY??????

I thought he was kidding with the recent story line.

This sucks

[John Frumm]

I take it this guy is republican, and he feels if Obama is elected his comic would inevitably become a ranting mouthpiece in the coming wicked days?

[Chinatown]

Ok all i got to say is this

its the robots people

let me take you to the year 2002

notice something fnny? you should. alien robot overlords took over the planet

now they are experimenting with different market holy actCHRISTIASNdBALEOM

[JOhn Beaty]

Actually, he's always been an equal-opportunity mocker of pretentiousness, both Democrat and Republican. But he also has tremendous respect for his fans and his characters.

It's worth finding the BLoom County books: them's good readin'!

[Brian S.]

John Frumm, that is exactly the kind of thinking that has energized the conservative base of the GOP into accepting sub-mediocrity. Good luck with that strategy.

[Allen g]

I don't think you could read any of Mr. Breathed's strips and think he was a republican.

[Dan R.]

@ John Frumm

That's not what it looks like to me, considering he called on John McCain to join him in quitting, and going to write children's books.

[Tom]

I highly doubt it John Frumm. He'll go out hammering on conservatives, Republicans, the Bush administration, Christians, etc. and do his best to ensure Obama wins the presidential election. His prior illustrations, the strip's themes, the timing of his departure, and the fact that the strip appears on the FRONT page of Comics 2 in the Times GUARANTEES that he wants to unload everything and all available venom to impact the election for the Dems as greatly as possible.

[Bocephus H]

It's okay buddy, no one reads your comic anyway.

[Nelson Jones]

I've always hated opus. the commentary is obvious and more or less redundant, the punchlines aren't smart or even funny. The whole thing stinks up half the philly inq's front page with its air of superiority and a smugness usually reserved for people who have actually given something worthwhile to its fans. I'd rather read Cathy.

[Fred Garvin]

Breathed is simply being Breathed with the John McCain comment. I miss Bloom County and will likewise miss Opus. What's next, Doonesbury going away? To the bookstore!!

[Jim]

"The Times has not yet decided on a replacement for 'Opus' on Sundays" -- hmm, based on current trends in the Times (and in newspapers in general), I have a feeling that the "replacement" will be a reduction in size of the Times's Sunday comics section(s). The editors will shrink the printed size of the remaining strips and cut the amount of "Kids' Reading Room" content somewhat, and the comics will go from 8 total pages down to 6.

[Mary J Davis]

I think it is really selfish of you to give up now. The public (me, I) supported you for many, many years. Now you are just slinging the pen at us when things are getting difficult? I am your age, and I feel like "For Better or Worse" totally let us down in the "Worse" department, and Opus is letting us down when the going gets tough. What's with you guys? I actually buy the paper for the comics. Should I just throw in the towel? I am not going to buy any more of your books. Sorry you feel better with Disney, but hey, life is life- it isn't Disney. MJD

[Lassie]

I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned here at all that BB is suffering from a very painful medical condition. I forgot what it's called but it involves a spasm of the neck. It's very painful for him to physically draw his strip now.

Besides, there's nothing and no one out there to satirize any more. Think back to the 70's and 80's - Nixon among them....BB has been at it for a long time and I can't blame him for calling it quits.

I still own a plush stuffed Opus with detachable "antlers" with Xmas bulbs hanging from them, and Opus still goes in a place of honor under the tree every year. Bye, little buddy.

[al colby]

Why....!!! Like someone else has said, Opus is the best comic strip. One of the few reasons why I still by the paper news. Darn it!!!!!

[MH]

Good riddance. Opus needs to be set free from Berk's self-righteous attitude.

[FreeTHinker]

I remember reading Bloom County when it was penned by Berk Breathed. Somewhere along the line, a guy who can draw funny pictures convinced himself that what he had to say was really importtant. The cartoons lost the wit and became parodies of their self-absorbed creator. The same guy who foisted a spastic cat on us expect a lament for his exit. Sorry pal. Good riddance to your simplistic tripe.

[Andy p]

As much as I've loved Bloom County and Outland I have to admit I think this is a good decision on his part. During his run on 'Opus' I've seen his writing turn from breezy yet cutting social satire to ham-fisted political cartooning. He used to have to have a deft touch with his political strips, but 'Opus' is just a blunt weekly rant. To borrow a phrase from Obama, Breathed is working with a hatchet where he used to wield a scalpel.

I don't mean that to come off so harsh because Bloom County and Outland are among the best comics ever made, easily up there with Krazy Kat, Little Nemo, Peanuts, and Calvin & Hobbes.

[Roger Krueger]

Yeah, yeah, B.B. Not the first time you've retired. Let's see if you can make it stick this time. Try watercolors--it seems to have worked for Watterson (sadly).

Oh well, maybe this means we can get Brevity back.

[Carl]

Finally. Frankly that comic strip sucked.

[Peterjoshua]

NO MORE OPUS? Say it isn't so! I live for the last page of the Sunday comics where its located. I relish each frame, each statement.........I have 5 of the Bloom County books,,,that I have reread (not unlike Gone with the WInd). This must be one of those demons from MY insecurity closet/nightmare closet. I mean, you just kind of think that somethings will always be there...........Doonesbury..............OPUS.............porn........
I will never be able to throw myself down naked in a field of flowers with quite the same abandonement..........
Sniff,,,,Sigh,,,,,,Sniff........I haven't felt this betrayed since the Milli Vanilli scandal!

[Jeff Parker]

All I can say to Berkeley Breathed is Thank You.

I enjoyed Bloom County through high school and university. I remember hanging many from the Sunday papers on the door or refrigerator through the years. Good times.

Any talk from folks about Breathed being selfish is selfish in its own right. (Who do you serve?)

Remember, ending a party before it turns lame makes for the best memories.

Thanks again for countless memories, Breathed.

[Karl Ross]

This strip died a long time ago. At least the Richmond newspaper (Times-Dispatch) had the good sense to move it to the inside pages on Sunday, rather than wasting the front page of the comics section.

[Jenn]

This is a sad fate for Opus and the Crew, but I respect the author's decision. I myself have been a loyal fan since day one. Nothing beats today's chaos like a dose of comic reality and imaginative interpretation. Mr. Breathed deserves a standing ovation for his loyalty to the strip, the characters and us and for keeping it real throughout the criticism and hardships of being a strip man. Congratulations, Berkeley, on being able to make me laugh, snicker, chuckle, kafaw, and smile about the going to hell in a hand basket world we're in. And thanks for giving me something to relate to when the normal didn't seem normal to me. Glad to know I'm not the only one. Cheers!

[George Kaplan]

Thank God. Let's hope he sticks at retiring this time. I rather doubt it, though--there's still a market for Opus toys.