I'm pretty excited to see this. Hopefully it's affordable.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/020904-Bloom-County.html
IDW Publishing is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of The Bloom County Library. Beginning in October 2009, each of the five volumes will collect nearly two years worth of daily and Sunday strips, in chronological order. This will be the very first time that many of these comic strips have been collected, and the first time in a beautifully designed, hardcover format. The books will be part of IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint, and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney.
"Fans have pestered me for years,” said Berkeley Breathed, “for this ultimate Bloom County collection in that polite, respectful badgering way that only fans can manage. Thank God I can now tell them something better than just 'please remove your tent from my lawn.' I can say, 'It's coming!"
Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed newspaper strips of modern times. Premiering on December 8th, 1980 — a month after the election of Ronald Reagan as President — the strip brought to the comics pages a unique amalgam of contemporary politics and fantasy, all told with hilarious humor and wit.
The beloved and quirky denizens of Bloom County include Opus, Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, Milo Bloom, Michael Binkley, and Cutter John. Breathed was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1987 for his work on Bloom County. The strip was published in an astounding 1200 newspapers.
The phenomenon that was Bloom County spawned a merchandizing bonanza, as well as two spin-off strips, Outland and Opus. The first paperback collection of the strip, Loose Tails, sold over one million copies. Bloom County paperbacks cumulatively sold over six million copies. At the height of the strip’s popularity, Breathed walked away on August 6th, 1989.
IDW Publishing Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier conceived the series. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be editing the Bloom County Library,” said Dunbier. “This is a series that I can’t wait to hold in my hands.”
The Bloom County Library will also contain a series of “Context Pages” sprinkled throughout the volumes. These pages will provide perspective for the reader, presenting a variety of real-life events and personalities that were contemporary at the time of original publication.
Chew
02-05-09, 12:51 PM
Ack! :)
stingermck
02-05-09, 01:08 PM
Oh I hope I can afford this. Hopefully it will be offered from DCBS
MBoyd
02-06-09, 10:46 AM
Another article with more Breathed. Someone on a forum floated an interesting idea about having a code for a Billy And The Boingers download rather than the record. How cool with that be?
This October, IDW is publishing the first of five volumes collecting the entire run of Berkeley Breathed’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip “Bloom County.” Edited by Scott Dunbier and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney, these five hardcover collections will be part of IDW’s Library of American Comics Imprint. The daily “Bloom County” strip started up in December of 1980, not long after Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, and Breathed developed a loyal following using the quirky denizens of the fictional Bloom County to comment on the politics of the time. CBR News caught up with Breathed to get the details on this definitive collection of “Bloom County.”
Despite the success of earlier collected editions of “Bloom County,” Breathed had resisted the idea of printing new editions for years. “The fact that so much of the content is so badly dated just kept me from getting excited about it,” Breathed explained. “I knew there was no mass market remaining to make a normal collection at this point.” But IDW managed to convince the writer that the strip’s legion of fans deserved to have a complete and definitive collection of the work as a whole. Breathed’s fans had been encouraging him to release just such a collection for years, but it was IDW that finally wore Breathed's resistance down. “IDW will do it right, which is what it will need.” In part to combat Breathed’s fears that the strip’s topicality has dated its content, “context pages” will be interspersed throughout the collection to bring new readers up to speed on the political humor that may not have withstood the test of time.
Fans can also most likely expect to see a new forward by the strip’s creator. “I'm sure I'll have something to say,” Breathed said. “I always seem to, alas. I don't think the collection will come with a flexible record of an obscene rock song, like one of the Bloom County collections came with. Scratch n' Smell-O-Tunes may be tried again. Really, why not.”
Breathed told CBR News that he appreciates “Bloom County” more now than he ever did when he was in the thick of creating it. “Age is a factor, I suppose,” Breathed said. “I should have gone to college at my present age to really appreciate what stuffing your head is all about. And I should have done ‘Bloom County’ with the sense of the world that I have now, to better appreciate both the art, the politics and the fun of having a successful enterprise against all odds.”
Back when he was writing “Bloom County,” Breathed asserted that the comics page was perhaps the single best venue in a newspaper to put forth political commentary, because most readers avoid opinion columns like the plague. Today, Breathed fears that the medium itself may be obsolete. “Nobody under the age of 60 reads any part of the newspaper anymore,” Breathed said. “Editorial pages are rather musty, empty crypts now. The New York Times op ed page is still fun. And they never had comics. I sense a connection.”
Breathed went on to write two “Bloom County” spinoff strips, “Outland” and “Opus.” The latter, Breathed’s latest, and perhaps final, foray into comic strips wrapped up last year. “Opus” lasted a full five years longer than Breathed had originally planned, due in large part to the political landscape during George W. Bush’s presidency. “I would have deeply missed Mon Amour Bush, it'd be like missing the World Series and you've got box seats,” Breathed said. “Politics is entering a very, very boring stage right now for satirists, I think. On the other hand, the world will soon become quite nuts. A deeply mixed blessing, these times.”
In recent years, Breathed has shifted his focus to writing screenplays and children’s books, because to his mind, the comic strip audience has all but dried up. “[Comics] were the canary in the newspaper coal mine,” the writer lamented. “When young eyeballs left the daily comic page, it was doom.” As far as Breathed is concerned, the last comic strip to become a household name in America was Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes,” and he firmly believes that the form’s dwindling audience means that the days of a weekly strip as a cultural zeitgeist have come and gone. Breathed may have hung up his comics spurs, but the writer is just as prolific as ever. “I’m finishing my first chapter book for young readers, due out next Fall, ‘Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster,’” Breathed said. “We're setting up several film projects on past and future books, and in a couple of months, Bob Zemeckis is scheduled to begin production on the film based on my recent ‘Mars Needs Moms.’ Retired, I am not, dammit.”
DJLinus
02-06-09, 12:53 PM
Awesome news!
Including the "context pages" is a neat idea. I was just a kid when I devoured the books; I'm sure a fair chunk of the riffing on current events went over my head then, but it did introduce me to a lot of the news of the day. I was probably one of the few 10 year olds who knew who Jeanne Kirkpatrick was. :lol:
MBoyd
02-06-09, 01:31 PM
I started reading it the day it began, I was probably 9 and was already a news junkie. Before Bloom County, my comic strips of choice were Dennis the Menace and Peanuts. I remember the day Calvin and Hobbes started too. Unfortunately, in 1986 we moved from Dallas to a small town in Georgia with a small newspaper and few strips. I just got out of the habit of reading them. I bought most of the collections though at some point but don't have them now. Hope I can score these.
DaveCole
02-06-09, 02:44 PM
Sweet. Hopefully it will include Outland and Opus. I was hoping for a Complete book like Calvin and Hobbes or Far Side received, but this will work.
Josh-da-man
02-07-09, 08:03 AM
This is great news.
Not a fan of the oversized collections like Farside and C&H; they're very cumbersome and I have concerns about the bindings holding up.
davidh777
02-07-09, 12:23 PM
I agree. While I own both the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes, I find the Peanuts volumes much more readable.
calhoun07
02-09-09, 09:52 PM
This is great news.
Not a fan of the oversized collections like Farside and C&H; they're very cumbersome and I have concerns about the bindings holding up.
Same here. I own both of those sets, but am worried that too much handling of the sets will cause binding issues.
Really good news about Bloom County. Probably one of just a few strips I want to see a full collection of.
whotony
02-14-09, 09:14 PM
so does this mean all of the strips have been found.
a few years ago when these started to appear online as a subscription there was and still
is a note on an ocassional sunday strip saying all of the sundays are coming, we are stiill searching for the missing strips.
whotony
02-14-09, 09:25 PM
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/3035/sundayszi2.gif
that is still up for many sundays.
TomOpus
02-18-09, 11:24 PM
I'm all over this... price be damned.
toddly6666
02-24-09, 02:50 AM
Does that mean that these are going to be same size and weight as the Calvin and Hobbes collection books? The omnibus books are such a pain in the ass to read - especially on the toilet!
milo bloom
02-28-09, 09:34 PM
Wow, I've got to get into this section more often. Hope these aren't too pricey.
davidh777
03-01-09, 12:08 PM
Does that mean that these are going to be same size and weight as the Calvin and Hobbes collection books? The omnibus books are such a pain in the ass to read - especially on the toilet!
I think the consensus feeling is more along the lines of the Peanuts collections (IDW also does the Dick Tracy collections, I think).
kms_md
03-06-09, 11:08 PM
i will be all over this the second it is released - price and binding be damned!
Chew
04-29-09, 02:11 PM
The first volume is available for pre-order :)
http://www.amazon.com/Bloom-County-Complete-Library-1/dp/1600105319/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241028527&sr=1-2
6 months until release. :(
MBoyd
04-29-09, 02:24 PM
5 x $33 . . . that can be done.
fujishig
05-06-09, 02:42 PM
The first volume is available for pre-order :)
http://www.amazon.com/Bloom-County-Complete-Library-1/dp/1600105319/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241028527&sr=1-2
6 months until release. :(
Hmm... through the "related items" section, I had no idea that "A Wish for Wings that Worked" was out on DVD...
whotony
05-10-09, 10:26 AM
Only $26 on amazon right now.
MBoyd
05-10-09, 12:53 PM
Ordered! Thanks whotony!
The Cow
05-10-09, 01:29 PM
Also ordered. Thanks for posting the lower price.
toddly6666
05-10-09, 03:54 PM
Is this Volume 1 going to weigh a ton?
And
How many Volumes are there going to be?
MBoyd
05-10-09, 04:02 PM
I think its 5 volumes with around 2 years of strips each.
bluetoast
05-16-09, 09:07 PM
Only found out about this a few days ago (from TVTropes of all places), have my pre-order in, looking forward to it.
Nice, I'm in for this one also. April of next year, hehe.
ytrez
08-20-09, 11:23 AM
I've got all the old paperback versions. Does anyone know if they're complete?
Josh-da-man
08-21-09, 02:08 AM
I've got all the old paperback versions. Does anyone know if they're complete?
No, I don't think they are.
ytrez
08-21-09, 08:18 AM
No, I don't think they are.
Shoot!
I bought the Calvin & Hobbes and Far Side sets and am buying all of the Peanuts volumes as well as the Popeye series from Fantagraphics. I really didn't want to commit to a new series at this point. I'm also concerned about the viability of IDW. I know they've been around for a few years now but does anyone know how they're doing? It's a tough market out there and I'd hate to see them go out of business half way through publishing the series.
Josh-da-man
08-23-09, 12:29 PM
I'm also concerned about the viability of IDW. I know they've been around for a few years now but does anyone know how they're doing? It's a tough market out there and I'd hate to see them go out of business half way through publishing the series.
They just celebrated their tenth anniversary, and seem to have a solid business model in place. Their books come out on time. They have licenses to properties like Transformers, GI Joe, and Angel. They release adaptions and original material by authors like Joe Hill and Clive Barker.
Chew
09-23-09, 11:33 AM
I just got an email from Amazon saying the "release date had changed".
Went to the Amazon page and it states "In Stock"! I have Prime, would love to have this by the weekend (although, not holding my breath)
TomOpus
09-23-09, 07:20 PM
Hello from Amazon.com.
We are writing about the order you placed on August 25 2009 (Order#
xxxxxxx). The item(s) listed below will actually ship sooner than we
originally expected:
Berkeley Breathed "Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1"
Previous estimated arrival date: October 08 2009
New estimated arrival date: September 28 2009
majorjoe23
09-23-09, 08:52 PM
They just celebrated their tenth anniversary, and seem to have a solid business model in place. Their books come out on time. They have licenses to properties like Transformers, GI Joe, and Angel. They release adaptions and original material by authors like Joe Hill and Clive Barker.
They also regularly sell more than Image (#4 of the Big Four) and often flirt with Dark Horse's sales figures.
I think they're the most successful upstart company in some time.
Chew
09-24-09, 09:03 AM
My copy shipped! :banana:
bluetoast
09-24-09, 06:38 PM
Pleasantly surprised about the sped up release date, this should be in my hands tomorrow!
TomOpus
09-24-09, 08:38 PM
Mine shipped yesterday. I should have it tomorrow...just in time for the weekend :)
TomOpus
09-25-09, 06:13 PM
Yeppers... it was waiting for me when I got home. As you could imagine, from the quote in my sig, I'm very happy with the back cover of the book.
FunkDaddy J
09-28-09, 02:55 PM
Let's hear some reviews!
bluetoast
09-28-09, 10:18 PM
I love it! I'm on page 200 right now, and man....I don't recognize any of them from Loose Tails so far. So much of this was uncollected (although I just passed the "Pear Pimples" one). Had no idea a bunch of these characters existed in the first place.
There are occasional context texts to the side of the strip, and some thoughts from Breathed on certain strips, which are great to see. There are also a few interludes within the collection itself that take a break to give the year's headlines.
In addition, there are a couple pages of Breathed's Academia Waltz strip, which is great to see.
fujishig
09-29-09, 07:24 PM
I'm amazed that he apparently had never really read a comic strip outside of Doonesbury before starting his run.
I love the little notes, do other similar collections have that?
MBoyd
09-29-09, 07:32 PM
mine still hasn't shipped!
FunkDaddy J
09-30-09, 08:45 AM
Got mine yesterday. Wow, this thing is fantastic. There are so many strips I don't remember. I dug out my old copy of Bloom County Babylon and did a quick comparison. Sure enough, at least early on, there are a LOT of strips that were just skipped over in the early books. We haven't seen a lot of these since they were in the newspaper, if ever.
Anyway, great production, nice commentary from Breathed, excellent (though brief) historical footnotes. Love it!
Rainet
09-30-09, 09:31 AM
Just placed an order at amazon. Hope it gets shipped soon. I wonder if after the 5 volumes are out, will they make a slipcase for the 5.
MBoyd
09-30-09, 10:14 AM
I just got an email that said it will arrive between Oct 20-29! Anyone seen this at brick and morters yet?
FunkDaddy J
10-01-09, 01:33 PM
Interesting Breathed interview here:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/15842.html
fujishig
10-01-09, 01:45 PM
I wonder why they never let him do full collections. Or were all comic strip collections truncated like that? I remember as a kid I used to collect Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, and other strip collections, and I thought it odd at the time that Bloom County only had a handful of collections.
whotony
10-01-09, 09:30 PM
wth
I got an email from amazon the other day. I ordered this as soon as it went on site.
Hello from Amazon.com.
We're writing about the order you placed on May 10 2009 (Order# 4). Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below has changed, and we need to provide you with a new delivery estimate based on the new release date:
Berkeley Breathed "Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1"
Estimated arrival date: October 20 2009 - October 26 2009
We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay.
FunkDaddy J
10-01-09, 10:44 PM
Well, hopefully they're not sticking you with a second edition from a new pressing ...
bluetoast
10-01-09, 11:35 PM
Finished this a few nights ago...man I can't wait for the next edition. However I do wish there were more comments from Breathed, they seemed to be sparse.
whotony
10-07-09, 07:00 PM
Well they finally shipped mine today and then I noticed the price went down to 23.39, but they havent offered me a credit.
MBoyd
10-07-09, 09:44 PM
Mine shipped 2 days ago and today I was offered a small credit. .18 I think.
FangsFirst
10-09-09, 07:05 PM
Anyone else notice the censored versions of some strips?
whotony
10-09-09, 07:14 PM
are you sure you mean censored.
I thought I read that BB actually changed some of the strips himself in previous compilations.
And why would you say censored, do you know that someone edited the strips to be different then what BB intended?
The Cow
10-09-09, 07:47 PM
Strips were changed in syndication over the years. It just depends on where IDW got their source strips (i.e., IDW did not change them for this book) The other books put out over the years have variations as well.
FangsFirst
10-09-09, 08:46 PM
are you sure you mean censored.
I thought I read that BB actually changed some of the strips himself in previous compilations.
And why would you say censored, do you know that someone edited the strips to be different then what BB intended?
For instance: in one case "God" is changed to "Gawd," "Birth Control Pills" is changed to "Pills"...I'd say 'censor' is the right phrase....Maybe not in a few cases, but most of them look suspect in this regard.
Counted about 10 of them in total.
EDIT: oh and I say censored because one of them has a line to dialogue with a curious gap between the words and the line (no gap in the originally collected version) and another has mysterious gaps and un-matched printing in the dialogue--which looks like a really BAD editing job.
Two were in a different arrangement (Opus and Steve at a bar, bemoaning Steve's unrequited love--this "new" arrangement did, actually, make more sense, though).
MBoyd
10-09-09, 10:19 PM
received mine today and Amazon mailed it out in a thin envelope so of course its dinged, bowed and the bookmark was ripped out. I requested a new one and this one is being mailed back.
TomOpus
10-10-09, 10:52 AM
received mine today and Amazon mailed it out in a thin envelope so of course its dinged, bowed and the bookmark was ripped out. I requested a new one and this one is being mailed back.Interesting. I ordered mine from Amazon and it arrived in a box. Not sure if it was because I'm Prime.
MBoyd
10-10-09, 01:11 PM
I thought of that. But I have had many items shipped free in boxes or at least "wrapped" with cardboard. The new one is on it's way and the old was dropped in the mail this morning.
whotony
10-10-09, 01:19 PM
Well they finally shipped mine today and then I noticed the price went down to 23.39, but they havent offered me a credit.
So far no credit on my order.
I've looked on amazon but can't find a place to request a refund on the difference.
anyone have any help on this?
FangsFirst
10-10-09, 02:30 PM
So far no credit on my order.
I've looked on amazon but can't find a place to request a refund on the difference.
anyone have any help on this?
They don't automatically do it after the item has already shipped out I do believe. I think it's only if the price drops on a pre-order before it's released.
You'll probably want to contact their customer service and duke it out.
The Cow
10-10-09, 02:36 PM
They don't automatically do it after the item has already shipped out I do believe. I think it's only if the price drops on a pre-order before it's released.
You'll probably want to contact their customer service and duke it out.
The did for me on this and the Snow White blu-ray, both this past week. Got the credit posted (and unsolicited emails from Amazon) after I already had both in hand.
whotony, check that Snow White thread in the Blu-ray forum, I think there is an indicator in there of who to email @ amazon.
FangsFirst
10-11-09, 01:54 AM
The did for me on this and the Snow White blu-ray, both this past week. Got the credit posted (and unsolicited emails from Amazon) after I already had both in hand.
whotony, check that Snow White thread in the Blu-ray forum, I think there is an indicator in there of who to email @ amazon.
Well, I meant if the price changes after they ship it. but perhaps you were talking about an instance of the price changing after it shipped and I just didn't get it....
Buy: