OPUS: 25 Years of His Sunday Best

by Berkeley Breathed

From one of the funniest minds--and pens--of our time, at last, the definitive collection of the very best of Opus, everyones favorite maladjusted penguin.One of Americas most beloved comic geniuses is back, with this collectible 25th anniversary compendium of the best of Opus, joined by his hilarious supporting cast, including Binkley, Milo, Bill the Cat, Steve Dallas, Ronald Ann, and the rest of the residents of Bloom County and Outland. From Antarctica to Omaha, Opus has cavorted with space creatures, impersonated rock stars, fended off accusations of penguin lust, and even campaigned for office. Now, in addition to the classic strips, Berkeley Breathed also brings us never-before-collected Bloom County cartoons and original all-new material from his Opus comics. Brace yourself for the sidesplitting, table-pounding, milk-through-the-nose-spewing laughter that only Opus and his outlandish friends can generate. The perfect collection for both die-hard fans and those discovering the matchless humor of Berkeley Breathed for the first time.

Genres: Humor, Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Strips, Fiction, Cartoon, Graphic Novels Comics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed is an American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director, and screenwriter, best known for Bloom County, a 1980s cartoon-comic strip which dealt with socio-political issues as seen through the eyes of highly exaggerated characters (e.g. Bill the Cat and Opus the Penguin) and humorous analogies.

Reviews

[Dolly]

I love Opus and I have been a fan if Bloom County since I was a teenager.

So this book brings back a lot of nostalgia and introduced me to Outland. I did not know that Mr. Breathed had created this offshoot comic strip.

[Al McCarty]

Big fan of Bloom County in the 80’s, never a huge fan of Breathed’s work post-Bloom. But I still try to find that old spark here or there. Mostly I find it wanting, especially the later, computer drawn/colored shit. Ugh.
I didn’t care for “Outland” because he eventually returned to just doing Bloom County again instead of the Krazy Kat in Slumberland I was hoping for.?
Three minor problems with this volume: no page numbers, no dates (when a reference is topical, you want to know when it was made), and finding out that BB calls comic strips “panels” and refers to panels as “frames”. It is so wrong and dumb.

[Bill]

This is a collection of Opus the penguin strips from the three different stages of his career: Bloom County, Outland and his solo strip. Some of the strips seemed repitative but they may be funnier when separated by seven days (or more). What this book does accomplish is give the reader a nice overview of how Berkely Breathed's career evolved. Also, the reproduction is very good and strips are printed complete.

[Donald Bullard]

I used to like it....

Every has limits. Branding is a thing, and Opus got old. Its not bad, just long. Bloom County had energy and charm. Something about the characters around Opus got old and stale. The women seemed clearly meant to be ugly. Not certain why it dragged, but it did.

[Ifffat Ara]

OPUS: 25 Years of His Sunday Best is a wonderful collection for longtime Berkeley Breathed fans and anyone who appreciates clever, beautifully drawn comics. The humor remains sharp, imaginative, and surprisingly timeless. It is an entertaining retrospective that brings together memorable characters, witty observations, and plenty of nostalgic moments from Breathed’s remarkable career.

[Sam]

Bill the Cat still cracks me up and a long nose penguin that just wants to wear his Sunday best breaks my heart always.

[Chris]

Love Opus!

[Rachel]

Great collection of Bloom County, Outland and Opus comics. I have read pretty much all of the first two collections, but now I want to read more of the Opus collection. He was my first comics to love and explained so much about the world and shaped my wacky sense of humor. Berkeley Breathed is a genius and I love his kids books as well. Will have to read more in the future.

[angrykitty]

god i love bloom county.....it obviously was opus that first got me reading, but then, just the complete out there of the stories got me......

it's weird to see the evolution of the strips and of opus....i think i like the earliest ones the best....

[Christian Brown]

It's Opus! Berkely Breathed's beloved foil! It's a collection of Sunday strips from Bloom County to Outland to his new venture Opus. For anyone who loves Opus, it's a must have!

[Shelly]

I've read all of the Bloom County books...loved them all!

[Marie]

I designed this, but it was heavily art directed by the author.

[Spudsie]

Sunday best strips

[Jens]

Christmas present and favorite comic strip.

Opus at his finest. 'Nuf said.

[Melissa Lee-Tammeus]

One of the sweetest characters, ever.

[Peacegal]

Here's a collection of the ever-lovable Opus and his buddies, including the ever-something Bill the Cat.

I can't believe my husband didn't recognize this comic!

[Tracy]

The penguin stood the test of time. Funny and, somewhat sadly, still relevant, although some of the names are different these days.