Comments on: Observations on the Opus ending question

By: gary cooper

gary cooper — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:32:59 +0000

Being put to sleep at an animal shelter is a sad way for any creature to end. Opus was loved for his wit and wisdom by so many and this is a devastating way to shut things down. Thousands upon thousands of animals are “put to sleep” every day across the world. Opus didn’t have to go this way.

By: TJ Edwards

TJ Edwards — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:28:37 +0000

I’ve loved the stuff Mr. Breathed has come up with. I am only three days older than him and I’ve gotten a kick out of how often we seemed to have some interests or thoughts in common. I was heartbroken when he ended Bloom County, and thrilled when he brought back Opus, though it’s never been quite as satisfying as the good old days.

I met him once briefly at a book-signing. He seems to have a detachment from the characters we love. I can only hope he can give his most loyal followers the kind of an ending that wouldn’t hurt any more than the ending itself.

Charles Schulz chose not to give his fans a happy closure (letting Charlie Brown finally kick the football) perhaps because he felt he wasn’t getting a happy ending himself.

I can only hope Mr. B will return Opus to the one place we would most like to remember him: surrounded by all his old friends, happily at home in the dandelion patch of Bloom County.

By: Larry Levine

Larry Levine — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:20:00 +0000

After Breathed knocks off Opus, he should take over Gasoline Alley & have a crack at 110 year old Walt Wallet.

I’m only kidding, but Walt still being alive is a lot more surreal than a talking penguin.

By: Jeff Darcy

Jeff Darcy — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:40:46 +0000

I can’t wait for OPUS to end! And the new STEVE DALLAS spin off strip to start! How ’bout moving him up to Alaska with a bunch of saucy neo-con women, Berkeley’s so great at drawing, in skimpy fur outfits using tanning beds to ward off depression about the shrinking cartoon market

By: Jeff Stanson

Jeff Stanson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:39:24 +0000

Since Opus the comic strip is creating no buzz on its own, Breathed is likely trying a cheap way to create some buzz.

By: Lucy Shepherd

Lucy Shepherd — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:37:32 +0000

Syndicates usually give a lot of warning before strips end- when he ended BC and “Outland”, an official announcement was made, so I assume it’d be the same with “Opus”. After this week’s “waterboarding” strip (which was hilarious- “He’s a PENGIUN, dude”) I came to the conclusion that he’s yanking our chain and it’s a plot device, at least I hope so!

By: Stuart Portner

Stuart Portner — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:31:10 +0000

Was that excellent comment (#9) by Mike Peterson or PATTERSON?

By: Jeff Stanson

Jeff Stanson — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:18:36 +0000

Opus has been little more than “new reruns” of Bloom County, as was Outland before it. It’s time for it to go.

By: Garey Mckee

Garey Mckee — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:16:28 +0000

I don’t know if I’m a fan of Opus specifically, but I am a fan of Breathed and his larger body of work, and support him as a fan in all his endeavors.

I have stated in previous topic threads that I believe he had ended Bloom County too early. His subsequent strips were and are pale shadows of Bloom County. Had that strip continued and evolved beyond the point at which it was terminated, I believe we would see a much different product from Breathed than we see today.

It’s funny that Stacy mentioned Secondhand Lions. I have often thought that the fake strip he developed for that movie would have made a great real strip.

By: Mike Peterson

Mike Peterson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:40:55 +0000

“The average lifespan of a penguin is about 15 to 20 years.”

Binkley falls into a river, and Opus dives in to save him. Exhausted by the effort, he dies and is planted under a tree.

Later on, Portnoy the Groundhog marries Lola Granola. It doesn’t make any sense in the flow of the comic strip, but it does help to tie up the storyline, and Breathed then goes back and begins to re-draw the original Academia Waltz strips to make them more compelling and contemporary. And to keep a grip on his 3 billion papers.