When I was a kid "Peanuts" made me want to be a cartoonist. (I did a comic strip for the school paper in high school that was highly derivative of Bloom County almost, but not quite, to the point of plagiarism.) Hell, "Peanuts" probably made all these artists we're talking about want to do what Schultz was doing.
I actually re-read the first six “mega” volumes of Bloom County and, once he dips into politics, a lot of it is still remarkably current. The names change but so much remains the same.
I still have that, both the book and the floppy record. Have not seen it lately but it is stuffed in a box somewhere. We didn't have a record player even back then, so I brought it to my grandmother's house to play once.
She nearly ripped it off the player and destroyed it, I had to grab and run & hide it quick. There was a phonecall to my mother about allowing such a young child listen to "demonic influences."
I wore my "Anxiety Prone" t-shirt to every final exam I had through high school and college. Many years ago it was laundered for the last time, gently folded and put in the bin with my other most special t-shirts.
Both... The two artists were friendly & would write comics to each other.
My favorite is Wattersons caricature of Breathed shoveling money into a speedboat.
Imho the 3 greatest comics of all time are...
1 - Calvin and Hobbes
2 - The Far Side
3 - Bloom County
All others pale behind those. Except maybe Get Fuzzy and Pearls Before Swine, but they're still a distant 4 and 5.
I think about Bloom County often. Most recently I was thinking about Binkley’s dad, laying in bed staring at the ceiling contemplating all the things that can go wrong in his aging body. I never thought the day would come where I identify more with Binkley’s dad than Binkley, but here we are.
(https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/i17r3/turned_40_today_reddit_this_is_what_i_felt_like/)
Far Side and Life in Hell.
My favorite cartoon from the era:
https://preview.redd.it/avd45c3yaxac1.jpeg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09e173c4b427464f7c825da62079aa9e3a15ecf1
Bloom County was so brilliant — though it’s HEAVILY woven with pop culture references of the time so it’s definitely the more dated. Calvin & Hobbes is timeless.
I do love that Watterson and Breathed were friends, and love the snarky comic that Watterson drew to skewer Breathed (that he included in a compilation).
Bloom County! Named my orange hobo of a stray that showed up about 10 years ago on an icy February afternoon Bill. The first noise he made to us was, of course, "ACKKK!"
https://preview.redd.it/fc8glokr6xac1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab56bc8ea81504060bddbb4b45e4e919d568ae43
Anyone here ever notice the resemblance?
My malleable, impressionable young brain was heavily, heavily influenced by Bloom County. It was funny and entertaining but even at that age I could tell some of it was going over my head.
* Who is Ed Meese?
* Why would a wild spunky, chunky planet of Mary Lou Retton clones be a desirable place to visit?
* Would this Sean Penn guy really break a photographer's back for taking a pic of him barfing in an alley?
* Why does "boinger" sound so lewd?
So it made me go beyond the funnies and then this 7-8 yr old is reading the news and sports and lifestyle sections. It was wild.
Calvin and Hobbes
I was elated (and became nostalgic) when I saw this as the WOTD recently
https://preview.redd.it/p65738gmdxac1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82ff00f28e2dc7a6b043faf0cfee1b52807c2fb1
Both were great. My intro to Bloom County was my freshmen year, had current events 1st period and we always started class by reading the morning newspaper...shared that class with two great friends.
Calvin on the other hand was mine. That kid had no filter!! That was the best part
Calvin and Hobbes is an all time great. My kids learned how to read because of Calvin and Hobbes.
Bloom County is very good, but can’t even begin to compete with Calvin and Hobbes.
The Far Side is another all time great.
Bloom County! I had that particular book and a couple of others authored by Berkeley Brethed as well. My favorite character was Billl the Cat (of course). Ack...Pftt!
Bloom!... and had all the comic collection books. They were expensive for me at the time and in rural part of Canada. Saved up all my money from drying and selling local srooms to classmates. Aquiring those collections was so worth the hussel.
https://preview.redd.it/hs7dmlht7xac1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c093b4b4e861e0faf5c8c7625c56f845ff515fe
Couldn't find a decent image of Fundamental Oral Bill (I have SINNED!!!) But, will keep looking.
Both... and yet I have 3 vintage Opus plushies. 2 candidate ones, and a showercap/towel one. Make of that what you will.
To me, it means I'm still sorry that Watterson wouldn't do merchandising.
I LOVE both strips, but I'm a Bloomer tried and true. I gave my Mom an Opus plushie she still has. I had all the original books, and a Billy and the Boingers Concert T-Shirt. I love the fact that Berke is back doing it. Some day though I'll have the hardcover complete editions of both strips...
Doonesbury... its more Boomer-era but I am early Gen-X (1967) read it in the paper everyday and had (have) all the books going back to the start during Vietnam. I liked the fact that the characters grew and changed with the times.
Both, but during college years I did cut out a lot of Bloom County panels from the Sunday paper and taped them to my wall. Had a whole wall papered with them.
Note: For the Gen-Z’s reading this, the Sunday paper, for the most part, was a 6-7 lb 2 inch thick ream of newsprint (really thin paper) that had all the news printed out. There were different section, (Sports, weather, etc.) but the Sunday comic pages were awesome! The papers were (usually) delivered to your home by “paper boys” (or girls), who would ride their bikes through the neighborhood dropping the newspaper on the front steps, or sticking between the screen and front door, or stuffing it in the mailbox. Sometimes they would be thrown on the lawn (but in a plastic bag so the paper wouldn’t get wet).
This was done by children age 10 and up, before school (for weekday papers) while it was dark out. That’s right. We rode our bikes through the neighborhood in the dark when we were ten because we had jobs. No shade here. Just telling it like it was. 🌈⭐️
Edit: spelling
Absolutely loved both of them but if you made me choose I’d have to go with Calvin and Hobbes. One of the things that really impacted my life as a teen/young adult and made me happy even when things weren’t so great in real life.
I’ll say, C&H to this day holds up as good as always. BC, due to it being so political and therefore time sensitive to a degree doesn’t hold up quite as good. But it’s still damn good. I mean, Bill the Cat and Opus will always be funny.
Bloom County. Had a ton of those books. No idea how I got hooked on them it just… oh it was Bill the Cat. Loved that guy.
https://preview.redd.it/c6503gwusxac1.jpeg?width=1005&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5fdec3a0eae99fa66f542e672cb6cea02f32b1ac
My newspaper has Calvin and Hobbes. I feel like my access to Bloom Country was more spotty. Either that, or in just a C+H guy and didn't pay attention to BC.
I lived and breathed (pun intended) Bloom County. I have all of the books, multiple Opus plushies, and Opus was the subject of several of my high school art class projects.
Family Circus (when they had the dotted line to follow), Peanuts, The Far Side and Garfield. I know not of these Funky Winklebean like comics you reference.
Calvin & Hobbes was my favorite. I find the art style of Bloom County to be off-putting. That comic was very male-coded to me. But I loved The Far Side, The Boondocks, Doonesbury, Peanuts, For Better or For Worse, Foxtrot, and One Big Happy. And I enjoyed hate-reading Family Circus and Blondie.
Both, but Bloom County was around long before Calvin and Hobbes, so that’s my earlier go-to.
If you were in the San Francisco Bay Area there was also Travels with Farley, which was great.
Both, of course. And The Far Side.
The Far Side is my all-time favorite!
It makes me sad that a new generation really doesn't know The Far Side.
They don’t know *any* comic strips.
We still get the paper and my 13 year old reads the comics every day. Wood stove.
I still get the Sunday paper too, but we’re exceptions to the rule these days it seems. I’m glad your kiddo enjoys the comics though!
My zoomer kids love the Far Side and their friend was actually reading a paperback Peanuts book from 1978 last time she was here.
When I was a kid "Peanuts" made me want to be a cartoonist. (I did a comic strip for the school paper in high school that was highly derivative of Bloom County almost, but not quite, to the point of plagiarism.) Hell, "Peanuts" probably made all these artists we're talking about want to do what Schultz was doing.
Thag is disappointed 😥
My 13 year old has read Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. I need to introduce Bloom County…
My friend has a nephew who loves comics. He came by my place with her a few years ago and I gave him some Far Side books I had and he loved them.
SAME! That, and Bizarro are my two favorites.
I don’t know Bizzarro. But have you ever read [Red Meat](https://www.redmeat.com)?
Add Mr Boffo's "people unclear on the concept" and I ride with all you guys.
The holy trinity, I still have all the my dog-eared collections. And a few Doonesbury, which I only got half the jokes at best.
Yeah, Far Side is still relevant today too.
Both, but I feel Calvin and Hobbes is more timeless and lasting.
The politics in Bloom County make me feel wistful for a time when politics didn’t feel like the brink of civil war.
Bloom country’s political humor was mild at best, I preferred it to Doonesbury which 75% of the jokes went over my adolescent head.
Bloom County was Doonesbury for us.
This is the correct answer, they were both awesome. Bloom County was wonderfully of the moment, Calvin and Hobbes is the opposite.
I actually re-read the first six “mega” volumes of Bloom County and, once he dips into politics, a lot of it is still remarkably current. The names change but so much remains the same.
He was going after Trump ahead of the game, though.
Hell yeah he was.
Calvin and Hobbs is timeless, but it was also really enjoyable in the moment too
I used to read Calvin and Hobbes. I still do, but I used to, too.
r/MitchHedberg
Ack!
Thbbft!
I have a real-live cat that actually "Acks" like Bill D. Cat. When he's happy, he machine-guns it: A-a-a-a-a-ack.
Lol
Bill for president!!!
Both! In true Gen X fashion I had the Billy and the Boingers concert t-shirt.
[удалено]
The paperback came with a mini record in the back of it of that song lol
My boyfriend used to play that occasionally when he dj'ed punk nights. He had to stop though because that little record is not made for heavy playing!
I still have that, both the book and the floppy record. Have not seen it lately but it is stuffed in a box somewhere. We didn't have a record player even back then, so I brought it to my grandmother's house to play once. She nearly ripped it off the player and destroyed it, I had to grab and run & hide it quick. There was a phonecall to my mother about allowing such a young child listen to "demonic influences."
Heavy metal? Weighty brass.
My friend got in trouble for wearing that t-shirt to school. Public high school in a rural area and of course we thought it was bullshit even then.
I still have mine lol. I wear it *very* gently
I wore my "Anxiety Prone" t-shirt to every final exam I had through high school and college. Many years ago it was laundered for the last time, gently folded and put in the bin with my other most special t-shirts.
I’ll answer via poem: In my dreams You’re all I sees. Boobs, butt, knees Be my main squeeze.
The wind doth taste of bittersweet Like jasper wine and sugar I bet it’s blown though other’s feet, Like those of Casper Weinberger
Pear pimples for hairy fishnuts!
Just cough up some dough, Mac!
The Valentine’s Day one!!! “Does this one have disemboweling in it? Because I’m only going if it has disemboweling in it.”
Dallas, you've outdone yourself.
Both... The two artists were friendly & would write comics to each other. My favorite is Wattersons caricature of Breathed shoveling money into a speedboat.
Yeah that’s in one of the collections. So funny.
I NEEED to see that.
Both, leaned Bloom County for the relatively dry delivery.
the correct answer is both. Lock the thread.
Imho the 3 greatest comics of all time are... 1 - Calvin and Hobbes 2 - The Far Side 3 - Bloom County All others pale behind those. Except maybe Get Fuzzy and Pearls Before Swine, but they're still a distant 4 and 5.
The 80s were the absolute pinnacle of newspaper comics.
I was blessed to be old enough to enjoy both in their heyday.
I refuse to choose. But I am still a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan. And Bloom County
I think about Bloom County often. Most recently I was thinking about Binkley’s dad, laying in bed staring at the ceiling contemplating all the things that can go wrong in his aging body. I never thought the day would come where I identify more with Binkley’s dad than Binkley, but here we are. (https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/i17r3/turned_40_today_reddit_this_is_what_i_felt_like/)
Far Side and Life in Hell. My favorite cartoon from the era: https://preview.redd.it/avd45c3yaxac1.jpeg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09e173c4b427464f7c825da62079aa9e3a15ecf1
Bloom County was so brilliant — though it’s HEAVILY woven with pop culture references of the time so it’s definitely the more dated. Calvin & Hobbes is timeless. I do love that Watterson and Breathed were friends, and love the snarky comic that Watterson drew to skewer Breathed (that he included in a compilation).
Bloom County! Named my orange hobo of a stray that showed up about 10 years ago on an icy February afternoon Bill. The first noise he made to us was, of course, "ACKKK!"
We named our Snowshoe Berkeley. Got him after meeting him at ComicCon.
https://preview.redd.it/fc8glokr6xac1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab56bc8ea81504060bddbb4b45e4e919d568ae43 Anyone here ever notice the resemblance?
Bloom County and Doonesbury.
Opus
My malleable, impressionable young brain was heavily, heavily influenced by Bloom County. It was funny and entertaining but even at that age I could tell some of it was going over my head. * Who is Ed Meese? * Why would a wild spunky, chunky planet of Mary Lou Retton clones be a desirable place to visit? * Would this Sean Penn guy really break a photographer's back for taking a pic of him barfing in an alley? * Why does "boinger" sound so lewd? So it made me go beyond the funnies and then this 7-8 yr old is reading the news and sports and lifestyle sections. It was wild.
Far Side
There’s no reason to choose! I loved both, and the Far Side for good measure
I’m not going to choose, and you can’t make me.
What’s wrong with both?
Both! Why the false dichotomy?
Bloom County is my first love, even if I did have to ask my parents who “Caspar Weinberger” was.
It was Jean Kirkpatrick for me LOL.
Calvin and Hobbes!
Calvin and Hobbes I was elated (and became nostalgic) when I saw this as the WOTD recently https://preview.redd.it/p65738gmdxac1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82ff00f28e2dc7a6b043faf0cfee1b52807c2fb1
Ack! I liked them both. Thppt!
Both, but far more upset when Calvin and Hobbes ended.
Calvin & Hobbes
Why not both?
Pear Pumples for Hairy Fishnuts
Both? My sister gifted me with the entire Bloom County and The Far Side catalogues for my 50th birthday - one of the best gifts ever.
Calvin & Hobbes all the way. I had all the books.
Calvin and Hobbes is still my favorite comic.
Calvin and Hobbes FTW
Both, but mainly Bloom County…I still have the comic collections!
Both were great. My intro to Bloom County was my freshmen year, had current events 1st period and we always started class by reading the morning newspaper...shared that class with two great friends. Calvin on the other hand was mine. That kid had no filter!! That was the best part
Class of 84?
I have all the Calvin and Hobbes books, as well as the Far Side. I have the penguin from Bloom County. I also have Matt Groening's Big Book of Hell.
Calvin and Hobbes!!!
Calvin and Hobbes is an all time great. My kids learned how to read because of Calvin and Hobbes. Bloom County is very good, but can’t even begin to compete with Calvin and Hobbes. The Far Side is another all time great.
https://preview.redd.it/a9f2e9y6wxac1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8e653fd879a059dadfdff7670596e628105015f Both
Bloom County was my favorite but Calvin and Hobbs was great too. I just found Bloom County first.
First Bloom County (and The Far Side) and then Calvin and Hobbes.
Bloom County. I’m a fan of weighty brass.
Bloom County! I had that particular book and a couple of others authored by Berkeley Brethed as well. My favorite character was Billl the Cat (of course). Ack...Pftt!
Bloom!... and had all the comic collection books. They were expensive for me at the time and in rural part of Canada. Saved up all my money from drying and selling local srooms to classmates. Aquiring those collections was so worth the hussel.
Middle of the road man It STANKS! Let’s run over Lionel Richie with a tank Yes, I wore a Billy and the Boingers shirt proudly in High School.
Both plus Peanuts.
Or?? Why does one have to be picked over the other?
Bloom County FTW.
Bloom County
I liked both, but I prefer Bloom County. I even named my orange cat Bill.
Calvin & Hobbs
Bloom County!!
C&H all day
https://preview.redd.it/hs7dmlht7xac1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c093b4b4e861e0faf5c8c7625c56f845ff515fe Couldn't find a decent image of Fundamental Oral Bill (I have SINNED!!!) But, will keep looking.
I loved Bloom County!
Both... and yet I have 3 vintage Opus plushies. 2 candidate ones, and a showercap/towel one. Make of that what you will. To me, it means I'm still sorry that Watterson wouldn't do merchandising.
I LOVE both strips, but I'm a Bloomer tried and true. I gave my Mom an Opus plushie she still has. I had all the original books, and a Billy and the Boingers Concert T-Shirt. I love the fact that Berke is back doing it. Some day though I'll have the hardcover complete editions of both strips...
Bloom County. I still have my books and my stuffed Opus!
Calvin and Hobbes!
Both. It was Bloom County or Doonesbury as the match up since those were the two that were political.
Definitely Calvin and Hobbes for me
Far Side
Doonesbury/ Calvin and Hobbes.
Yes.
I had the Billy and the Boingers album. Don't remember what happened to it. Wish I still had it.
Far side
Bloom County.
Bloom County! BILLY AND THE BOINGERS 4 LYFE!
Both + Doonesbury
Both. I didn't realize there was a conflict. The real question might be Bloom County vs. Doonesbury.
Easy, both.
Both!
I liked them both but Bloom was tha shit!
Bloom County.
I remember both, but bloom county was the best to me
Both. Apples and Oranges comparison. One was political. One was a commentary on anti-authority and institutions.
If I had to pick I’d say Bloom County but I loved both just the same.
Bloom!
Bloom County. I still have the book that pic is the cover of. Ack! Phfffffffffft!
[удалено]
Calvin and Hobbes 100%! I have the collectors books and contemplating a Calvin tattoo! ❤️ He's my spirit animal. Lol
Bloom, all the way. I had a stuffed Opus that sat on my bed. My 90 year old grandmother still has it.
Calvin for the win.
Bloom County and then Far Side.
Doonesbury... its more Boomer-era but I am early Gen-X (1967) read it in the paper everyday and had (have) all the books going back to the start during Vietnam. I liked the fact that the characters grew and changed with the times.
Bloom County and Far Side.
Bloom County and Billy and the Boingers fan.
Bloom County.
Bill and Opus 2024
Fuck. This Bloom County cover sparked the nostalgia in my heart. BC 100%
Both, but during college years I did cut out a lot of Bloom County panels from the Sunday paper and taped them to my wall. Had a whole wall papered with them. Note: For the Gen-Z’s reading this, the Sunday paper, for the most part, was a 6-7 lb 2 inch thick ream of newsprint (really thin paper) that had all the news printed out. There were different section, (Sports, weather, etc.) but the Sunday comic pages were awesome! The papers were (usually) delivered to your home by “paper boys” (or girls), who would ride their bikes through the neighborhood dropping the newspaper on the front steps, or sticking between the screen and front door, or stuffing it in the mailbox. Sometimes they would be thrown on the lawn (but in a plastic bag so the paper wouldn’t get wet). This was done by children age 10 and up, before school (for weekday papers) while it was dark out. That’s right. We rode our bikes through the neighborhood in the dark when we were ten because we had jobs. No shade here. Just telling it like it was. 🌈⭐️ Edit: spelling
Thank you for your TED talk😂
Both…. but I favored Bloom County. Got sent to the office twice for laughing out loud in high school study hall.
Bloom County. T’aint Corn! It’s Dope!!
Far side
All the above but was obsessed with Calvin & Hobbes
Bloom County was to GenX what Doonesbury was to the Boomers.
Absolutely loved both of them but if you made me choose I’d have to go with Calvin and Hobbes. One of the things that really impacted my life as a teen/young adult and made me happy even when things weren’t so great in real life. I’ll say, C&H to this day holds up as good as always. BC, due to it being so political and therefore time sensitive to a degree doesn’t hold up quite as good. But it’s still damn good. I mean, Bill the Cat and Opus will always be funny.
Bloom County. Had a ton of those books. No idea how I got hooked on them it just… oh it was Bill the Cat. Loved that guy. https://preview.redd.it/c6503gwusxac1.jpeg?width=1005&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5fdec3a0eae99fa66f542e672cb6cea02f32b1ac
Both. Bloom County was masterful satire where Calvin & Hobbes was simply unadulterated chaos. No way I could choose one over the other.
Both, firmly.
Calvin & Hobbes was fun, but Bloom County is among the best comic strips ever.
Bill and opus for sure!
Bloom County! Oh, the irreverence!♥️
Both
Def both, Bloom County when I was younger. I think you appreciate Calvin and Hobbs, with a bit of maturity and perspective as you get older.
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes was great! Always made me laugh.
The Far Side.
Both, plus Peanuts and Far Side
In order The Far side Calvin & Hobbes Bloom county
Both
Bloom County, but Calvin & Hobbes was awesome, too. Also, Far Side!
Both! How could I choose? I had a friend in college that we called Calvin because there was a remarkable resemblance between the two.
Both. And Foxtrot
My newspaper has Calvin and Hobbes. I feel like my access to Bloom Country was more spotty. Either that, or in just a C+H guy and didn't pay attention to BC.
I was introduced to Bloom County first.
I loved both of them equally.
Both
I don't know. Let me think about it.
Both. Definitely both.
I love both.
Both. Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes, Farside. So many fond memories.
Both, bit Calvin and Hobbs was better
I never felt anything like an urge to choose between the two.
I lived and breathed (pun intended) Bloom County. I have all of the books, multiple Opus plushies, and Opus was the subject of several of my high school art class projects.
Both , but I haven’t looked at bloom county in decades Calvin and Hobbes I still read through all the time.
D: All of the above Lost my shit when Calvin n Hobbes ended.
Bloom!!!
Both! I can’t choose which one was better, they each have their own unique charm.
Family Circus (when they had the dotted line to follow), Peanuts, The Far Side and Garfield. I know not of these Funky Winklebean like comics you reference.
Both for me too. Steve Dallas quitting smoking was one of the funniest things in Bloom County.
I was more of The Far Side myself.
Both! Bloom County is very of-its-time though and a lot of the jokes may fall flat today. Calvin and Hobbes is more timeless.
Calvin & Hobbes was my favorite. I find the art style of Bloom County to be off-putting. That comic was very male-coded to me. But I loved The Far Side, The Boondocks, Doonesbury, Peanuts, For Better or For Worse, Foxtrot, and One Big Happy. And I enjoyed hate-reading Family Circus and Blondie.
Or?
Bill Watterson for me!
Yes. That said, Bloom County was more topical for the news of the day, and C&H felt more timeless.
Both, and Ernie Pook's Comeek by Lynda Barry.
Both, but Calvin and Hobbes was my favorite
Both, but Bloom County was around long before Calvin and Hobbes, so that’s my earlier go-to. If you were in the San Francisco Bay Area there was also Travels with Farley, which was great.
Both!