I just found out one of my favorite comic strips will be ending in just over a week. I have been following the adventures of Berkeley Breathed's Opus character for decades. I've always really enjoyed his strips. They are always hysterical, sometimes touching and often cleverly not-so-disguised editorial comments on the state of the country and world in general. Breathed has some strong viewpoints and isn't afraid to voice them through his characters.
This isn't the first time that he has canceled his strip; Opus is the third incarnation for his cast of characters. The strip started as Bloom County, published from 1980-1989, and was replaced by a new Sunday strip, Outland, at the end of 1989, which ran until 1995. Opus began in 2003 as another Sunday-only strip. His very first cartoon strip, The Academia Waltz, was published in the late 70s when he was a student at the University of Texas. He has used a selection of the same recurring characters through each of these strips. Breathed has also published some great kids books, particularly A Wish for Wings that Work (an Opus Christmas story), Goodnight Opus (one of my favorite bedtime stories) and Red Ranger Came Calling (exactly how adventurous can one child be?).
I'm sad to be saying goodbye to Opus & Co again. They have provided me years of enjoyment. Hopefully, Breathed will see fit to come back to his characters again in a couple of years. Until then, thanks for the laughs Mr. Breathed! And at least I have a brand new kids book to go pick up to tide me over for a little while.
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