A bittersweet farewell. The end of the line. The collected comic strips leading up to the eventual end of Bloom County. It was fun while it lasted!

Trying to explain Bloom County to those who aren't familiar with it is difficult -- the appeal was part of the zeitgeist of the times -- let me put it this way, Bloom County was to 1980's comic strips what South Park was to 2000's TV cartoons.

Perhaps Donald Trump said it best on the Critic's Page of the book...

"'I never thought Berke Breathed had talent, so he was probably forced to quit.' Donald Trump, Albany New York, May 4, 1989"

Or perhaps not...

Try it, you'll like it! ( )

A fitting end to one of the greatest strips: It is a testament to the talents of Berke Breathed that well over ten years after he suspended "Bloom County," it is still sorely missed by its legions of fans, myself included. Once described as "Doonesbury with animals," "Bloom County" took on a life of its own, and what a life it was. "Happy Trails" consists of strips from the County's last year, and all the familiar characters are here--Opus, Bill, Steve Dallas, Cutter John, Milo, and Hodgepodge--as well as a couple of new characters who would star in Breathed's follow-up strip "Outland." Breathed's observations are dead on, and the strips will often have you thinking--once you get enough oxygen back to your brain after laughing so hard. With the possible exception of "Dilbert," no comic today has the fan loyalty that "Bloom County" did--and now that Charles Schultz is no longer with us, I doubt any will again.

(Snif) The final Bloom County book, with a segue into the new Sunday strip, "Outland". Frankly, I'll take Bloom County anyday. ( )

Bloom County