Letters to the Editor
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Woo Hoo! Yay! Hurray! And stuff....
This is so cool!
Salon Rocks!
Berkely Breathed rocks!
Today no longer sucks!
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You know...
as a peacenik, I feel pretty bad about every death in this war. I wrote Pres. Johnson about the Vietnam war as a child. I feel the same way about this one. Why do people have to die over this?
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Why does a cartoon need a letter?
Since you asked, I don't get what is under the guy's nose in the purple panel and I don't get that hostile look the penquin gives Binkley just before putting down the watering can.
I like the idea of watering dandelions but I don't especially see what's funny or satiric about a dandelion memorial.
It does bring to mind that old hymn by Isaac Watts which I know as Retribution:
Lord, what a thoughtless wretch was I,
To mourn and murmur and repine,
To see the wicked placed on high,
In pride and robes of honor shine.
Chorus:
But O their end, their dreadful end,
Thy sanctuary taught me so:
On slipp'ry rocks I see them stand,
And fi'ry billows roll below.
False are the men of high degree;
The baser sort are vanity;
Laid in the balance both appear
Light as a puff of empty air.
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Hmmm....
This is undoubtedly the best editorial decision Salon has made in a long time. Berk Breathed is the man.
Now if you could just coax Bill Watterson out of hiding you might even get me to re-subscribe some day.
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Pennywhistler
I think the reason there is a letters section is because, while it looks kind of lightweight (a talking penguin), Opus is actually a political comic.
In the purple panel, Binkley is resting his head on his crossed arms.
I don't know if Opus is being hostile to Binkley, but it looks to me like he's annoyed by the glut of memoirs using fathers in the title, and then he looks as if he's geniunely looking for an answer to the question. But I can also see why you see hostility in his look.
I think the dandelion memorial is a perfect tribute to fallen soldiers. This part of the comic seems earnest to me, not as if he's trying to be funny or satiric.
Then again, I'm not Berkeley Breathed and I could be completely off-base.
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dandelions aren't meant to be funny or satiric
it is a reference to an old bloom county strip, when one of the citizens of the meadow (it may have been the little groundhog, or binkley or opus, actually - it's been a long time) got overwhelmed about the state of the world, and sat in the midst of some dandelions to chill. it was a 'dandelion break.'
i think it's a lovely memorial, too.
thank you berke. thank you salon.
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What is Man
Using dandelions for the Memorial makes for a deep and multi-layered message.
1. It recognizes the fragility and transitory nature of life, consider Psalm 103: "As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." (NIV).
2. Pride gets humankind into a lot of troubles, yet we need to remember we are as the flower (even the leaders in high places). Consider Isaiah 40: "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them." (NIV)
3. Dandelions, while having a beautiful yellow flower, typically have low regard. Lifting them up as a memorial symbolizes lifting up the lowly individual and giving greater value to the lives lost.
Personally, I think Opus' look was more a sacrastic reaction to the "Paddlings of Our Fathers" comment.
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Yes yes yes...
Like Ken said, today no longer sucks. I'm home with a rotten cold while two long awaited reunions happen without me. Having Opus show up is sweet compensation.
Thank you Berke, thank you Salon.
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The nicest surprise Salon has offered in ages.
I'm glad Mr. Breathed is back, and writing material that combines the political and the personal without ruining either ingredient. A rare and precious gift.
Now, Mr. Breathed...one favor...could you apply some influence to have your only animated special, "A Wish for Wings that Work," re-released on DVD? It was only on a brief VHS release after it was aired. It deserves to be seen again.
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Yee Haw!
Nurtured by Opus's mother special meals...Yum...Happy Sunday! Made my day...er night, since it's still night where I'm at, but WTH. Thank you! Opus Lives!
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Yessssss!!!
What a happy surprise, Salon! It doesn't get better than Berkeley Breathed, and we need him now more than ever. I just hope we don't shred him too badly in the letters, as Salonistas are wont to do. And please, please, Mr. Breathed, do whatever you can to get "A Wish for Wings That Work" released on DVD, as tomreedtoon suggests.
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Thank you
Thank you for this.
Thank you for adding Berkeley Breathed to the site.
Thank you.
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Yeah...
...what Ken said!
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Happy Day! Better than a Dandelion Break!
Thank you Salon! Thank you Berke Breathed! I am soooo happy to see Opus here. You made this girl's heart sing!
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I missed Binkley
This is a much a compliment to Breathed as a sign I read the comics too closely, but I recall in the early days of Bloom County when Binkley tried to counter his tyrannical father's charges of wimpiness but getting a macho pet, some sort of big dog, and his dog turned out to be a penguin.
Though I miss even more Milo's grandparents, who I thought were the funniest characters even though they disappeared. My favorite Bloom County was when the grandparents were trying to go to some amusement park and wound up on the space shuttle as it was taking off. I remember that 25 years later. Don't ask me what that means.
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I missed Opus
and the rest of the Bloom County gang. It's rare a smart, relevant, and truly entertaining comic strip comes along and I was very saddened when Mr. Breathed decided to retire.
Welcome back Berkeley! Your voice has been missed!
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Walt Kelly
lives. Mr. Breathed truly is a breath of fresh air. A clear thinker if ever there was one...