Berkeley Breathed Revives “Bloom County” Comic Strip, Inspired By Donald Trump

Berkeley Breathed has revived “Bloom County” after being inspired by Donald Trump’s presidential race.

Berkeley Breathed Shares New “Bloom County” Strip On Facebook

Breathed’s classic comic strip “Bloom County” ran from 1980 to 1989 and won Breathed a Pulitzer Prize in 1987. The strip was often political, and Breathed has spoken before about possibly reviving it to comment on political events throughout the years. It seems the time has finally come, after 25 years.

Breathed teased the return of “Bloom County” on his official Facebook page on Sunday, July 12, sharing a photo of himself at work, writing, “A return after 25 years. Feels like going home.”

Breathed hinted that his decision to bring the controversial and beloved strip back could, in part, be credited to Donald Trump’s presidential bid. A fan on Facebook noted the timing in a comment on the photo, writing, “Dear Mr. Breathed. With Donald Trump returning to the Political Spectrum, I believe it is only fitting. I have missed you guys.” To which Breathed responded, “This creator can’t precisely deny that the chap you mention had nothing to do with it.”

Before “Bloom County” ended its run in 1989, Breathed featured Trump as a character in the strip, creating a storyline in which Trump’s brain was transferred into the body of Bill the Cat, taking over the world of the comic.

On Monday, Breathed released the first official “Bloom County” 2015 strip, which has earned over 80,000 likes on Facebook and been shared over 53,000 times.

Breathed announced that he intended to continue to create new “Bloom County” strips, and will be posting them on Facebook instead of publishing them in a newspaper so that his fans will have easy access to them.

“I’ll publish on Facebook, as that’s where my old school readers can reach me. I want to hear from them – hear how my characters played a role in their lives – hear how they might still. Those of us lucky enough to be granted such a role should thank our fans daily… The return of Opus and the old gang is my way,” Breathed told The New York Times in an e-mail.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.

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