I've just noticed that a complete reprint series of Bloom County is halfway through being published, with three volumes taking it through 1986. The complete Peanuts was vaguely interesting, and I put the complete Calvin and Hobbes onto my wishlist and always intended to buy it, but I ordered the first volume of this as soon as I knew it was available. I'll get the second and third when I finish reading the first.

Outland was never as good, and I don't think I've ever read an Opus strip.

I met my wife at a Halloween party whose theme was "come as someone you wish had died instead of Bill the Cat." Man I miss Bloom County. I enjoyed Outland, and even Opus a bit, but nothing compared to Bloom County, especially when you could read that, AND read Calvin & Hobbes, AND The Far Side all in the same paper.

_________________
I'm going to wait until you're sitting next to Ericubus and then I'll ask how you're feeling. - caryc

Up to July of 1981 right about now.

I just want to point out that the rest of you suck for not being as excited about this as I was.

I don't know how I missed this thread. I don't have the reprints. I still have the old perfect bound collections. A month ago I reread Penguin Dreams and Billy and the Boingers. I love this strip. Even as topical as it was, I still think it reads fresh.

One of my favorite pictures of my Dad and I is hiking a trail in Hawaii and he's wearing his Bill the Cat shirt (his name is Bill) and I'm wearing my Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Bill and Opus shirt.

Also, I'm literally 50 pounds lighter and in my early 20's.

_________________
"Watch my stuff." - Monterey Jack

Eric - I know this is an old thread, but the complete Calvin and Hobbes is now available at a discount. The wife bought it for me for Xmas. Very cool. I now have that plus the complete Far Side. If they do a complete Bloom County box set, I'll pick that up and get rid of my trade paperbacks.

_________________
I'm going to wait until you're sitting next to Ericubus and then I'll ask how you're feeling. - caryc

Appreciate the heads-up. Thanks.

The Complete Calvin & Hobbes is the greatest thing ever invented.

The only problem with it is that it's HUGE. I have the hardcover set and it's painfully cumbersome to read. I see a softcover version is out now. For just $60, I may spring for it and make it my reading edition.

Calvin & Hobbes is a cultural, literary, and artistic masterpiece, and is one of the most important bodies of work of the 20th Century.

I am 100% serious about that.

_________________
"Hitler had a pretty good idea there." - Eric

Quoted for absolute truth.

_________________
I'm going to wait until you're sitting next to Ericubus and then I'll ask how you're feeling. - caryc

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bill Watterson that he never licensed out his creation like pretty much every other mildly popular newspaper strip of the 80's and 90's and that he simply walked away from it once he felt he had said everything he wanted to say with it artistically. Considering how many newspaper strips basically devolved into shambling zombies cranked out by a series of yes-men over the years, it's impressive that Watterson managed to keep his strip as untainted by commerce as possible. I kind of wish he'd do something else, though...it's been nearly twenty years since Calvin & Hobbes ended, and I'd love to see what else he could do.

_________________
Wiggle your big toe.
Wiggle your big toe.
Wiggle your big toe.

_________________
-These are the demands and sayings of Ericubus.

In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be "replaced" by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten. - George Lucas 1988

Old news. Great news, but last years news. Now the fact that Berke Breathed is drawing NEW Bloom County strips that are appearing on Facebook is AMAZING news! This is my favorite one of the few that have appeared so far.

_________________
I'm going to wait until you're sitting next to Ericubus and then I'll ask how you're feeling. - caryc

That is my bad. I hadn't heard about it before, and saw the date as June 7 and thought it was relatively new. Didn't notice the 2014 after that.

Still cool though.

_________________
-These are the demands and sayings of Ericubus.

In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be "replaced" by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten. - George Lucas 1988

No worries. I was psyched last year when I saw that, very cool. I guess having new Bloom County strips is one good thing about Trump running for president.

_________________
I'm going to wait until you're sitting next to Ericubus and then I'll ask how you're feeling. - caryc