'Opus' is retiring Nov. 2
"Opus," the Sunday comic strip documenting the exploits of a big-nosed penguin by the same name, will appear for the last time on Nov. 2 because creator Berkeley Breathed has decided to stop drawing it, the Washington Post Writers Group said today.
The syndicate is expected to release further details this afternoon.
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Breathed (also well known for "Bloom County") launched the Sunday-only strip in 2003.
Bloom County began in 1980, and Breathed won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1987. He quit drawing Bloom County in 1989, when the comic was running in nearly 1,300 newspapers, according to Editor & Publisher magazine. Shortly after that, he began drawing "Outland," a Sundays-only strip featuring many of the same characters, but he retired it in 1995.
The St. Petersburg Times hasn't decided how it will replace Opus in the Sunday comics section.
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Opus will be missed
Posted by: Vic | November 03, 2008 at 03:54 PM
way too bad.
Posted by: william of san antonio | October 08, 2008 at 01:22 PM
"Opus" always seemed pretty lazy after the first few weeks. Why was Binkley a teenager for awhile, and then a kid again? Breathed clearly either wasn't trying or just didn't care.
That said, "Opus" was still about 100X better than most newspaper comics written by dead people nowadays.
Posted by: Dave | October 07, 2008 at 08:00 AM
What's "Mutts" or "Candorville" ? Northern comics strips?
Posted by: mike robinson | October 07, 2008 at 06:56 AM
Tight Corner
Posted by: Nigel | October 07, 2008 at 02:31 AM
sad
Posted by: | October 06, 2008 at 10:25 PM
Along with the late Walt Kelly (Pogo), and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbs), I think Berkeley Breathed is one of the great cartoon talents of our times. There are many very popular strips that seem to recycle the same tired jokes every week. I'll miss Opus and Steve - they were a treat to look forward every Sunday.
Posted by: john | October 06, 2008 at 09:29 PM
You practically couldn't talk to someone about comic strips in the 80s without talking about Bloom County, and Calvin and Hobbes. Frankly, I didn't know Opus was still out there. Maybe Bill Watterson did know when to quit.
Posted by: Joe G. | October 06, 2008 at 05:46 PM
Big fan of Bloom County, found it intricate and though-provoking. Opus was like a "lite" version of Bloom County, less substance but I still found myself reading it. Too bad, I'll miss the neurotic tuxedo bird...
Posted by: | October 06, 2008 at 04:09 PM
F-Minus is one of my favorite comics now, along with Pearls Before Swine, Dilbert, and the one with Bucky Katt.
I haven't read Opus in a while. I loved reading Bloom County when I was growing up, but Opus just hasn't lived up to its standards.
Posted by: | October 06, 2008 at 04:06 PM
I would suggest replacing "Opus" with either "Mutts" or "Candorville" on Sundays. I'd like to see both these comics on Sundays so if I have to name another comic to get rid of to make room I'd go with "F-Minus". Sorry to see "Opus" go, but from reading the Daily Cartoonist, it was bound to happen.
Posted by: Jimmy Delach | October 06, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Will miss their thought provoking humor.
Posted by: Marge | October 06, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Thanks. It wasn't funny or enlightening or inspired or artistic. It was a collection of has-been characters going through some kind of motions.
Posted by: Roger | October 06, 2008 at 02:00 PM