Cartoon Analysis Bloom County

Cartoon Analysis

Bloom County was a political satire comic strip created in the 1980s by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. The comic is based largely on humor, often reflecting political iron, and uses imagery and symbolism ripped from the headlines of current events. First syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group in 1980, Bloom County debuted as a whimsical newspaper satire strip providing a parody of situations and events. Many thoughts that fueled Berkeley (Berk) imagination stemmed from experiences in his many incarnations while he worked for a University newspaper known as The Daily Texan. Largely influenced by Gary Trudeau with his strip Doonesbury, Berkeley’s voice in his drawing, often delved into political humor, hints of surrealism through animals, as well as dating & sex jokes. In the early days of the strip, the central setting focused on a boarding house run by the grandparent of Milo Bloom, who in the strips infancy was the major Character of the story. Milo Bloom is

The frame breaks to a clear white puffy cloud backdrop and a puzzled look on our character’s face staring at the reader as though the reader just broke the fourth wall and stepped into the frame. The tempo lurches to a stop. At the top of the frame the reader imposes a ask the question, “Ladie’s shoulder pads?”, or “The Backstreet Boys?”. This is a tease to bait the reader’s anticipation for the forthcoming announcement. Opus responds with, “Not them”. Subtly positioned in the frame are two dandelions. Dandelions in the Bloom County world represent tranquility, thought, and introspection. The artist often uses a whimsical dandelion field when a character is stressed or in need to self-reflection. In this frame dandelions are just used to inject a comical thought and a departure from the intense storm to reinforce to the reader that this is just a comic