I’ve been a fan of OPUS, meaning the cartoons by Berkeley Breathed, for a while now. I remember coming across one of his books, more than 12 years ago, at a yard sale. It’s hard to describe what exactly made me like it so much, but I guess I liked the weirdness that was naive at the same time and that made me feel comfortable, for whatever reasons. Some of the characters set up a metal band called DEATHTÖNGUE and the only gig they could land was at the Moose Lodge … hehe.
Anyway, Salon started running his strips a few weeks ago. Needless to add that this makes me very happy. You can find his official website here.
UPDATE: Salon also ran an interview with Berkeley, as well as a longer article. In the former you’ll find quotes like
But there’s bad news for satirists. Bush has come full circle: His ridiculousness is approaching the sort of existential absurdity that is untouchable. Watch him try to string a sensible sentence together now. Anywhere. He’s become one of those guys with the Marx Brothers in “A Night at the Opera” who tumble through the door in the stateroom scene. I can’t make him funnier than when he’s trying to explain himself in a town hall meeting. Any day now he will go with “I’m the decisioner” and we satirists will know that our balls have been cut off entirely by a very shrewd adversary. Reagan did this too by becoming senile.
Dick Cheney is a different matter. I’d kiss him if I could.
That really sums it up. If it weren’t so tragic, it would be funny.
And did I mention that I love OPUS? 😉
