Mixed Reaction to Early 'Opus' Strips

By: Dave Astor As winter approaches, a penguin is on the minds of many. That flightless bird is the title character in "Opus," which has received mixed reviews since making its debut Nov. 23.

People are also commenting about how the half-page size of Berkeley Breathed's Sunday-only strip is hurting cartoonists whose comics were dropped or shrunk.

But readers writing to Breathed seem to like "Opus" so far. The cartoonist told E&P Online that only a few of the more than 3,000 e-mails he's received since Nov. 23 have been negative. "The rest were decidedly pleased to see Opus in their papers again -- some movingly so," Breathed said in an e-mail interview. (A full transcript is below this story.)

Readers are seeing "Opus" in about 175 newspapers, according to the Washington Post Writers Group (WPWG), which previously syndicatedBreathed's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Bloom County" strip (1980-89) and "Outland" comic (1989-95). One "Opus" client is The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.

"So far I'm very happy with it," said Elizabeth McIntyre, the Ohio paper's assistant managing editor/features. "The drawing style is like nothing else we have on our comics pages and his [Breathed's] story lines haven't lost a thing." She added that reader response has been mostly positive, too.

Geoff Brown, associate managing editor/features at the Chicago Tribune, heard from 10 or so readers about the first two "Opus" installments. "I've received several e-mails thanking us for running it, and one from a reader who liked the art but thought the content was useless," he reported. Brown's personal opinion? "I got a preview of week four, and it was laugh-out-loud funny, whereas I considered the three previous strips to be standard comics-page fare," he replied.

Nichole Berkenhoff, readership editor of The Herald in Everett, Wash., said the paper hasn't received much reaction to Breathed's strip, "which makes us assume our readers are just quietly enjoying it."

Seeking 'a couple of haymakers'

Not hugely enjoying the feature so far is Mike Peterson, the educational services director who handles comics at a non-"Opus" client: The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y. "I'm not seeing anything new," he said, noting that Breathed's first two strips reminded him somewhat of the fantasy sequences in the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic. "I'd liked to have seen him come out with a couple of haymakers, not a couple of jabs."

Cartoonist/comics historian R.C. Harvey said: "'Bloom County' and 'Outland' were funnier than anything I've seen in 'Opus' so far." But he emphasized that it's still early, and that Breathed could be "revving up his engine" prior to doing better work.

"This is always the most difficult part of a comic strip -- introducing the readers to the setting and characters," added "Non Sequitur" creator Wiley Miller of Universal Press Syndicate. Peterson said this process is even more difficult to go through when a comic is weekly rather than daily.

Breathed agreed that "Opus" is still in an early stage. "Making a comic strip is building characters, stories, style, tone, narrative arcs -- a separate reality stretched over time," he said. "Generous time. You slip into it like you do a good drive into the country. I threw away the entire first year of 'Bloom County' and never put them into a book."

But participants in the "ToonTalk" online forum said Breathed is an experienced cartoonist who should have hit the ground running. They also wondered if "Opus" was rushed into syndication, and said its penguin character worked better as part of an ensemble than as the star of a strip.

Miller said the "Opus" art "didn't live up to the hype. It was simply colored in Photoshop, and at a level many cartoonists passed some time ago. Nor did the graphics utilize the space well; the layout design was lacking."

The cartoonist, who has been widely praised for his Sunday "Non Sequitur" art, added: "You expect some hyperbole in the launch of any feature, but it seems they went quite a bit over the top in this case." He still has hopes, though. "Berke is a very bright and talented guy," Miller said. "If he can do the level of art in the strip that he did in his children's books, then it will be wonderful. But right now, my socks are still on my feet."

Breathed plans to make some artistic changes. For instance, he said: "Photoshop colors and technique tend to go dark in newsprint, and I'll be adjusting. Far be it for Opus to be dark in any way."

Chris Browne, who creates "Hagar the Horrible" for King Features Syndicate and "Raising Duncan" for United Feature Syndicate, said Breathed should be praised for putting so much effort into the drawing.

Impact of a large format

When newspapers were told about the half-page "Opus" requirement, the hope was that some would increase the size of their Sunday comics sections. Given the bad economy and newsprint costs, that was a longshot wish. There's little indication that "Opus" is causing papers to add Sunday funnies pages, though WPWG Sales Manager/North America Karisue Wyson said she knows of at least three that might do so.

But Breathed said: "The funnies don't need expanding. They need editing. Half the pages look like 1938 because 10 lawn bowlers from the ShadyGlen Retirement Home get angry and threaten to stop reading the paper every time someone tries to cut 'Blondie.' Two things I would urge editors to accept: First: They need young new readers WAY more than they need the ShadyGlen Lawn Bowling League. Second: The ShadyGlen Lawn Bowlers are blowing out their ass when they threaten to stop reading the paper. You don't need more pages, comrades. Cancel the strips whose cartoonists obviously don't bother to show up for work anymore. Death causes some of that. Lethargy and wealth, the rest."

But Harvey said some older comics are still popular with readers, and some cartoonists who succeeded deceased creators do excellent work.

When papers dropped comics to make room for "Opus," did they pull the kind of strips Breathed would like to see pulled? Yes and no. The examples below include comics that are tired, not tired, old, new, by the original creators, and by successor cartoonists.

For instance, The Oregonian of Portland substituted "Opus" for "Cathy" and "Hi and Lois." The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee pulled "Pardon My Planet." The Herald of Everett dropped "Heathcliff" and "Crock." The Plain Dealer pulled "Rudy Park" and "You Can With Beakman and Jax." Extra space due to holiday advertising enabled the Chicago Tribune to initially hold off dropping comics, but as of Dec. 14 it let go of "Pluggers," "Bound & Gagged," and "Wonderword" to make room for "Opus."

They don't enjoy pulling comics

Editors didn't feel happy about all this. "Any time you have to drop a strip, it's hard," said McIntyre of The Plain Dealer. "Every strip has a following, and the artists are impacted." The Tribune's Geoff Brown added: "I respect each and every professional comic strip creator. What they do is not easy. So my comics committee and I do agonize over which strips to drop and which strips will take their place. [But] we consider it our mission to keep the comics lineup as current as the rest of the newspaper, so we freshen the mix periodically. We don't want to deprive readers of the best new comics."

A number of papers shrank comics instead of (or in addition to) pulling strips. For instance, The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., made room for "Opus" by running six or seven comics to a page on most of its inside Sunday funnies pages. Magnifying glasses were not included.

It's ironic, said Miller, that comics "were created by editors for reasons that still hold true today -- to attract and hold readership, especially young readership. You're not going to accomplish that by shrinking them even more and continuing to run comics created in the flapper era."

Harvey had some kind words for Breathed's half-page requirement: "I have to applaud his crusading spirit. He demanded more space on the supposition that comics deserve more space. That's a worthy goal." But he added that Bill Watterson, who did a half-page Sunday "Calvin and Hobbes" starting in 1992, was a better artist. And Harvey said "it's pretty clear Breathed expected papers to boot other comics off the page for him," which was "not very fraternal."

Miller added that Breathed has been "less than generous to the rest of the profession" in various interviews.

Peterson wasn't happy with marketing that implied "Opus" and Breathed could singlehandedly attract readers to newspapers. "No one's going to pay $1.75 to read a single Sunday comic," he commented. "His strip is not so compelling that you walk into the place like John Wayne and throw your weight around. I think he needed to come in with a little humility." He said "Bloom County" was a "signature strip" but "Outland" was not as good -- making Peterson surprised that many editors automatically expected "Opus" to be great. He observed that TV icons such as Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore weren't successful with some of their later efforts.

Chris Browne said of Breathed: "He's in a position to do it his way. He does have a track record." And Browne can understand why Breathed wants the space. "I've also been frustrated at how they've shrunk the comics over the years," he said. "I wish the newspapers would give cartoonists a little elbow room."

But Browne feels bad for cartoonists with modest client lists who can ill afford to get bumped by "Opus."

Is Breathed, by insisting on a large-format "Opus," responsible for other comics being squashed or pulled? Miller doesn't think so: "I'm jealous of his ability to garner a half page in the Sunday comics, but I certainly don't begrudge him for it. ... If he can get it, great. The problem of making the space for 'Opus' isn't with Berke, it's with editors. Blaming Berke for squeezing other comics smaller or off the page entirely is like blaming ballplayers for their inflated salaries. All those ballplayers can do is ask for the money. It's the owners who agree to shell it out. All Berke is trying to do is bring back some grandeur to comic art that's been lost due to mismanagement by editors. He has no control over how they will manage to add 'Opus,' if at all."

Breathed, addressing the mixed reaction to "Opus," said expectations were "breathtakingly lofty. ... Designing a feature that satisfies everyone with wildly different memories of 'Bloom County' is like trying to design an inkblot for a Rorschach test that every insane person will identify as a puppy."

He concluded wryly that the first line of his obituary will read: "Berkeley Breathed croaked yesterday -- he never was as funny as 'Bloom County.'" His feelings about that? "It's the price."

***

A Dec. 9 E-Mail Talk With Breathed

 

He Discusses 'Opus' Content and Size

Of the people who e-mailed you, roughly what percentage like "Opus" so far?

We've had over 3,000 e-mails during the three weeks since Opus returned. Three were classified as, uh, highly negative. Frank908 from Wichita wished me dead. Another half dozen were described as "questioning the direction" of the feature. One of those wondered where "Limekiller" was (a brief character from 1982). The rest were decidedly pleased to see Opus in their papers again -- some movingly so. That leaves another 50 million people to hear from, and for all I know, they may all be "Garfield" fans as Frank908 probably was.

Many, many fans want to see the old characters, of course. And many of those will never like anything until that happens seven days a week. But if Opus looks up his old friends, he'll discover that the children from "Bloom County" are eight years older. I don't think we really want to see teenagers in a comic strip. I'm not sure I want to see them in my house.

Is it too soon for "Opus" to be truly judged?

I was getting judged after the first panel on November 23. "THAT'S not the right color for Opus' nose." It was the price to be paid for doing the unthinkable. I'm on untrod territory here and it's going to be bumpy no matter what I do. Expectations are ... breathtakingly lofty. And weirdly scattered. Designing a feature that satisfies everyone with wildly different memories of "Bloom County" is like trying to design an inkblot for a Rorschach test that every insane person will identify as a puppy.

How do you feel about the the first three "Opus" strips you created? What are you satisfied with? What, if anything, might be improved?

Ha. One hopes nobody asked Van Gogh how he felt about his first three paint strokes as he got "Sunflowers" underway after his recent sabbatical to cut off his ear. "What d'ya think? More ochre maybe?" The interesting aspect of that question is that no cartoonist in the history of comic strips has ever been asked such a thing. Making a comic strip is building characters, stories, style, tone, narrative arcs -- a separate reality stretched over time. Generous time. You slip into it like you do a good drive into the country. I threw away the entire first year of "Bloom County" and never put them into a book. Ask me again in, say, six months.

Technical side: I will say that painting them myself is requiring downscaling my own expectations of how they appear in print. Photoshop colors and technique tend to go dark in newsprint, and I'll be adjusting. Far be it for Opus to be dark in any way.

Were you hoping at least some newspapers would expand their comics sections to make room for "Opus" rather than drop or shrink other strips?

The funnies don't need expanding. They need editing.

Half the pages look like 1938 because 10 lawn bowlers from the ShadyGlen Retirement Home get angry and threaten to stop reading the paper every time someone tries to cut "Blondie." Two things I would urge editors to accept: First: they need young new readers WAY more than they need the ShadyGlen Lawn Bowling League. Second: the ShadyGlen Lawn Bowlers are blowing out their ass when they threaten to stop reading the paper.

You don't need more pages, comrades. Cancel the strips whose cartoonists obviously don't bother to show up for work anymore. Death causes some of that. Lethargy and wealth, the rest. It's very easy to tell. And then turn off your phones for two days and have a drink, toasting their courage and a new comic millennium."

Any other comments?

People used to say that winning the Pulitzer provided one an advance peek at the first line of their obituary. Those will be replaced in mine with "Berkeley Breathed croaked yesterday... he never was as funny as 'Bloom County,'" It's the price.

***

Et cetera

Creators Syndicate is offering newspapers excerpts from A Life in Letters: Ann Landers' Letters to Her Only Child (Warner Books) by Margo Howard, daughter of the late advice columnist. Howard writes the "Dear Prudence" column for Slate.com that's syndicated by Creators.

Ann Telnaes won the National Press Foundation's Berryman prize for editorial cartoons she did for the Web-based Women's eNews service (http://www.womensenews.org). She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist syndicated by Tribune Media Services (TMS).

William Raspberry is taking a buyout package from The Washington Post but will continue his column on a contract basis, according to Washingtonian magazine. The Pulitzer winner is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group (WPWG).

"For Better or For Worse" creator Lynn Johnson of United Feature Syndicate has been honored with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, according to The Cartoonist, newsletter of the National Cartoonists Society. Also receiving stars were actor Mike Myers, singer Shania Twain, and others. The Toronto event was attended by more than 1,000 people and broadcast live to millions of Canadians.

Atlantic Media is sponsoring The Michael Kelly Award, which "honors a writer or editor whose work exemplifies a quality that animated Michael Kelly's own career: the fearless expression and pursuit of truth." The winner will receive $25,000. Kelly died this April while covering the Iraq war. He was editor and then editor at large of The Atlantic Monthly magazine, and a WPWG-syndicated columnist.

There are a lot of comic collections published, but the recently released "Mutts" book is something very different. Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell (Harry N. Abrams) is a large-format, 216-page, $45-list-price hardcover that includes autobiographical text by McDonnell, an essay about McDonnell by art and comics historian John Carlin, sketches, 330 illustrations (180 in color), and much more. King Features Syndicate distributes the 1994-launched "Mutts" to 500-plus newspapers.

United is introducing "Spot the Frog" on Jan. 5. The comic, which stars a lovable frog, is by Mark Heath -- a Rhode Island-based freelance cartoonist, greeting-card designer, contributing editor with The Artist's Magazine, author of Drawing Cartoons, and occasional writer of science fiction. "Spot the Frog" clients include the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, The Oregonian of Portland, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Editorial cartoonist George Fisher died Dec. 15 at the age of 80. He had worked for the weekly Arkansas Times since 1991 after many years at the Arkansas Gazette.

Paul Kolsti, founder of the Pen Tip International syndicate, has died at the age of 50. Pen Tip last year became part of WittyWorld International Features (http://www.wittyworld.com), which will continue to offer newspapers Kolsti's award-winning editorial and op-ed illustrations. The work of Kolsti, a former Dallas Morning News staffer, appeared in more than 100 papers worldwide.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services is offering the "Dave Barry Year in Review" by The Miami Herald/TMS humor columnist. Also, KRT has started distributing a garden column for various climates by horticulturist/author/TV-and-radio host Norman Winter.

"Rubes" cartoonist Leigh Rubin and his sister, veterinarian Jyl Rubin, are subjects of the California Heartland program produced by Sacramento PBS station KVIE. The show is scheduled to air starting the weekend of Dec. 20. Leigh's Creators-syndicated comic includes animals as characters, and he's the author of the recently published books The Wild Life of Farm Animals and The Wild Life Of Cows.

Tribune Media Services International (TMSI) has promoted Sales Director Ryan Stephens to co-product manager and current Product Manager Kate McCarthy to the new position of director, reprints/provider relations and co-product manager. Also, John Simpson was promoted from executive editor to executive editor, news services; and Dinah McNichols was promoted from senior editor to managing editor, editorial development. All four will report directly to TMSI President Jesse Levine.

Cartoonist Ted Dawson, who formerly created "Spooner" for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, is bringing his newlywed characters into comic books. Starting in January, Spooner will be published bimonthly by the Astonish Factory. The full-color books will feature new stories and art, compilations of the newspaper strips, and more, according to Dawson (http://www.hookedoncomics.com).

The second issue of the quarterly The Norm Magazine ships in January. The first issue included "The Norm" comics Michael Jantze does for King Features, online journal entries from Norm, and more.

The Dec. 7 issue of USA Weekend was the biggest revenue producer in the magazine's 18-year history, bringing in $13.1 million. Among the advertisers were Dell, Gateway, General Mills, Hallmark, and Pfizer. "Jessica Lynch Country" was the 36-page issue's cover article.

Yes, San Diego, there isn't a Santa Claus. But a teacher contacting San Diego Union-Tribune Readers Representative Gina Lubrano didn't like that fact mentioned on a comics page read by some children who still might believe in Santa. The Santa reference was actually in a syndicated column by John Rosemond that runs on a Union-Tribune comics page. "With all due respect to the teacher," Lubrano wrote Dec. 15, "I question whether many children may have read Rosemond's column... ."

Women's eNews (http://www.womensenews.org) is holding a fund-raising appeal. The service (Syndicate World, June 10, 2002) went independent two years ago.