Berkeley BreathedThe Bill the Cat Story: A Bloom County Epic

Thank the gods Berkeley Breathed is bestowing new material upon us fans once again! This is another in his line of kids-books-that-are-really-more-for-the-parents-to-enjoy (along with Red Ranger Came Calling, The Last Basselope, etc), so if you're familiar with those other books, you'll immediately feel at home within the pages of this one. The story is wonderful, and Mr Breathed's storytelling keeps getting better. It covers the mythical origins of everyone's favorite hairball-hacking feline (thus the clever book title, I imagine). And the illustrations!! OHHHHHH the illustrations are amazing! The colors are so bright, and the mix of finished, full-color images, and "concept-sketch" style line drawings adds to the visual appeal that brings this book to the next level. My kids enjoy me reading Mr Breathed books to them almost as much as I enjoy reading them for my kids, and this book will make a wonderful addition to our collection! Thank you again, Mr Breathed! Welcome back!

Sunday evening I received on my front porch an Amazon Prime box which when I opened it contained THE BILL THE CAT STORY: A BLOOM COUNTY EPIC. I had just seen it on Amazon and sent away for it, thinking it was a collection of old/new strips of Bill the Cat. Turns out it is a (very good) “children’s” story and is age appropriate for me (I was but am not 34 or 35--see cover). While it seems to me the Bill the Cat I remember is slightly modified as I don’t recall him ever being, ah, affectionate, to any kids. But it is a great story. Some favorite moments...The sign for the animal shelter: Pedigree Schmedigree (“Pals Now”)Opus’s insert of “Shapely handsome” on the description of a dark, mysterious strangerThe censor bar on what may be Steve Dallas’s, er, cancer stick....this CAN be a children’s book, remember.The Bill-the-Cat head clothing item on the chest of the slave holding Bill’s sun shade and fruitThe “others” working on the Bill-the-Cat stone structure andMr. Breathed’s concluding words channeling a kinder, gentler Rod Serling....Every home MAY be complete without it, but it is a nice little addition.

At last the complete origin story of Bill the Cat. Only Binkley could stumble on such a treasure. I always suspected the link with Garfield that only the aliens observing our "Mostly Harmless" little marble would know. As with all of Mr. Breathed's stand alone books, this comfortably straddles the realm between a children's book and an adult graphic novel. Kind of like "Mars Needs Mom's" meets "Flawed Dogs". By the way, MNM was a much better movie than it got credit for. Also, procure a copy of the Xmas special, "A Wish For Wings That Work". In fact, buy everything Berkley Breathed has ever done. You will love it all and he could probably use the money.

Berkeley Breathed is a Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist for good reason. This, while not the Pulitzer winner, is the brilliant back story of a beloved Bloom County character, Bill The Cat, whose tragic and comedic story finally ends at happily ever after, thanks to a borrowed pair of Opus undies, and an Opus level of dedication to getting them both back to Binkley's house.

Worth it. Read it. I'm a fan of Bloom County, and this story was sweet as honey. Children would enjoy the story and the artwork. Adults would also enjoy this story and the artwork. I'm not gonna say I teared up at the end, but I was having a rough week and it was just sweet enough to make my heart grow 2 sizes.

Filled with his usual wit and humor, Berkeley Breathed tells the origin of Bloom County's very own Bill the Cat in this clever book. Masquerading as a children's picture book, The Bill the Cat Story is really written for Breathed's long-time fans (tho kids will enjoy the illustrations and the not surprisingly touching message), and I'm looking forward to more Bloom County picture books.

I missed Bill so much. I still have my Bill the Cat (bought c.1990) stuffed animal which is just about as un-cuddly as you would expect. I'm trying to ween my kids off of Garfield (thank-you-very-much Netflix!) and onto Bloom County and Outland and this book definitely helps. The weekly strip is a bit mature for them (6 and 9) but all of the many picture books Breathed has published have them hooked. Looking forward to the release of A New Hope but I just got The Bill The Cat Story yesterday and put my kids to bed with it last night. They laughed out loud 3 or 4 times and told me I should write a good review of it immediately. Breathed's work has meant so much to me since the age of 12 (now 42) but being able to share his work with my kids has been his best gift to me overall.

Not that great - I read it to my 4-year-old grandson, and we both felt left hanging, that it was a confused story about the origin of Bill the Cat with no real plot. I would not recommend it.

Bill the Cat and his cohorts seem almost sane in the modern America. We all need a penguin for the rocky days.

Sarebbe bello vederlo tradotto in italiano. Che siate fan o meno della saga di Bloom County, queste poche ma densissime tavole vi porteranno in un mondo assurdo fatto di bambini teneri e disillusi, colori ipereallistici e pinguini con un grande naso e un cuore ancor più grande. Poi c'è lui, la star: Bill, un gattaccio randagio in boxer, un pò schizzato e attonito, nella lunga ricerca di una casa. Un gatto bruttissimo, ma anche per questo terribilmente adorabile. Il gatto che tutti noi vorremmo. Da comprare.

What can I say. A great addition to my (or any ones) Opus collection. Great artwork and fantastic prose.

Book was brand new. Speedy delivery also.

A must have for any Berke Breathed fan. Gorgeous artwork, delightfully silly