Penguin dreams

Ann Salisbury has de-lurked to bring us some good news: Bloom County comics are being rerun for UComics subscribers. The direct link is here, but you need to subscribe first.

Comic historians will find this even more exciting:

We are pleased to announce that we also intend to re-publish the full run of Breathed’s 1978-1979 college strip ACADEMIA WALTZ, which has long been unavailable. Details to come!

Did you know that Berkeley Breathed was one of several excellent cartoonists to come out of the University of Texas? He was followed by Sam Hurt, who drew Eyebeam, and Martin Wagner of Hepcats fame. I’ve never seen the Academia Waltz stuff (rumor has it that Steve Dallas was a character), and am sorely tempted to lay out the ten bucks for a subscription. Thanks, Ann!

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9 Responses to Penguin dreams

  1. Pete says:

    I have the Academia Waltz collection released back in 1979-80. The art is unbelievably crude, and the gags fall flat in places, but we do get our first look at Steve Dallas as frat president, as well as the inaugural appearance of Cutter John (here known as “Saigon John”). The only animal character present is a dog, and the strips deal more with sex, class, sex, Jester dorm food, sex, and Earl Campbell.

    It’s just a pity one character didn’t make the transition to Bloom County – the spaceman Trooper McMurhpy: “20,000 light years out of Tralfamadore and looking for a little Earthly tush!”

    And in my opinion the best cartoonist to come out of UT was Chris Ware (“Acme Novelty Library,” “Jimmy Corrigan”). He worked on “The Daily Texan” the same time I was there, and his strips were the stuff of legend even then.

  2. Pete says:

    I have the Academia Waltz collection released back in 1979-80. The art is unbelievably crude, and the gags fall flat in places, but we do get our first look at Steve Dallas as frat president, as well as the inaugural appearance of Cutter John (here known as “Saigon John”). The only animal character present is a dog, and the strips deal more with sex, class, sex, Jester dorm food, sex, and Earl Campbell.

    It’s just a pity one character didn’t make the transition to Bloom County – the spaceman Trooper McMurhpy: “20,000 light years out of Tralfamadore and looking for a little Earthly tush!”

    And in my opinion the best cartoonist to come out of UT was Chris Ware (“Acme Novelty Library,” “Jimmy Corrigan”). He worked on “The Daily Texan” the same time I was there, and his strips were the stuff of legend even then.

  3. William Hughes says:

    Although I am a long time Bloom County fan, I happen to have the books, so I don’t need to subscribe to the UComics service. I have to ask, however, if penguin lust is included in the tax proposed by the Missouri state legislature.

    According to Rev. Bill, penguin lust is the biggest problem in America today.

  4. Ann says:

    Well, I kicked up the cash for the subscription and am rather enjoying it. But I also got a Calvin and Hobbes book out of it as “a free gift.”

  5. Gary Saucier says:

    To: William Hughes, I also have all the books as you do, but there are many many many strips that do not appear in ANY of the collections. So if you can possibly spend the ten bucks, it’s well worth it. There are some gems in there.

  6. Barbara says:

    I lived in Austin during the time that Breathed was doing the strip for the Daily Texan. I thought his humor was right on the money. I had the original book back then but have since misplaced it, would love to have another copy of it to remind me of those days. Steve Dallas was hysterical as was Dot “Not just another pretty face” Chalupka who was a news anchor on a local tv station.

  7. Richard says:

    I happen to still have a tattered and worn copy of Academia Waltz. sigh…those were the days at UT. I’ll never give it up but actually wonder what it’s worth these days on the market.

  8. Jim G says:

    I went to UT the whole time Academia Waltz ran and have been trying for 15 years to get a copy of it. I will pay someone a reasonably over-priced amount for one. Thanks!

  9. Sam says:

    You wanna know what Waltz collections go for? I can tell you that–I sold both volumes of mine this past fall on eBay for $450 the pair.

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