Bloom County 2019 by Berkeley Breathed for December 04, 2016

Did she ever write a poem about a man from Nantucket?

Someone dares to rewrite Emily Dickinson.

I never knew she could be so bawdy.

I actually thought BB was quoting a Dickinson poem BUT when he got to; “…to scratch my ass on bark…” I spit my coffee all over my computer screen.

That’s not what most of us think of when we hear of someone getting pickled…

It’s not polite to pickle your nose in public.

Funny. Now I want to read more about her.

She would now be 186 years old.

BB, since poetry obviously isn’t your thing, just leave it alone.

WHHHHOOOOOAAAAAAAA!!!!

This is a revisionist strip! The pig used to be called Hamon Eggs, but was later re-baptized as Mr. Truffles.

I believe this is the original strip (it was actually an Outland strip, after the end of the original Bloom County):

http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1990/08/26

Compare the footnote under Emily Dickinson’s portrait.

There are other Outland strips that had the name of the pig changed or removed, for example this one:

https://goo.gl/H2wmiB

has an alternate version that omits the name:

http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/2015/08/26

I’m surprised BB got away with putting the word ‘ass’ in his comic back in 1990. It might not be so controversial today. [Emphasis on MIGHT.]

The book title is on the back cover.

If only poetry were taught with such illustrations. Sigh.

Truffles must be reading a Japanese book in the last panel, based on the cover placement.

Mr. Truffles seems to be content to act as Second Banana to Opus. Fair enough.

But don’t shove pickles up your nose! Have you no self-respect?

Opus is already beyond the fringe…..

Animation reminds one of Walt Kelly’s Pogo stories.

Methinks I prefer this version to the original.

I’m sure that BB enjoyed Emily Dickinson’s poems but he never actually copied any of them onto his strips. He got a lot of flack from military pilots after copying John Gillespie Magee Jrs. poem “High Flight” in a Bloom County Sunday strip where Opus was dreaming of flying and probably steered clear of copying actual poems again after that.