Billy and the Boingers Bootleg
| Company type | Publication |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comics, Books |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | Berkeley Breathed |
| Products | Comic strip anthology, flexi disc record |
Billy and the Boingers Bootleg represents the fifth anthology in the Bloom County comic strip series by Berkeley Breathed, released in 1987. This volume succeeds Bloom County Babylon and comes before Tales Too Ticklish to Tell.
Prior to the book's release, Breathed organized a contest inviting fans to submit original songs as if they were created by the fictional heavy metal group "Billy and the Boingers" featured in the comic. The winning entry, titled "I'm A Boinger," was pressed on the A-side of a flexi disc included with the publication. The runner-up song, "U-Stink-But-I-♥-U," performed by New Jersey hardcore band Mucky Pup, appeared on the B-side. This track became a hallmark of Mucky Pup’s live performances throughout their career.
The cover art satirizes two iconic rock albums from 1986 and 1987: the front cover mimics Bruce Springsteen’s box set Live/1975–85, while the back cover parodies U2’s The Joshua Tree (specifically the original blurry edition). In these images, characters from Billy and the Boingers replace the original band members.
Summaries of Key Story Arcs
- Cutter John, taken captive by Soviet forces during a balloon expedition, is exchanged for communist Bill the Cat, who had been condemned for treason. (p1, 10 strips)
- Steve Dallas ends up confined to a full upper-body cast after an attempt with Opus to photograph Sean Penn for the Bloom Beacon. (p6, 17 strips)
- The Defense Department erroneously sends Opus $900 million, confusing him with "Mr. Spock" from Star Trek defense research. Opus collaborates with Oliver to devise "Net Wars," an ambitious $500 billion strategic defense initiative involving small bills stitched into an enormous space net. (p15, 18 strips)
- Worried about his demographic's mere 3% chance of marriage, Opus places a personal advertisement and begins dating Lola Granola. (p22, 12 strips)
- Oliver’s father voices concerns over scrambled satellite television; in protest, Oliver hijacks an HBO broadcast before surrendering to the FBI. (p27, 6 strips)
- Two weeks into his relationship with Lola, Opus proposes; they later share a meal with her ex-boyfriend Bart Savagewood, a Navy fighter pilot and shark hunter. (p29, 20 strips)
- Opus takes on the role of cartoonist for the Bloom Beacon, grappling with tight deadlines and creative blocks. (p45, 9 strips)
- Former communist Bill the Cat returns covertly to America aiming to "make some dough". (p49, 3 strips)
- Oliver’s teleportation experiment merges his DNA with Bill the Cat’s; Oliver temporarily transforms into a feline while Bill reads Ebony. This sequence is revealed as a dream. (p50, 8 strips)
- While serving as cartoonist for the Bloom Beacon, Opus inadvertently uses an obscure racial slur, triggering public outrage and legal censorship of his work. (p54, 5 strips)
- Milo and Opus photograph Rosebud, the last known basselope, drawing military interest for potential tactical warhead deployment. (p56, 15 strips)
- Opus meets Lola’s parents; her mother encourages Lola to seek another partner while her father gets Opus intoxicated. (p62, 11 strips)
- Disillusioned Steve Dallas forms a heavy-metal band named "Deathtöngue" featuring Bill the Cat on "electric tongue," Opus on tuba, and Hodge-Podge on drums. Both Lola and her mother disapprove of the group; however, Reverend Wildmon enjoys their music. (p69, 28 strips)
- Steve discovers he has six months to live unless he quits smoking; with Opus’s assistance, he undergoes detoxification using unconventional methods and junk food. (p88, 14 strips)
- Jealous of Lola’s admiration for Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Opus attempts to bulk up but ends up injuring himself and others. (p94, 5 strips)
- Opus navigates various relationship challenges characterized as The Big Lie, Honest Opinion, Adjustment, Confession, Casualness, and Spat. (p96, 6 strips)
- Steve Dallas and Bill the Cat testify at Senate hearings regarding "porn rock"; pressured by "Tippy Gorp", Deathtöngue is renamed "Billy and the Boingers". (p99, 7 strips)
- Armand Dipthong, Chief Editor of the Bloom Picayune, authors a candid article addressing AIDS as a public health crisis. (p101, 5 strips)
- Binkley’s anxiety closet reveals his future self: bald-headed, working a menial job, married to his fifth-grade nemesis. (p103, 8 strips)
- Opus experiments with various weight-loss techniques—fad diets, elastic belts, liposuction using a vacuum cleaner—but ultimately concludes that simple calorie reduction and exercise are necessary. (p106, 12 strips)
- Binkley convinces boardinghouse inhabitants to adopt vegetarianism. (p113, 6 strips)
- Sponsored by "Dr. Scholl's Odor-Eaters", Billy and the Boingers embark on a nonstop world tour culminating at the Annual Moose Lodge Banquet in Albuquerque. (p115, 18 strips)