Toons for Our Times
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comics |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Berkeley Breathed |
| Products | Bloom County comic strip compilation |
| Parent | Little Brown & Co. |
Toons for Our Times represents the second compilation of the Bloom County comic strip series created by Berkeley Breathed, released in 1984 through Little Brown & Co. This volume follows Loose Tails and comes before Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things.
Summaries of Key Plotlines
- The character Senator Bedfellow faces arrest for trafficking illicit "Bill the Cat" tote bags; despite legal efforts by Steve Dallas, he is found guilty and incarcerated. (p5, 5 strips)
- Introduction of Binkley’s fears alongside the appearance of the Giant Purple Snorklewacker. (p6, 4 strips)
- Opus takes charge of the "Personals" section at the Bloom Beacon newspaper. (p11, 5 strips)
- "The Making of an American Stinker" explores the life journey of Steve Dallas's alternate persona. (p16, 6 strips)
- The Meadow Party nominates John Glenn for president and Opus as vice president; after Glenn switches to the Democrats, Charles Limekiller becomes the new nominee. (p18, 3 strips)
- Binkley’s basement becomes contaminated with hazardous waste; the EPA dispatches a hesitant cleanup crew to negotiate penalties with the responsible firm. (p28, 7 strips)
- Dreams of space travel are shared by Milo, Steve Dallas, and Opus. (p40, 4 strips)
- Milo persuades Opus to fabricate "secret diaries of Elvis Presley," which are anonymously sold to Newsweek. (p41, 6 strips)
- Steve Dallas accompanies Yaz Pistachio to her junior prom event. (p43, 6 strips)
- Binkley envisions himself as "Luke Binkleywalker," accompanied by friends portraying Star Wars characters, concluding with him defeating George Lucas over sequel delays. (p50, 6 strips)
- As the Meadow Party’s vice-presidential candidate, Opus targets niche demographics such as "Blind Left-Handed Dentists Without Tonsils" and supporters of Wayne Newton. (p54, 4 strips)
- "The Great Bloom County Snake Massacre" depicts a group hunting what turns out to be a mere battery cable mistaken for a snake. (p56, 6 strips)
- Milo experiences a dream where he is a syndicated cartoonist enduring torture in a dungeon. (p58, 4 strips)
- Limekiller moves in with Opus, and they share a bed together. (p60, 5 strips)
- The debut of Oliver Wendell Jones occurs through his hacking of the New York Times; Milo modifies a headline that sparks feminist protests but gains approval from conservative Phyllis Schlafly. (p62, 5 strips)
- Steve Dallas attends his decade high school reunion while his face remains numb from Novocaine. (p75, 6 strips)
- Portnoy celebrates his sixth birthday and confronts a mid-life crisis upon discovering that woodchucks live up to eight years. (p79, 5 strips)
- The Meadow Party organizes a benefit concert featuring performances by Boy George, Van Halen, and Tess Turbo. (p82, 11 strips)
- Oliver Wendell Jones is apprehended hacking into the IRS but impersonates Steve Dallas; subsequently, Steve assaults FBI agents he mistakes for old acquaintances and ends up jailed alongside hackers like "Big Dave Diode." (p87, 10 strips)
- During his presidential run, Limekiller emphasizes the diversity within his campaign team; paradoxically, he receives moral backing from the "radical right." (p94, 5 strips)