Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed talks about animals on and off the funny pages

Berkeley Breathed’s brain wanders a strange space within the American cultural landscape. The characters that have populated his comic strips—from Bloom County to Opus—have included a little boy with a bedroom closet full of monsters, a sensitive and idealistic penguin, an unapologetic former frat boy, a deceased-yet-strikingly-lively cat, and many a political and media figure. (It’s unclear whether Opus the Penguin harbored more fantasies about eating herring or about assignations with Diane Sawyer.)

While the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and children’s book author has millions of devoted fans, it’s fair to say that his terrain is bewildering to many. When it comes to penguins in underpants, some people just don’t get it!

But any animal lover can grasp the artist’s commitment to animal welfare. A vegetarian and longtime supporter of animal organizations, Breathed supported Proposition 2 in California, a groundbreaking measure that—thanks to its landslide 63 percent victory on Election Day—will compel farmers to allow veal calves, battery hens, and pigs enough space to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.

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