Cutter John
Encyclopedia
Cutter John is a fictional character
in the 1980s comic strip
Bloom County
by Berke Breathed.
Cutter, a wheelchair
-user and Vietnam War
veteran
was one of the county's most well-liked citizens. Despite being somewhat childish and awkward at times, he was very popular with the ladies, particularly schoolteacher Bobbi Harlow
. Cutter also was a good friend to many of the animal characters of Bloom County, often role-playing Star Trek
with them (using his wheelchair as the "Enterpoop").
Cutter claims he was injured outside Quang-Tri in 1969, in a booby-trapped tunnel. He says that three of his buddies risked their lives to save him. Because he was inside a tunnel, he probably was a tunnel rat during the war.
In one story arc, he and Opus the Penguin
were lost at sea (after Oliver Wendell Jones
had converted Cutter's wheelchair into a helium balloon) while attempting to cause havoc at the South Africa
n embassy in Washington, D.C.
(their goal was to turn the South African ambassador black).
Having blown off course and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
, Cutter was captured by a Soviet
submarine and held as a spy. Opus developed amnesia
during the incident and found his way back to the Bloom Boardinghouse, and told everyone what had happened once his memory returned. Eventually Cutter was traded for Bill the Cat
, who had apparently been moonlighting as a spy. He appeared much less often after that. In one Sunday strip, it is revealed that "Cutter John's" true name is Cutter Jeff. He prefers to be called Cutter John, though.
Cutter John is one of Breathed's oldest characters, first appearing in The Academia Waltz
. (In those days his name was given as "Saigon John" and his war injury is described as taking a shot (presumably friendly fire) while smoking a bong
(improvised from his M16
) with a North Vietnamese soldier, making his tunnel rat story presumably a retcon.) His more familiar name is most likely a reference to the "Trapper John McIntyre" from M*A*S*H. While a major character in the first half of Bloom County 's nine-year run, his role was reduced to only occasional cameos
for the remainder of that strip and its immediate spin-off, Outland. In the commentary in one of the Bloom County collections, Breathed observed that he dropped Cutter John from the strip because it was too artistically challenging and "frustrating" to draw someone sitting down in every panel of the comic. According to Breathed, a wheelchair-using fan of the strip, upon hearing this observation, said Breathed "ought to try sitting in a wheelchair [himself] for real frustration".
He has recently made his only appearance in Breathed's latest strip, Opus
, in a one-panel cameo, alongside Bill the Cat
, Michael Binkley
, Milo Bloom
, and Oliver Wendell Jones
, when Steve Dallas
"flashes back" and sees them shortly before going to see Opus in the Animal Shelter. This makes him the second character to appear in all of Breathed's comics.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the 1980s comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Bloom County
Bloom County
Bloom County is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, where children often have adult personalities and vocabularies and where...
by Berke Breathed.
Cutter, a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
-user and Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
was one of the county's most well-liked citizens. Despite being somewhat childish and awkward at times, he was very popular with the ladies, particularly schoolteacher Bobbi Harlow
Bobbi Harlow
Bobbi Harlow is a fictional character in Berke Breathed's comic strip Bloom County.A schoolteacher, Bobbi was popular among her students, particularly Milo Bloom and Michael Binkley, who both harbored crushes on her. However, the conservative adults in the town were suspicious of her liberal,...
. Cutter also was a good friend to many of the animal characters of Bloom County, often role-playing Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
with them (using his wheelchair as the "Enterpoop").
Cutter claims he was injured outside Quang-Tri in 1969, in a booby-trapped tunnel. He says that three of his buddies risked their lives to save him. Because he was inside a tunnel, he probably was a tunnel rat during the war.
In one story arc, he and Opus the Penguin
Opus the Penguin
Opus the Penguin is a character in the comic strips and children's books of Berkeley Breathed, most notably the popular 1980s strip Bloom County. Breathed has described him as an "existentialist penguin" and the favorite of his many characters...
were lost at sea (after Oliver Wendell Jones
Oliver Wendell Jones
Oliver Wendell Jones is a fictional character in Bloom County, Outland and Opus, three comic strips by American cartoonist Berkeley Breathed.-Fictional character biography:...
had converted Cutter's wheelchair into a helium balloon) while attempting to cause havoc at the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n embassy in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(their goal was to turn the South African ambassador black).
Having blown off course and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, Cutter was captured by a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
submarine and held as a spy. Opus developed amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
during the incident and found his way back to the Bloom Boardinghouse, and told everyone what had happened once his memory returned. Eventually Cutter was traded for Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat, or Bill D. Cat, according to the final Outland strip, is a fictional cat appearing in the works of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, beginning with the comic strip Bloom County in the 1980s and continuing in Outland and Opus in the following decades...
, who had apparently been moonlighting as a spy. He appeared much less often after that. In one Sunday strip, it is revealed that "Cutter John's" true name is Cutter Jeff. He prefers to be called Cutter John, though.
Cutter John is one of Breathed's oldest characters, first appearing in The Academia Waltz
The Academia Waltz
The Academia Waltz was Berkeley Breathed's first cartoon, published daily from 1978 to 1979 in The Daily Texan at The University of Texas at Austin, where he was a student...
. (In those days his name was given as "Saigon John" and his war injury is described as taking a shot (presumably friendly fire) while smoking a bong
Bong
A bong is a filtration device/apparatus generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco,or other herbal substances.In construction and function a bong is similar to a hookah, except smaller and more portable...
(improvised from his M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
) with a North Vietnamese soldier, making his tunnel rat story presumably a retcon.) His more familiar name is most likely a reference to the "Trapper John McIntyre" from M*A*S*H. While a major character in the first half of Bloom County 's nine-year run, his role was reduced to only occasional cameos
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
for the remainder of that strip and its immediate spin-off, Outland. In the commentary in one of the Bloom County collections, Breathed observed that he dropped Cutter John from the strip because it was too artistically challenging and "frustrating" to draw someone sitting down in every panel of the comic. According to Breathed, a wheelchair-using fan of the strip, upon hearing this observation, said Breathed "ought to try sitting in a wheelchair [himself] for real frustration".
He has recently made his only appearance in Breathed's latest strip, Opus
Opus (comic strip)
Opus was a Sunday strip drawn by Berkeley Breathed for a period of five years, 2003 to 2008. It was Breathed's fourth comic strip, following The Academia Waltz, Bloom County and Outland....
, in a one-panel cameo, alongside Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat, or Bill D. Cat, according to the final Outland strip, is a fictional cat appearing in the works of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, beginning with the comic strip Bloom County in the 1980s and continuing in Outland and Opus in the following decades...
, Michael Binkley
Michael Binkley
Michael Binkley is a fictional character in Berke Breathed's cartoon strip Bloom County.Michael, known to all simply as 'Binkley,' is a 10-year-old boy who lives at the Bloom County Boarding House with his father Tom . Binkley is in the same class as Milo Bloom, his best friend...
, Milo Bloom
Milo Bloom
Milo Bloom is a fictional character in the American comic strip Bloom County. He was originally the main character, but was soon overshadowed by his best friend Michael Binkley and later on by Opus the penguin.-In Bloom County:...
, and Oliver Wendell Jones
Oliver Wendell Jones
Oliver Wendell Jones is a fictional character in Bloom County, Outland and Opus, three comic strips by American cartoonist Berkeley Breathed.-Fictional character biography:...
, when Steve Dallas
Steve Dallas
Steve Dallas is a fictional character in the American comic strips of Berke Breathed, most famously Bloom County in the 1980s.He was first introduced as an obnoxious frat boy in the college strip The Academia Waltz, which ran in the University of Texas's Daily Texan during 1978 and 1979...
"flashes back" and sees them shortly before going to see Opus in the Animal Shelter. This makes him the second character to appear in all of Breathed's comics.