Michael Binkley
Encyclopedia
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 (his mother, Margret, had divorced Tom and moved to Oakland with a Hells Angel). Binkley is in the same class as Milo Bloom
, his best friend. Binkley introduces Opus
to his group, at first believing him to be a dog. Binkley is described as "an airhead" by everyone who knows him (except Opus). Binkley is the first recurring child character after Milo to appear in the strip and largely replaced the dog Rabies
as Milo's sounding board.
Binkley originally appears as a player on Milo's elementary school football team. The coach is Major Bloom, who uses the team to live out his fantasy of being a great military commander. Binkley is originally depicted as a stereotypical nerd
; he is much smaller than the other children and has thick glasses, bad skin, and messy hair. Soon afterwards, Binkley appears in his "classic" look (Opus at one point comments that Binkley looks like a carrot). Binkley's father initially calls him "Mad Dog" and hopes he will live out his failed dreams by becoming a star middle linebacker. Binkley, on the other hand, is interested in ballet
, wants to dance the lead in Swan Lake
, and dreams of being a hairdresser. He is a Star Wars
fan and dreams of being a master Jedi
.
He constantly wakes up his easily-irritated father in the middle of the night to talk to him about celebrity gossip, politics and random anxities. He also has a closet in his room where his anxieties dwell and plague him at night. Their leader is the Giant Purple Snorklewhacker
, but the anxieties can range from typical things like giant snakes to computer technology to politically-themed ones like a pair of disagreeing macroeconomists
. In one instance, the anxiety closet showed Binkley his future middle-aged self: a balding, paunchy, lifelong failure who gives grandiose nicknames to his wife, daughter, house, car, dog, etc. Binkley is infatuated with an African American girl named Blondie (scandalizing the rather conservative townsfolk, including his father). Binkley campaigns with the Meadow Party.
In the Sunday strip Opus
, it is revealed that Binkley had become a eunuch
in Tibet
after a disastrous first date. However, Binkley makes a sudden and unexplained reappearance in the June 3, 2007 Opus strip in which he is depicted in his "classic" incarnation.
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...
.
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 (his mother, Margret, had divorced Tom and moved to Oakland with a Hells Angel). Binkley is in the same class as 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:...
, his best friend. Binkley introduces Opus
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...
to his group, at first believing him to be a dog. Binkley is described as "an airhead" by everyone who knows him (except Opus). Binkley is the first recurring child character after Milo to appear in the strip and largely replaced the dog Rabies
Minor characters in Bloom County
The following are minor characters from Berkeley Breathed's comic strip Bloom County. Though significant enough to have appeared multiple times in the strip, they were not crucial to the strip's overall development, and disappeared without much explanation long before Breathed segued into his next...
as Milo's sounding board.
Binkley originally appears as a player on Milo's elementary school football team. The coach is Major Bloom, who uses the team to live out his fantasy of being a great military commander. Binkley is originally depicted as a stereotypical nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
; he is much smaller than the other children and has thick glasses, bad skin, and messy hair. Soon afterwards, Binkley appears in his "classic" look (Opus at one point comments that Binkley looks like a carrot). Binkley's father initially calls him "Mad Dog" and hopes he will live out his failed dreams by becoming a star middle linebacker. Binkley, on the other hand, is interested in ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, wants to dance the lead in Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, and dreams of being a hairdresser. He is a Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fan and dreams of being a master Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
.
He constantly wakes up his easily-irritated father in the middle of the night to talk to him about celebrity gossip, politics and random anxities. He also has a closet in his room where his anxieties dwell and plague him at night. Their leader is the Giant Purple Snorklewhacker
Minor characters in Bloom County
The following are minor characters from Berkeley Breathed's comic strip Bloom County. Though significant enough to have appeared multiple times in the strip, they were not crucial to the strip's overall development, and disappeared without much explanation long before Breathed segued into his next...
, but the anxieties can range from typical things like giant snakes to computer technology to politically-themed ones like a pair of disagreeing macroeconomists
Macroeconomics
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics dealing with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of the whole economy. This includes a national, regional, or global economy...
. In one instance, the anxiety closet showed Binkley his future middle-aged self: a balding, paunchy, lifelong failure who gives grandiose nicknames to his wife, daughter, house, car, dog, etc. Binkley is infatuated with an African American girl named Blondie (scandalizing the rather conservative townsfolk, including his father). Binkley campaigns with the Meadow Party.
In the Sunday 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....
, it is revealed that Binkley had become a eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
after a disastrous first date. However, Binkley makes a sudden and unexplained reappearance in the June 3, 2007 Opus strip in which he is depicted in his "classic" incarnation.