Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed is retiring, leaving a hole in the Sunday funnies and the hearts of “Opus” fans.
The last strip featuring the beloved, large-beaked penguin will run in about 200 newspapers nationwide Nov. 2. Breathed announced Monday he's calling it quits after a comics career that has spanned nearly 30 years.
Amy Lago, comics editor of The Washington Post Writers Group, said Breathed will pursue other interests, such as writing books and screenplays.
Starting and stopping popular strips is old hat for Breathed, who lives in Santa Barbara, and has a children's book, “Pete & Pickles,” due out next week.
SPEARS REJECTS PLEA DEAL
An attorney for Britney Spears has rejected a plea offer that would have placed her on a year's probation and forced her to pay a $150 fine in her misdemeanor driver's license case.
Attorney J. Michael Flanagan says Spears would consider an offer that reduces the charge to an infraction and requires her to pay a $10 fine. He says the 26-year-old singer is being unfairly targeted because she is a celebrity and doesn't deserve a blemish on her criminal record.
LINKIN PARK CANCELS CHINA TOUR OVER BACK INJURY
Linkin Park is canceling its China tour because lead singer Chester Bennington has suffered a back injury. The band didn't say Tuesday how Bennington suffered the injury.
A statement posted on Linkin Park's official Web site said the band was canceling shows scheduled for October in Beijing, Shanghai, the central city Wuhan and Macau.
– COMPILED FROM NEWS SERVICE REPORTS
