Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
'Ack!' is Bill the Cat in one syllable: a mangy, hairball-choking anti-Garfield whose only language is a gag reflex. Outside the strip it became a cartoon exclamation of panic or disgust, and it stuck to him through every role Breathed gave him, from cult leader to presidential candidate.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Bloom CountyShow the scene
Bill the Cat joins Berkeley Breathed's Bloom County in June 1982, introduced as a parody of Jim Davis's Garfield; the first strip announces as much, and Milo worries about copyright lawyers. A 1983 storyline kills him, but he is revived and becomes far more prominent. His vocabulary shrinks to 'Ack!', which the strip explains as him choking on a hairball, plus a raspberry noise written 'Thppt!'.
Sources (2)
- Bloom County, WikipediaAnimal characters sectionReference checked
- Bill the Cat, Wikipediacharacter historyReference checked
Context reviewed