Calvin & Hobbes' Bill Watterson Returned to Comics - In Secret!

The Escapist ^ | 7 June 2014 | Bob "MovieBob" Chipman

[ShadowAce]

15 

The reclusive comics legend ghost-wrote/drew a fellow artist's strip for three days

Bill Watterson spent ten years writing and drawing every installment of Calvin & Hobbes, considered by many to be the single greatest comic strip in the history of the medium. During that period he experimented with daring new art techniques, negotiated unprecedented levels of creative independence from his publisher and famously resisted merchandising or "franchising" his characters; making him a hero to fellow comics professionals and something like a god to legions of devout fans.

Then, at the height of his fame, he walked away.

Since then, Calvin & Hobbes (the adventures of a young boy and his stuffed tiger, who is either secretly alive or imagined to be thus) has only grown in stature - it's hard to find a writer, artist or filmmaker of even vaugely-related material who doesn't cite it as a key influence. But Watterson has remained not only retired but practically invisible; refusing almost all interviews, seldom ever seen or even said to have been seen. In an age where some authors trade quips with fans daily on social media, he's essentially a ghost.

Until now.

Stephan Pastis, author of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine, has now revealed that - unknown to the rest of the world (but suspected by a few dogged comics fans) until today - a just-concluded three day Pearls "meta-story" in which a (supposed) 10 year-old fan swapped-out Pastis usual art with her own Watterson-esque whismical fare was actually executed by Bill Watterson Himself under the condition that the truth not be known until it was concluded.

The three strips now mark the first new newspaper comics work that Watterson has published in almost two decades, though he has contributed a handful of forewards to comics collections and posters made for charity and the documentary Stripped.

[AngieGal]

Yea Ping!!!

[wny]

They were both great. I once built/named a model railroad the Calvin & Hobbes, it was located in Bloom County.

[21twelve]

He did his Opus Christmas show that I think just played once. We have it on VCR. It is also on youtube now.

“A Wish for Wings that Work”

Our favorite Christmas movie! I think we warped our kids a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLccxrDgi5U

[Norm Lenhart]

Yup, that’s a classic. I love that movie.

But lest we forget...there was also DEATHTOUNGE!

I’m a Boinger!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNKCPk1tl9Q

You stink but I love you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odUt-lDH85k

[cyclotic]

My kids wore out my Herman compilations, even the autographed copy.

[OSHA]

Book mark

[ottbmare]

the adventures of a young boy and his stuffed tiger, who is either secretly alive or imagined to be thus

What do they mean "imagined to be" secretly alive? What blasphemy! Of course he was and is alive. What is wrong with people. You might as well say my toy horses and my daughter's panda and my son's T. Rex were only imagined to be alive.

[MHGinTN]

The ‘only known photograph’ of Watterson ... he is HOBBES! He has written the strip to expose the snotty little kid who owns him. He is HObbes!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

My favorite strip. I have the three volume set. I quit reading comics when CALVIN AND HOBBES ceased publication.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

My favorites was when Calvin’s dad tried to convince Calvin that everything before a certain date was all black and white.

Talk about messing with the mind.

The other is when Calvin opens a Lemonade stand with high priced goods, chases off his customer (Suzie) and begs his mom for a subsidy.

[jocon307]

That was very interesting (and well written!). Thanks for posting it.

I STILL have not read “A Canticle for Leibowitz”. It’s very odd, my quest to read that book.

I guess I’ll try again soon.

I’m convinced that it will totally change my life, as I’ve wanted to read it for about 40 years and it still just hasn’t happened.

Like I say, odd.

And it’s not available for kindle, perhaps the granddaughter could do something about that.

[vladimir998]

I read the book almost 20 years ago. It didn’t change my life, however. I became very interested in Walter Miller and could not figure out why I couldn’t find other novels by him. Then I came across the sequel and Bisson’s wonderful story of his non-encounter with Miller in it as a preface or afterward. I was fascinated.

There are a number of references to Miller’s oddness, and genius, in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Walter-M-Miller-Jr-Reference/dp/0786463619