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Ever Wished Bill Watterson Would Return to the Comics Page? He Just Did

426 points| bigfaceworm | 11 years ago |stephanpastis.wordpress.com | reply

77 comments

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[+] fernly|11 years ago|reply
I wonder if Watterson really believes the gag line for the third strip, "Nah, the art form's dying"? He might, being (apparently) a neo-luddite of some sort. But there has never been as many, or as good, comics as there are now, or as many busy, thriving comic artists. Hint: they are not found at gocomics.com.
[+] Arelius|11 years ago|reply
In his interview on Mental Floss he states:

"Personally, I like paper and ink better than glowing pixels, but to each his own. Obviously the role of comics is changing very fast. On the one hand, I don’t think comics have ever been more widely accepted or taken as seriously as they are now. On the other hand, the mass media is disintegrating, and audiences are atomizing. I suspect comics will have less widespread cultural impact and make a lot less money. I’m old enough to find all this unsettling, but the world moves on. All the new media will inevitably change the look, function, and maybe even the purpose of comics, but comics are vibrant and versatile, so I think they’ll continue to find relevance one way or another. But they definitely won’t be the same as what I grew up with."

http://mentalfloss.com/article/53216/mental-floss-exclusive-...

[+] arrrg|11 years ago|reply
He could just be talking about comics in newspapers. The art form he practiced, not what’s going on elsewhere. That's certainly how I understood it.
[+] egypturnash|11 years ago|reply
It's also quite possible that Watterson is kinda mocking himself here. Cartoonists tend to do this.

source: I'm a cartoonist

[+] JoshTriplett|11 years ago|reply
I seriously doubt it. As an art form, newspaper comics are going the way of newspapers, but comics in general are thriving more than ever. The Internet has provided the perfect platform for them, and crowdfunding works quite well for strips with a following.
[+] tptacek|11 years ago|reply
Whoah. Second panel of the second Watterson strip. Chills.
[+] Natsu|11 years ago|reply
I had every single C&H book growing up. I wish he'd draw again... maybe they can teach him how to make a webcomic? No confining panel structure here...
[+] pjungwir|11 years ago|reply
Did anyone else feel echoes from the first panel of that strip? That conversation feels like the opening dialogue of one of the big Sunday strips, where Calvin and Hobbes are riding their wagon down the hill and talking philosophy. Maybe something about things changing now that summer is over. . . . ?

Anyway, that second strip sure is one big hint, huh?

[+] noonespecial|11 years ago|reply
Its... its like _why doing a guest post for Zed Shaw. Can't. look. away.
[+] jsmthrowaway|11 years ago|reply
I'm not sure who gets the shorter end of a comparison between Zed Shaw and Stephan Pastis.
[+] whatshisface|11 years ago|reply
Is it just me or are the strips... just not that funny? All three of them are basicly the same joke, with one containing a minor reference to Watterson's page formatting preferences. Now that I think of it, that's really par for the course (or maybe a birdie) for newspaper comic strips in general. I guess it just seems strange to see the world's best living cartoonist come out of the fortress of solitude and do something other than leave the audience in tears of profundity.
[+] Shinkei|11 years ago|reply
Were you a fan of C&H? I think that the lens of nostalgia strengthens our pleasant memories of the books and can't really ever compare to these new strips. You need character development, plot... most of his stories would extend across the entire week or longer. (Oh man, the family camping trips in C&H were hilarious)

Just appreciate it for what it is--a window into our fond memories of Watterson's work.

[+] noonespecial|11 years ago|reply
For Watterson that might literally be the funny.

Like finding Jeff Gordon driving your kids' school bus one idle morning.

[+] wisty|11 years ago|reply
I think the jokes are by Stephan, and Bill just did the drawing. And yes, it's just a bunch of references to Bill and Stephan's work.

Also, the final strip is pretty good. Not the one drawn by Bill ... the followup here - http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2014/06/07

[+] smsm42|11 years ago|reply
I find it pretty funny, but this kind of humor is not for everybody. All people have tastes, so if it's not in yours, that's OK. And the world's best cartoonist doesn't owe us anything - including leaving us in tears. I think if you one likes him - one should be grateful for the opportunity to enjoy his talent once again. And if it's not your cup of tea - well, there are many other things to enjoy :)
[+] rmason|11 years ago|reply
I think you have to have followed Calvin and Hobbes all the way through its run. If you did there's is so much good will that flows back when you see a new example of his art after all these years that it really doesn't matter what he draws.

Although sadly for me he really hits his stride in the last strip of the series.

http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2014/06/07#.U5Lhtv...

[+] massappeal|11 years ago|reply
I think their funnier if you understand the subtle Watterson references. The 3rd panel of the 2nd strip for instance references Bill's career-long battle over the confinement of the existing panel structure.
[+] jsmthrowaway|11 years ago|reply
You had the context of the ruse going in. I bet it would have been even better without it.

That said, even with the context, I thought they were wonderful. The third made me laugh a lot.

[+] ISL|11 years ago|reply
Perhaps he just misses it. I would.
[+] waterlesscloud|11 years ago|reply
Give it 48 hours and Boing Boing, HuffPo, Medium, etc will all have long posts revealing the hidden profundity to you.
[+] coldcode|11 years ago|reply
I've always wished I could draw. Even XKCD's minimalist art style is still an artist drawing stuff which is beyond me. I can't draw a straight line with a computer (they're very heavy). C&H was not only great art, it was an amazing look on adult life despite it being about a kid and a stuffed tiger.
[+] muglug|11 years ago|reply
Look at the early XKCD comics, and you'll realise that the artist honed his skill over time. There's no secret to being a good comic book artist – it's just a love of the medium and a slavish commitment to draw as much as humanly possible.
[+] gets|11 years ago|reply
drawing is a technical skill. No mystery or magic behind what anyone's doing. The nature of perspective and color won't change. If you want to draw humans, the basics of human anatomy and proportions are pretty constant and have been analyzed to death; add anything else you're interested in drawing and the same can likely be said for anything from wildlife, plantlife, machinery, buildings, vehicles, etc. You can learn to draw just like you can learn to add and subtract.

Just do it.

[+] dredmorbius|11 years ago|reply
I don't consider myself artistic, but for a few months in college took up sketching and found I could produce serviceable impressions of still-lifes and even a self portrait, after a fashion. Practice. It works.
[+] MilnerRoute|11 years ago|reply
I wonder how he feels about the fan-drawn sequels?

http://www.review-land.com/a-sequel-to-calvin-and-hobbes/

[+] bradleysmith|11 years ago|reply
I do too. Thanks for sharing these, they're heartwarming for an old fan.

a few relevant links from there:

unofficial history of fan art projects: http://www.avclub.com/article/check-out-the-web-cartoonists-...

4 full color sunday strips put out by pantsareoverated.com (Dan and Tom Heyerman) where Calvin and Susie have a daughter, Bacon: http://www.pantsareoverrated.com/page/4/?s=hobbes http://www.pantsareoverrated.com/page/3/?s=hobbes http://www.pantsareoverrated.com/page/2/?s=hobbes http://www.pantsareoverrated.com/page/1/?s=hobbes

Phil Barry on DeviantArt did 3: http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/300/8/4/hobbes_and_ba... http://phill-art.deviantart.com/art/Hobbes-and-Bacon-2-33673... http://phill-art.deviantart.com/art/Hobbes-and-Bacon-3-35410...

User DomNX on DeviantArt did a series called "Calvin and Company" where Calvin and Susie have twins. The content linked in the article has been removed from facebook, as well as hir account on deviantArt (best I could tell). Found it from pinterest user Potatohappiness: http://www.pinterest.com/Potatohappiness/calvin-and-hobbes/ http://www.pinterest.com/pin/469218854897891171/ http://www.pinterest.com/pin/469218854897891153/ http://www.pinterest.com/pin/469218854897891162/ http://www.pinterest.com/pin/469218854897891165/

[+] suprgeek|11 years ago|reply
Almost like reopening old wounds..... Time to bring the C&H collection out of the bookshelf.
[+] iamthepieman|11 years ago|reply
This is the best thing I've read in almost 20 years.
[+] guelo|11 years ago|reply
C&H was great but calling Bill Watterson the greatest living cartoonist is ridiculous as long as Gary Larson is still around.
[+] vacri|11 years ago|reply
Larson was fun and biology-oriented (for those who are into that), but Watterson's work gave a much deeper insight into the human condition. Mind you, Watterson probably hasn't had a chewing louse named after him (Strigiphilus garylarsoni).
[+] dasil003|11 years ago|reply
I think they can happily co-exist as both being the greatest because Larson was the king of the single panel, and Watterson the king of the narrative strip.
[+] model-m|11 years ago|reply
Holy shit. I did not expect this to ever happen, but I am mighty glad it did.

And thank you for C&H, Mr. Watterson.

[+] JoeAltmaier|11 years ago|reply
I knew it! The style is unmistakable. I thought maybe Pastis was imitating the style.
[+] whoopdedo|11 years ago|reply
If a penguin shows up in the next strip I think we'll all know what's up.