Citizendia

Bill Watterson

Birth nameWilliam B. Watterson II
BornJuly 5, 1958 (1958-07-05) (age 49)
Washington, D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)artist, writer
Notable worksCalvin and Hobbes
Awardsfull list

William B. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Calvin and Hobbes is a Comic strip written and illustrated by Bill Watterson, following the humorous antics of Calvin, an imaginative "Bill" Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is an American cartoonist, and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and select Target: The Political Cartoon Quarterly Magazine drawings. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing Cartoons Traditionally much of this work was and still is humorous and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Calvin and Hobbes is a Comic strip written and illustrated by Bill Watterson, following the humorous antics of Calvin, an imaginative

Contents

Biography

Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., where his father, James G. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Watterson, worked as a patent examiner while going to George Washington University Law School, before becoming a patent attorney in 1960. A patent examiner or patent clerk is an Employee, usually a civil servant, working within a Patent office. The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the Law school of The George Washington University. A patent attorney is an Attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining Patents and acting in all matters and procedures Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The family moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where his mother Kathryn became a city council member when Bill was six years old. Chagrin Falls is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. He has a younger brother, Thomas, who is currently an English teacher at Austin High School in Austin, Texas. [1][2]

Early career

In 1980, Watterson graduated from Kenyon College, with a BA in political science. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of the The Episcopal Church Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems Immediately the Cincinnati Post offered him a job drawing political cartoons for a six-month trial period:

The agreement was that they could fire me or I could quit with no questions asked if things didn't work out during the first few months. The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati Ohio. An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or Comic strip containing a political or Social message that usually Sure enough, things didn't work out, and they fired me, no questions asked.

My guess is that the editor wanted his own Jeff MacNelly (a Pulitzer winner at 24), and I didn't live up to his expectations. Jeffrey Kenneth MacNelly ( September 17, 1947 – June 8, 2000) was a three time Pulitzer Prize winning Editorial cartoonist The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, My Cincinnati days were pretty kafkaesque. I had lived there all of two weeks, and the editor insisted that most of my work be about local, as opposed to national, issues. Cincinnati has a weird, three-party, city manager-government, and by the time I figured it out, I was standing in the unemployment lines. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a City, in a council-manager form of city government Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. I didn't hit the ground running. Cincinnati at that time was also beginning to realize it had major cartooning talent in Jim Borgman, at the city's other paper, and I didn't benefit from the comparison. James Mark Borgman (born February 24, 1954) is an American Cartoonist. The Cincinnati Enquirer a daily morning Newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati ( Ohio) and Northern

– Watterson explaining his short career with Cincinnati Post [3]

Bill Watterson designed grocery advertisements for four years prior to working on Calvin and Hobbes. [4]

Rise to success

Inspiration

Calvin and Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Bill Watterson wrote in his Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book[5] that his influences include Charles Schulz, for his work in Peanuts; Walt Kelly for his comic Pogo; and George Herriman for Krazy Kat. Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26 1922 &ndash February 12 2000 was an American Cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts Comic strip Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday Comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M Walter Crawford Kelly Jr ( August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973) known as Walt Kelly, was a Cartoonist notable for his Pogo was the title and central character of a long-running (1948-75 daily Comic strip created George Joseph Herriman ( August 22, 1880 &ndash April 25, 1944) was an American Cartoonist, best known for his comic strip Krazy Kat is a Comic strip created by George Herriman that appeared in U (Watterson also wrote the introduction to the first volume of The Komplete Kolor Krazy Kat. ) Watterson's style also reflects the influence of Little Nemo in Slumberland, a popular early 20th century comic strip by Winsor McCay. Little Nemo is the main Fictional character in a series of weekly Comic strips by Winsor McCay (1871-1934 that appeared in the New York Herald Winsor McCay ( September 26 1867 (? – July 26 1934) was an American Cartoonist and Animator. [6][7] Watterson's cat, "Sprite" very much inspired the personality and physical features of Hobbes. Hobbes is a character in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. [8]

Additionally he has incorporated parts of his life into the comic. He is an avid cyclist and has incorporated much of this theme into Calvin and Hobbes. [9] The theme of Calvin's father making Calvin suffer in order to "build character" came from his own father.

Watterson spent much of his career trying to change the climate of newspaper comics. He believed that the artistic value of comics was being undermined, and that the space they occupied in newspapers continually decreased, subject to arbitrary whims of short-sighted publishers. Furthermore, he opined that art should not be judged by the medium for which it is created (i. e. , that there is no "high" art or "low" art, just art). High culture is a term now used in a number of different ways in Academic discourse whose most common meaning is the set of cultural products mainly in the Low culture is a Derogatory term for some forms of Popular culture. Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual [10]

Changing the format of the Sunday strip

Watterson opposed the structure publishers imposed on Sunday newspaper cartoons: the standard cartoon starts with a large, wide rectangle featuring the cartoon's logo or a throwaway panel tangential to the main area so that newspapers pressed for space can remove the top third of the cartoon if they wish. The rest of the strip is presented in a series of rectangles of different widths. In his opinion this format limited the cartoonist's options of allowable presentation. Watterson managed to gain an exception to these constraints for Calvin and Hobbes, allowing him to draw his Sunday cartoons the way he wanted. In many of his strips, the panels overlap or contain their own panels; in some the action progresses diagonally across the strip. [11]

Fight against merchandising the cartoon characters

Watterson also battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic. [12] He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that pasting Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially-sold mugs, stickers and t-shirts would devalue the characters and their personalities. A mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages such as Coffee, Tea, or Hot chocolate. A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a Shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's Torso. [13] He also refused to allow the strip to appear as an animated series. An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer

Watterson was vocally critical of Jim Davis and his decision to license his strip Garfield to so many different things, saying that it "cheapened" the originality of the strip. James Robert " Jim " Davis (born July 28, 1945) is an American Cartoonist who created the popular comic strip Garfield is a daily-syndicated Comic strip created by Jim Davis. He particularly hated U.S. Acres, citing it as "an abomination" and "an insult to the intelligence". US Acres (known as Orson's Farm outside the United States) is a Comic strip that ran from 1986 to 1989 created by Jim [3]

Reuben

Watterson was awarded the National Cartoonists Society Humor Comic Strip Award in 1988, and awarded the society's Reuben Award in 1986[14] (he was the youngest person ever to receive the award). The National Cartoonists Society is the world's largest organization of professional Cartoonists It presents the Reuben Awards. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) In 1988, Watterson received the Reuben award again, and he was nominated again in 1992. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Following his 1992 nomination, the National Cartoonists Society declared that no artist could win the award more than once.

Watterson wrote a brief, tongue-in-cheek autobiography in the late 1980s. [15]

Thirty-six of his Sunday cartoon strips have been exhibited at Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library from September 10, 2001 to January 16, 2002. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Retirement

Dear Reader:

I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue. Universal Press Syndicate, an Andrews McMeel Universal company is the world's largest independent syndicate and provides syndication for a number of lifestyle and

That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I'll long be proud of, and I've greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Bill Watterson

– Watterson's letter to newspaper editors announcing his retirement, November 9, 1995

The last strip of Calvin and Hobbes was published on December 31, 1995. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Since retiring, Bill Watterson has taken up painting, often drawing landscapes of the woods with his father. He has also published several anthologies of Calvin and Hobbes strips.

Since ending the strip, Watterson has kept away from the public eye and has given no indication of resuming the strip, creating new works based on the characters, or embarking on other projects. He refuses to sign autographs or license his characters, staying true to his stated principles. In previous years, he was known to sneak autographed copies of his books onto the shelves of the Fireside Bookshop, a family-owned bookstore in his home of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. However, after discovering that some people were selling the autographed books online for high prices, he ended this practice as well. He is a noted recluse, and very reluctant to give interviews and make public appearances.

In 2005, Watterson and his wife, Melissa, moved from Chagrin Falls to the City of Cleveland. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state [16][17] On December 21, 1999, a short piece called "Drawn Into a Dark But Gentle World," written by Watterson to mark the forthcoming end of the comic strip Peanuts, was published in the Los Angeles Times. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday Comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed [18] In October of 2005, Watterson answered fifteen questions submitted by readers. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [19] His most recent foray into public was on October 17, 2007, with a review of Schulz and Peanuts, a biography of Charles Schulz, in the Wall Street Journal.

Awards

Sources

  1. ^ Steven Powell (2007). The National Cartoonists Society is the world's largest organization of professional Cartoonists It presents the Reuben Awards. The National Cartoonists Society is the world's largest organization of professional Cartoonists It presents the Reuben Awards. The Sproing Award is awarded by Norsk Tegneserieforum (NTF an organisation to promote interest and understanding for Comics in Norway. The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993 and coordinated by the publisher Fantagraphics are given for achievement in Comic books The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993 and coordinated by the publisher Fantagraphics are given for achievement in Comic books The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993 and coordinated by the publisher Fantagraphics are given for achievement in Comic books The Max & Moritz Prize is a prize for Comic books Comic strips and other similar materials which has been awarded at each of the biennial International Comics Shows The Max & Moritz Prize is a prize for Comic books Comic strips and other similar materials which has been awarded at each of the biennial International Comics Shows Adamson Awards is a Swedish award awarded to notable cartoonists named after the famous Swedish comic strip "Adamson" (Silent Sam The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is a prize given for creative achievement in American Comic books It is named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is a prize given for creative achievement in American Comic books It is named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner Angoulême International Comics Festival ( French: Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême) is the main comics festival in Europe This Prize for Best Comic Book is awarded to comics authors at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. McCallum Staff Directory. Retrieved on 2007-05-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João
  2. ^ Rare Bill Watterson Art :: For the Calvin Connoisseur. Calvin & Hobbes: Magic on Paper. Retrieved on 2008-01-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate
  3. ^ a b Andrew Christie (1987). Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes on cartooning, syndicates, Garfield, Charles Schulz, and editors. Honk Magazine, Issue 2. Retrieved on 2006-03-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger
  4. ^ Bill Watterson (2005). "Introduction", The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Andrew McMeel, 491 (Book 1). ISBN 0-7407-4847-5.  
  5. ^ Watterson, Bill (1995). Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews and McMeel, 21. ISBN 0-8362-0438-7.  
  6. ^ Winsor McCay: Little Nemo; Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend. Bob's Comics Reviews (November 1996).
  7. ^ Winsor McCay, Richard Marschall (1987). "An Incredible Ride To the End: An appreciation by Bill Watterson", The Best of Little Nemo in Slumberland. Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 195. ISBN 1-55670-647-2. Retrieved on 2006-03-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger  
  8. ^ Watterson, Bill (1995). Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews and McMeel, 22. ISBN 0-8362-0438-7.  
  9. ^ Watterson, Bill (1995). Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews and McMeel, 173. ISBN 0-8362-0438-7.  
  10. ^ Bill Watterson (1995). The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews McMeel, 208. ISBN 0-8362-0438-7.  
  11. ^ Watterson, Bill (1995). Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews and McMeel, 14. ISBN 0-8362-0438-7.  
  12. ^ Bill Watterson (October 27, 1989). The Cheapening of the Comics. Festival of Cartoon Art, Ohio State University. Retrieved on 2006-03-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger
  13. ^ Watterson, Bill (1995). Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Andrews and McMeel, 10. ISBN 0-8362-0438-7.  
  14. ^ a b The Reuben Award, 1975 to present day. National Cartoonist Society. Retrieved on 2006-03-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger
  15. ^ Bill Watterson. The Brief Tongue-in-Cheek Autobiography of Bill Watterson. Retrieved on 2008-05-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.
  16. ^ Neely Tucker, "The Tiger Strikes Again," The Washington Post 4 Oct. 2005.
  17. ^ Joe Milicia, "Calvin and Hobbes Creator Keeps Privacy," Associated Press 22 Oct. 2005.
  18. ^ Bill Watterson. "Drawn Into a Dark But Gentle World", Los Angeles Times, December 21, 1999. Retrieved on 2006-03-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger  
  19. ^ Fans From Around the World Interview Bill Watterson. Andrews McMeel (October 4, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-03-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger

External links

The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D
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