# Bill Watterson returns to comics without telling anyone **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256 "2014-06-07T06:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/41 "2014-06-08T00:48:57Z")
I would kill to have a beer with Pastis and Watterson… Wait, he did this for charity. Ok, the plan! 1\> Win the Lottery 2\> Offer $$$ to the charities of their choices for lunch together. 3\> 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/42 "2014-06-08T01:31:06Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I would kill to have a beer with Pastis and Watterson… And I would like to have a bottle of wine with Richard Wagner. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/43 "2014-06-08T01:42:04Z")
I’ve always loved this Robot Chicken spoof: [“Mars Is Amazing.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX-zSBU4bCs&feature=youtube_gdata_player) ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/44 "2014-06-08T02:02:31Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Ok, I might as well say and get it over with: it was a little disappointing in the execution. Pastis’s art isn’t great, certainly not compared to Watterson’s, but it fits the characters and the humor. Watterson’s style looks . . . wrong. It’s a style built on charm, but he’s drawing deliberately uncharming characters that just look childish and silly in Watterson’s style. It undermines the humor a bit that in his first strip, it honestly _doesn’t_ look funnier. The second strip with the robot attack plays more to Watterson’s strengths, especially his coloring. (The punchline, that it would be better if he had more space, is also tragically true.) The third and final strip is perhaps the most successful in terms of humor, but it’s also the least Watterson-y. It’s interesting that he was able to make it work so well drawing in a markedly different style than what he’s known for. I think that was intentional - in the first strip, Libby actual comments “first try”. Took her a day to hit her stride. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/45 "2014-06-08T02:30:59Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I’ve always loved this Robot Chicken spoof: > > [“Mars Is Amazing.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX-zSBU4bCs&feature=youtube_gdata_player) OK. I laughed my ass off! ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/46 "2014-06-08T02:52:42Z")
I just spotted my Calvin & Hobbes books the other day when looking for something else and thought about digging them out. Definitely going to now. It would be so awesome if Bill started drawing again. My other favorite is Dan Pirarro, who writes the [_Bizarro_](http://bizarrocomics.com/) strip. Does anyone else follow it? I used to read it in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, then stumbled across the books at the local bookstore and bought them all over time. I love how this guy can tell an entire story just with the posture and expressions of the characters. Plus he’s into Tromp l’oeil, and weird 60’s style furniture and incorporates both into a lot of strips. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/47 "2014-06-08T03:07:12Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Irony; Watterson’s version of Pastis is actually closer to RL than Pastis’ own version of himself (although this is deliberate). In a similar vein, Pastis’ commented on how everyone was consoling his wife for their comic strip break-up, but no one consoled him. IRL, they are still together. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/48 "2014-06-08T03:22:30Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > In a similar vein, Pastis’ commented on how everyone was consoling his wife for their comic strip break-up, but no one consoled him. IRL, they are still together. Cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/49 "2014-06-08T03:24:11Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > My other favorite is Dan Pirarro, who writes the [_Bizarro_](http://bizarrocomics.com/) strip. Does anyone else follow it? I follow it, and find it occasionally amusing. Speaking of comics, why the reruns on Doonesbury? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/50 "2014-06-08T08:56:18Z")
This article has the comics. Great surprise seeing Stephan Pastis’ drawings again. > **[Reclusive ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ cartoonist Bill Watterson makes surprise...](https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/reclusive-calvin-hobbes-cartoonist-bill-watterson-surprise-return-article-1.1820958)** > > "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson says he made a brief, unannounced return to newspaper cartooning to raise money for a good cause - and because he thought it would be funny. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/51 "2014-06-08T12:28:49Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Ah, Calvin and Hobbes. The second best comic strip ever. Third. After **Krazy Kat** and **Pogo** ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/52 "2014-06-08T13:32:56Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > Did anybody care about The Beatles in 1976? They were has-beens at that point, surely. You young whippersnapper! The Beatles were _huge_ in 1976, especially in America. Paul McCartney embarked on the first high-profile Wings tour, which was the big concert news of the year. As a group, the Beatles got to #2 for two weeks with a cheaply packaged compilation of previously released material (_Rock and Roll Music_). Why not #1? Because McCartney had that position sewed up all summer with _Wings at the Speed of Sound_ (not even one of Wings’ better records, but it managed to dislodge the monstrously successful _Frampton Comes Alive_ from the top spot). The Beatles also hit the Top 10 of the singles charts with a reissue of a ten-year-old song (“Got to Get You into My Life”). And yes, the public still yearned for a reunion, rumors of which were perennial. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/53 "2014-06-08T13:55:14Z")
^ Yeah, what Biffy said! And get off the lawn! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/54 "2014-06-08T14:07:21Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Third. After **Krazy Kat** and **Pogo** Pogo yes, but Krazy Kat? He is currently on a catnip binge. I’ve never understood the popularity, though I read it. Surrealistic backgrounds, the eternal conflict between Mouse and Officer Pup. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/55 "2014-06-08T14:25:52Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Pogo yes, but Krazy Kat? He is currently on a catnip binge. I’ve never understood the popularity, though I read it. Surrealistic backgrounds, the eternal conflict between Mouse and Officer Pup. Every now and then I check out Pogo because of all the praise it gets. I always leaves me flat. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/56 "2014-06-08T15:04:27Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#): > > Every now and then I check out Pogo because of all the praise it gets. I always leaves me flat. You’d probably have to be in the age group 60-80 to appreciate how good it was at the time. It was the Doonesbury/Calvin and Hobbes of it’s generation. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/57 "2014-06-08T15:15:00Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > You’d probably have to be in the age group 60-80 to appreciate how good it was at the time. > > It was the Doonesbury/Calvin and Hobbes of it’s generation. Calvin and Hobbes is timeless. I don’t think you have to be from a certain generation to appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/58 "2014-06-08T15:59:32Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > You’d probably have to be in the age group 60-80 to appreciate how good it was at the time. > > It was the Doonesbury/Calvin and Hobbes of it’s generation. I think you’re pretty spot on with that age group. I’m 54 and, sad to say, I don’t get it (not for lack of trying). BTW–the third chick in the “bathing beauty” strip is probably Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/59 "2014-06-08T16:32:48Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#): > > Calvin and Hobbes is timeless. I don’t think you have to be from a certain generation to appreciate it. I hope you’re right; but I wonder whether today’s kids can relate to the kind of childhood Calvin had, with endless hours spent in unstructured play outside with no one but a tiger for a companion, and no electronics that aren’t made out of a cardboard box. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256/60 "2014-06-08T16:40:00Z")
I recall that during the 1960’s there was a Pogo bit where a bulldog, obviously J. Edgar Hoover, was planting listening devices. He recruited spiders to hide as astrix on printed sheets. When his minion pointed out that they had eight legs, he cut two of them off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-watterson-returns-to-comics-without-telling-anyone/690256.md?page=4)