Transcendence in Comics - Bill Watterson and Calvin & Hobbes

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• Ceit

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Videos: The essential- Quotes from the artist (4m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJjSfsun6Qs Art over wealth (5m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4WP1Ynwwc4 Philosophy (7m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7LLwp8Mo58 Impact (26m) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMD3casO_q4 High praise (18m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5livdaGY0Kg Interesting, but extra- Art before commerce (6m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zA7LrWcC-g Why did it end (20m) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sBVRM3Lv6Y More philosophy and impact (28m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIcYEPdKttw Global impact! In Spanish, with no subtitles. ¡A aprender por cojones, coñoooooo! (17m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TrXS764gCw Documentary by artistic fan (90m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoPEVvnPTjE Questions: 1. Did you read Calvin and Hobbes during its original run? Did you enjoy it then? Do you see it differently now? 2. Some comics update republished strips to try to keep them relevant to readers. Is it necessary/possible for Calvin and Hobbes to do so? 3. Although not political or explicitly topical, Calvin and Hobbes made many observations about society. Do you think those strips are less funny than the strictly jokey strips? 4. Watterson used the strip's popularity to pressure newspapers into allowing him to use the formats he wanted for the large Sunday strips. Was he protecting the integrity of his art and the art of his colleagues, or was he being a selfish prima donna? 5. Watterson never licensed his characters for merchandise, other than the comic collections. Is this the mark of a true artist who lives by his work alone, or was he stupid to have given up the earnings in the face of so many bootlegs? 6. Is the fan-made sequel Hobbes and Bacon a loving tribute or a pale imitation of the original? 7. Watterson ended the strip after 10 years, still as a very popular comics feature. Did he make the right decision as an artist? Should he have allowed another artist to take over, if one was brave enough? 8. The documentary posits that Calvin and Hobbes is the only Universal Comic and Bill Watterson is the last Great Cartoonist. Do you agree with this statement?