WP2 Pre-Write

While it is impossible to say just where in the 10 year publication of "Calvin and Hobbs" my strip came from, I can do some overall general research on the cartoonist and the strip itself. For instance, the strip began publication by Universal Press Syndicate on November 18, 1985 and ran through New Years Eve 1995. The strip was published in hundreds of newspapers internationally and yet featured only two characters. That said, how does this affect my strip in particular?

Bill Watterson was the author of "Calvin and Hobbs." He was born in Washington D.C., where is father worked as a patent attorney; a profession centered around new ideas and change. Early on, his family moved on to Ohio where his mother became deeply rooted into the political structure of the town of Chagrin Falls. Watterson went on to graduate from Kenyon College with a degree in Political Science.

Using this information, it is not difficult to connect the childish act of trick or treating to the deeper meaning of global environment destruction and Calvin's role in doing so. Being that Watterson was accustomed to being around politics and an ever-changing society, as well as his own degree in Political Science, creating comics dpicting dark humor such as this were likely none other than quite easy for the man.

By using a medium such as cartooning and having his work published in hundreds, likely thousands of newspapers worldwide, Watterson was able to convey his message much easier and to a wider variety of people. Though his intentions may not be as such, Watterson may have played an influential role in changing people's beliefs in politics during the decade of "Calvin and Hobbs'" publication. Any "Save the Environment" picture such as the one at left can serve as a mode of persuasion, but nothing beats getting to someone's heart and hitting them with something that is both enjoyable and convincing at the same time.

Granted the picture at left does serve its own role as a persuasive tactic to keep our planet healthy and green, but it does not say nearly as much as Calvin can put into just a few words. In other words, the picture has a point, but it fails to present itself in a way that will make anyone care about what it has to say. "Calvin and Hobbs" had built in ethos appeal that created its own ability for reader believability. People grew up with the comic and were able to identify with it. Just as I can remember reading "Garfield" and "Family Circus" growing up, people that read "Calvin and Hobbs" understood what was going on, what to expect and what the true meaning was behind simple punch lines like, "Am I scary or what?"

Watterson, as an intelligent, well educated individual, knew what he was doing as an author and activist. Though his points may have been somewhat subtle, and in a medium that could be difficult to deliver the type of message he was trying to convey, Watterson was excellent in doing what he did best which is very accurately displayed in the comic I have chosen for my writing project two.

Works Cited

No Author. "Calvin and Hobbs". CalvinandHobbs.co.uk. 10/29/09. <http://www.calvinandhobbes.co.uk/history.html>.

A Simple Comic Goes a Long Way

What's better than a simple comic intended for children? A simple comic intended for children, but understood only be somewhat cultures adults. Take the following cartoon as a example:


Calvin and Hobbs can generally be understood by children to the sense of, "Hey the boy wants candy, says something long and confusing and gets candy at the end. That's funny!" Yet to a adult, the comic is possibly funny at first, as well as quite scary at the same time. Obviously, the boy is proving his point as a regular boy, while also a threat to the environment.

While there is only one main character shown completely in this strip, the two with lines are both equal in importance. Calvin's part could essentially be any common boy in the world. The fact that he has spiked hair or a striped shirt is essentially insignificant. If the boy was concealed in a shadow, it wouldn't make any difference other than his part in being completely open about his part in the world. The home owner's part is the same way. He or she is concealed behind a thought bubble, but this doesn't affect the character whatsoever. It's possible the character is concealed due to the lack of importance to the situation or the lack of care that the older generation has to do anything. I am a bit confused of why the artist would choose to draw Calvin with his last, "Am I scary or what?" line as he is walking away from the house eating his candy. Obviously this is the punch line and also the main point to the cartoon, but why would it be after Calvin has already left the house? I would think this line would be better added immediately after Calvin's line about being a "resource-consuming kid."

The typography of this comic is generally quite simple to decipher. The cartoonist picked a text font that matches the ideas behind the comic quite well. While a certain font can't "be" more or less childish, this particular one seems to be more childish, probably because of its similarity to a younger kid's writing. Also, the usage of white space around the type between the font and the illustration allows for an easier read. The pictures themselves are also not very complicated and allow the reader to get the gist of the idea without overdoing the panels. While a speech bubble is used in panel one, it is not in panel two probably because of the simpler illustration. So to explain why the third panel, the simplest illustration in the strip, look no further than the earlier mentioned point about the punch line. Since the illustration really isn't of much importance, the thought bubble around the few simple words causes a point of focus. By doing this, the cartoonist forces the reader to understand the cartoon's main idea rather than focusing too much on the unimportant drawing.