Home / Quotes / Quote by Bill Watterson

Quote by Bill Watterson

“If you've got more ambiguous characters or stock stereotypes, the plastic comes through and they don't work as well.”

Quote by Bill Watterson

Author

Bill Watterson (born July 5, 1958) is an American cartoonist and author, best known for creating the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which ran from 1985 to 1995. Known for his unique humor and profound understanding of childhood imagination, Watterson famously refused to merchandise his characters, maintaining artistic integrity throughout his career. After the strip ended, he chose a reclusive lifestyle, declining all public appearances and interviews. more

You May Also Like

“United Features had given me a development contract, which meant I was to work exclusively with them and rather than completing everything on my own and turning it in to them and having it rejected or accepted, I was working much more directly with the syndicate, turning in smaller batches much more frequently, and getting comments on them. The idea was that they would help me develop the strip and then, assuming that they liked it, it would flow into a normal contract for syndication.”

Ideas Helping Given My Own United Development Normal Flow Assuming Accepted Features Help Me Contracts Comment Rejected Completing Syndicate

Author:Bill Watterson

“Saturday morning cartoons do that now, where they develop the toy and then draw the cartoon around it, and the result is the cartoon is a commercial for the toy and the toy is a commercial for the cartoon. The same thing's happening now in comic strips; it's just another way to get the competitive edge. You saturate all the different markets and allow each other to advertise the other, and it's the best of all possible worlds. You can see the financial incentive to work that way. I just think it's to the detriment of integrity in comic strip art.”

Thinking World Way Art Different Results Morning Integrity Draws Happenings Financial Edges Comic Toys Saturday Cartoon Incentives Another Way Comic Strips Saturday Morning

Author:Bill Watterson

“Garry Trudeau is the only cartoonist with the clout to get his strip published large enough to accomodate extended dialogue. It's ashame.”

Enough Dialogue Cartoonist Clout

Author:Bill Watterson

“I'd like to see cartoonists measuring their work by higher standards than how many papers their strips are in and how much money they make.”

Higher Paper Standards Papers Measuring Cartoonist Higher Standards

Author:Bill Watterson

“The strips I admire go farther than a gag a day, and take us into a special world.”

World Special Admire Gags

Author:Bill Watterson

“I'm willing to take the blame if the strip goes down the drain, and I want the credit if it succeeds. So long as it has my name on it, I want it to be mine.”

Ifs Want Long Names Mines Willing Succeed Blame Credit Drains

Author:Bill Watterson

“I don't enjoy lettering very much, but that's the way I write and that belongs in the strip because the strip is a reflection of me.”

Way Writing Enjoy Reflection

Author:Bill Watterson

“I think comics overall would be better. I think there's a tremendous potential to be tapped.”

Thinking Would Be

Author:Bill Watterson

“If you've ever compared a film to a novel it's based on, you know the novel gets bludgeoned. It's inevitable, because different media have different strengths and needs, and when you make a movie, the movie's needs get served.”

Ifs Knows Needs Different Film Novel Media Inevitable

Author:Bill Watterson

“Obviously the role of comics is changing very fast. On the one hand, comics are widely accepted and taken seriously. 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.”

Hands Roles Audience Taken Media Mass Impact Accepted Suspects Mass Media

Author:Bill Watterson