OBVIOUSLY I DID NOT DO THIS, BILL WATTERSON DID, BUT I JUST WANT TO POST THIS TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NO CONFUSION:)
What? Why are you posting an old comic strip as inspiration on a site mostly dedicated to broadcast media?
There are a number of reasons:
- Writing to get a compelling story across with very little time/space. This is an area that Bill Watterson excelled in and broadcast promotion/advertising professionals have to strive to do all the time, get a story across in an interesting way that everyone can comprehend. It’s amazing the emotion, drama, comedy, and excitement that Bill Watterson was able to achieve in only four frames.
- Writer/artist Integrity. Bill Watterson was able to do what many mass media professionals cannot, he stifled the attempts at diluting his work by putting the characters on anything and everything. While there are many arguments to support either side, license on everything or not to license, it is amazing to see how well the strip has held up since it wasn’t over commercialized during its heyday. Although I do belive there is a happy medium and I would have liked to see a little bit more development of the characters in other media, I can respect the amazing struggle it must have been to contain the license and keep it “pure.”
- story development and serialization. Reading through the strips, from the earliest days to the final one, you get to see how well the characters developed. In addition, there were times that stories went beyond the daily four frames and continued on for days or even weeks. I think we can equate this to developing campaigns, where we deliver a message over a series of spots that compel the viewer to keep coming back for more. I think there’s a lot to learn looking through Calvin and Hobbes.
- A message that can appeal to almost everyone. Bill Watterson, intentionally or not, was able to craft story-lines that almost everyone can enjoy. It’s great to read these strips now with my kid and she enjoys them just as much as I do. The stories never alienated anyone or tried to be offensive to gain attention. They were well crafted stories that seemed to have many different layers.
I think a great deal can be learned from reading through Calvin and Hobbes, looking at the development of characters, analyzing how the stories were presented, researching the struggle that Bill Watterson went through to get it published and to keep the strip pure.
Copyright Universal Press Syndicate http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/
This posting originates from sheehe.com. The imagery is Copyright Universal Press Syndicate http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/. The author of the comic is Bill Watterson.