The collaboration between the two artists came at the suggestion of Watterson and was immediately embraced by an overwhelmed Pastis, who, like some many modern cartoonists, was greatly influenced by Watterson and Calvin and Hobbes. Now, thanks to this auction, fans will get to take the original art home while raising money for a great cause.” “His collaboration with Stephan Pastis was an unexpected treat for his millions of fans. “Anytime original Bill Watterson comic art shows up for auction it’s a big deal,” said Todd Hignite, vice president at Heritage Auctions. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.Īll three comic strips are on display through Sunday at San Diego ComicCon. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Michael J. In the three subsequent strips, she draws imaginative scenes replete with Martian robots and rich detail-features that, in retrospect, are clear indicators of Watterson’s work.Bill Watterson and Stephan Pastis ‘Pearls Before Swine’ daily comic strip original art dated 6-5-2014 (Universal Uclick, 2014).ĭALLAS – The original artwork for the recent three comic strip collaboration between Bill Watterson, the reclusive genius behind the much-loved Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, and Pearls Before Swine cartoonist Stephen Pastis – taking place in a three-day run in June 2014 in Pearls – will be sold at Heritage Auctions on Aug. The idea is rooted in Pastis’ signature self-deprecation-he often pokes fun at his own drawing ability in Pearls-and Watterson’s guest art is set up with an amusing conceit: Libby, a precocious second-grader introduced in two recent strips, boasts that she can easily best Pastis’ stick-figure style. Pastis, who said the collaboration was “like getting a call from Bigfoot,” instantly agreed when Watterson suggested guest-drawing Pearls and donating the originals to raise money for Parkinson’s research. The work represents Watterson’s first published strips in almost 20 years. So it’s something of a revelation that Watterson, in three strips from the past week, served as a guest artist on Stephan Pastis’ Pearls Before Swine.

The man was reclusive when drawing his legendary Calvin and Hobbesstrip, but since retiring in 1995 he’s basically disappeared: He’s made few public appearances, given even fewer interviews, and produced only one or two drawings.

Watterson pearls before swine