While I was down in San Antonio, I did some research on Calvin and Hobbes.
Backstory: In the early years of Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson sometimes sent an original sketch to newspapers which announced the strip as a winner in their reader polls. Occasionally the newspaper would choose to publish the sketch. Ignatz of Calvin and Hobbes: Magic on Paper has a list of these newspapers on his site (you can find it here). One of the newspapers is the San Antonio Express-News, which printed the results of its comic poll on September 25, 1988. So while I was in San Antonio, I thought I'd go look up the microfiche copy of the Express-News for that date, and see if they'd printed any original art by Watterson.
Unfortunately, there is no original art by Watterson anywhere in the September 25, 1988 issue. I checked the whole paper, not just the comic poll results. Either Watterson didn't send any art to the Express-News, or else the paper chose not to print the art. The Express-News did reprint the strip for September 15, 1988 (the one where Calvin announces to his mom that he and Hobbes are going to Mars).
I did find out that the Express-News had been printing Calvin and Hobbes ever since it came out on November 18, 1985. Calvin and Hobbes was also the runaway winner in the comic poll. It was the top "must-read" comic in every single age and sex category, and was the all-time favourite comic in every age category except the 50-and-over crowd, which picked C&H second after Peanuts. Overall, Calvin and Hobbes garnered twice as many votes as any other comic in the Express-News.
Here's a few quotes from readers:
I'll be contacting ignatz shortly to report on my results.
Backstory: In the early years of Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson sometimes sent an original sketch to newspapers which announced the strip as a winner in their reader polls. Occasionally the newspaper would choose to publish the sketch. Ignatz of Calvin and Hobbes: Magic on Paper has a list of these newspapers on his site (you can find it here). One of the newspapers is the San Antonio Express-News, which printed the results of its comic poll on September 25, 1988. So while I was in San Antonio, I thought I'd go look up the microfiche copy of the Express-News for that date, and see if they'd printed any original art by Watterson.
Unfortunately, there is no original art by Watterson anywhere in the September 25, 1988 issue. I checked the whole paper, not just the comic poll results. Either Watterson didn't send any art to the Express-News, or else the paper chose not to print the art. The Express-News did reprint the strip for September 15, 1988 (the one where Calvin announces to his mom that he and Hobbes are going to Mars).
I did find out that the Express-News had been printing Calvin and Hobbes ever since it came out on November 18, 1985. Calvin and Hobbes was also the runaway winner in the comic poll. It was the top "must-read" comic in every single age and sex category, and was the all-time favourite comic in every age category except the 50-and-over crowd, which picked C&H second after Peanuts. Overall, Calvin and Hobbes garnered twice as many votes as any other comic in the Express-News.
Here's a few quotes from readers:
"Calvin and Hobbes reminds me of my youth. I just love the imagination of Bill Watterson." - Kurt H. Gornitz
"I am a high school librarian and can say teachers and students alike clamor for my old newspapers for The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes and Funky." - Cheryl Bybee
"Comics should make light of daily life and events (i.e., Calvin) and not be a gross view of life (i.e., Neighborhood)." - J.E. Smith
"Our son and daughter-in-law named our grandson Calvin (after Calvin and Hobbes)." - Mrs. Cris Moranes
I'll be contacting ignatz shortly to report on my results.
