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Bill Watterson = Jeff Mallett?
Topic Started: Sep 24 2009, 01:13:44 PM (699 Views)
Todd McCloud
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Planet Telox
I'm sure most of you have heard of Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes. It's quite an awesome comic strip: I bought the entire collection for a pretty good price to go with my Far Side collection (too bad they probably won't make one for Bloom County or Dilbert, but I digress). But, as I read the newspaper, I notice a similarity between this:

Posted Image

And this, a comic strip named "Frazz" by Jeff Mallett
Posted Image


Discuss.
"Your uniform doesn't seem to fit. You're much too alive in it."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"The worst prison would be a closed heart." - Pope John Paul II
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Todd McCloud
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Planet Telox
I did find this out about Bill: he's very, very reclusive. Wikipedia had this to say about him:

Quote:
 
In the years that followed his retirement there were many attempts to locate Watterson in his home town on Chagrin Falls. Both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Scene sent out reporters in 1998 and 2003 respectively. They found nothing. In 2005 Gene Weingarten from the Washington Post was sent out with a gift of a first edition Barneby book as an incentive for Watterson's cooperation. He passed this, along with a message to Watterson's parents and declared he would wait in the hotel for as long as it took Watterson to contact him. The next day Lee Salem, Watterson's editor, rang and told him to just pack up and leave; Bill was never going to come.[28] Other reporters have also been rumoured to have attempted to track him down, as have fans - but friendly though members of the town are, each denies knowing exactly who Bill Watterson is. This is unlikely considering the size of the town, the length of time Watterson has spent living there and the visibility of his parents in the community his whole life.

In 2009 Nevin Martell did succeed in locating Watterson, now living in Cleveland. He chose not to confront him directly, however, and instead sent a letter expressing his wish to meet and interview him. He was not successful, but he did locate many friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances of Bill's for his biography "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip".


And stuff on Jef Mallett:

Quote:
 
Because of similarities in calligraphic style, Frazz's physical appearance, his station in life as a brilliant underachiever, and his age relative to Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes, speculation arose that Mallett was actually Bill Watterson, or that Frazz was an unauthorized sequel and that Frazz is Calvin as an adult. Some other characters that are similar are Miss Wormwood and Rosalyn in Watterson's strip to Mrs. Olsen and Miss Plainwell in Mallett's strip. In a May 2006 series of strips, Frazz and Caulfield invent a game called "Bedlamball" that, like "Calvinball", has no apparent rules or scoring.[49] Mallett acknowledges Watterson's influence, but denies that he is Watterson or that Frazz is intended as a copy or replacement of Calvin & Hobbes.[50]

In his online column, "Chatological Humor", Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten published a response by Mallett to the speculation that Frazz was a grown-up Calvin.[51] In the foreword to Live at Bryson Elementary, Weingarten writes, "They're [critics are] focusing not only on hair (Frazz's frizz), but also on his station in life: a brilliant underachiever. Well, Jef assures me that any similarity is unintentional."

LA Times columnist Charles Solomon noted, "The humor and calligraphic drawing in “Frazz” reflect Watterson’s influence, but the strip doesn’t feel like a pallid imitation."[24]

Mallett has alluded to the speculation several times in the strip. In a September 2003 Sunday strip an introverted student tells Frazz that she wants to be famous, and believes it is possible to be famous for one's work, without exposing your private life to the public eye. Frazz says, "Good point. Like J.D. Salinger or Bill Watterson." She says she's never heard of them.[52] As part of a brief story arc in November 2006, Frazz tells Caulfield "I also used to be Bill Watterson's personal assistant."


Also, I found this interesting: Frazz debuted on April 2nd, 2001. One day from April Fool's Day, and roughly five years since Calvin and Hobbes was stopped.
"Your uniform doesn't seem to fit. You're much too alive in it."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"The worst prison would be a closed heart." - Pope John Paul II
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Todd McCloud
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Planet Telox
And, finally, pictures:

Bill Watterson (didn't get a true date on this, but it looks like around 1990)
Posted Image

Jef Mallet, recent picture (I think 2008)
Posted Image

Now, there are a few things which don't change shape very much over the years. One of them is ears. I can't find a better resolution for the first picture, but from what we can see, the ears do indeed look similar. Note how the inner fold in Mallet's ear moves up, branches and forms a top notch, then sort of goes down. Watterson's ear, while it is a bit difficult to tell, has the same form. Again, unfortunately, other things like teeth is difficult to tell in the first picture. But, the eyes are both beady, as well as the sloping forehead couple with the sloped back hair pattern, but hair can change a lot in twenty years or so. Yet, minus the mustache, Watterson has near identical jowl lines to that of Mallet. So the picture resemblance might be feasible, but it really can't be anything outside of inconclusive yet. And as for photos of Bill, I've been only able to find three, and this one has the best resolution. The other two are small and very grainy.
"Your uniform doesn't seem to fit. You're much too alive in it."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"The worst prison would be a closed heart." - Pope John Paul II
Vekaiyu's Wiki Page | Ikrisia Levinile's Wiki Page | Listonia's Wiki Page
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Allegheny
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I think it's quite possible these two men are actually the same person. It does however seem to good to be true what with the frazz strip starting out on april fools day.

On comparison of the pictures of the two the smiles are almost the same but bills ears seem larger and more elongated whereas jeff's are more circular and small. However there once was a time where my dad shaved off his huge mustache and i almost didn't recognize him. A mustache can make a huge difference.
Posted Image

There was a hole here. It's gone now.
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Todd McCloud
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Planet Telox
True. Also, another thing: the nose is thin and hooks down in both cases. I mean, I can't find anything about Watterson public appearances passed... about 1997. Regarding Mallet, the only things I can find about him are just stuff any other Joe could've done. Nothing really specific until about 2003 when he starts appearing in public and winning awards. Prior to that, he was an art director for some Lansing, Michigan newspaper and a graphic artist for a Flint and Grand Rapids newspaper. Nothing really special.
"Your uniform doesn't seem to fit. You're much too alive in it."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"The worst prison would be a closed heart." - Pope John Paul II
Vekaiyu's Wiki Page | Ikrisia Levinile's Wiki Page | Listonia's Wiki Page
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Todd McCloud
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Planet Telox
Small update: Can't seem to find other good Watterson pictures. Still looking, nevertheless.
"Your uniform doesn't seem to fit. You're much too alive in it."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"The worst prison would be a closed heart." - Pope John Paul II
Vekaiyu's Wiki Page | Ikrisia Levinile's Wiki Page | Listonia's Wiki Page
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
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