Via French site 20 Minutes (with a hat-tip to Comics and Cola), we now have a look at Bill Watterson’s poster for the upcoming Angoulême Comics Festival. Take a look:
My French is weak and so is my Google Translate, but the interview with him goes into why he did this as a strip style, to which he remarks that he wanted to liken back to his roots as a Sunday comic strip artist. “Telling a story in pictures is only one of the great strengths – and the great pleasures – offered by comics. In this sense, I hope I have managed to express both my work and comics in general,” Watterson says. “And to pay tribute to what makes this medium so pleasant to read.” He also remarks, when asked why he didn’t use Calvin and Hobbes in the image, that he does not use those characters to promote anything other than themselves — which is great.
Of course, it’s a bit humorous to note that Bill himself will not be attending the show despite being appointed the Grand Prix and President of the show, which certainly feeds into his recluse persona (“To be honest, the world of festivals and their reward is far removed from my daily concerns,” Watterson remarks). Instead, Watterson is sending some of his work to the festival as part of an exhibition that will be held at the show.
Still, any opportunity for new Bill Watterson work is something to enjoy, no matter how brief.
