Ask Nevin Martell about Looking for Calvin and Hobbes

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1. Mike Cope

   In the movie Superman Returns, Lois Lane is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for an article entitled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” She wrote it in anger after Superman left Earth on personal quest to find remnants of his home planet. As the movie progresses, terror grips Metropolis, and Lois realizes how wrong she had been.

   As a cartoonist, Bill Watterson was undoubtedly one of the professionâ??s greatest superheroes, fighting with and against the powers that be to publish a comic strip that harkened back to the Golden Age of newspaper funnies. At the height of his popularity, he chose to leave us, to pursue a more personal quest.

   But unlike Superman, he hasnâ??t returned.

   Itâ??s no secret that newspapers are desperately struggling for survival. Costs of production are increasing, while circulation numbers and ad revenues are dwindling. As a result, editors and publishers are looking for ways to not only save money, but also preserve their own existence. Unfortunately, many comic strips are finding themselves homeless, right alongside their editorial cousins.

   This is no slight against newspapers, for it’s the changing habits of readers and advertisers who are forcing this change.

   Based on everything you learned about Bill Watersonâ??s influence and achievements as a cartoonist, what would you say to newspaper editors, publishers, advertisers, and readers, if you had an opportunity to write an article entitled â??Why the World Needs Newspapers Cartoonistsâ??

   (That is, newspaper cartoonists of Wattersonâ??s calibre)

   Thank you.