Best Cartoonist Award

Taking a break from my sketching a catalog cover tonight and a few thoughts hit me.

Bill Watterson is my favorite cartoonist. Not only for "Calvin and Hobbes," although that certainly qualifies. His wit, his comic timing, and his draftsmanship were superb. But, the reason he is my favorite is he did it as an artistic expression foremost, and when it was such a popular and financial success he was able to walk away from it. It never became his addiction.

That is a rare gift. I would love to meet him some day. He was not a National Cartoonist Society member, though we honored him twice with our highest award, the Reuben. Alas, it was 7 years before I received my first NCS award, so I never got to meet him.

My only disappointment with him is, if I had been in his shoes, I would have wanted to share a little of the intangibles of artistry and life choices with the people he might have met in our profession who share his values. I still hope I get the chance one day.

I surely admire him.