Bill Watterson has a change (well, maybe two) of heart

As most of you know, Bill Watterson drew the wildly successful comic strip Calvin and Hobbes from mid-1986 through 31 December 1996. During that time, he refused flatly to license the strip for merchandising (although a load of stuff with copyright violations showed up). At the same time, he decided to end his run on a high note, and, being the intensely private person that he is, has dropped out of sight since then.

Now: suppose his thinking is changed (by whatever driving forces, I leave to you). That is, suppose that:

* He decides that a sabbatical is in order rather than a permanent discontinuation, and resumes the strip after a few months--or better still, takes no hiatus at all;
* He uses Charles Schulz' experience as a model, and allows some limited, tightly controlled licensing of Calvin and Hobbes, which licensing is allowed to expand modestly with time so that the public is satisfied but not saturated with merchandise.

Apart from a more enjoyable comics page these days, what other effects might we see?
 

Thande

Donor
If Watterson ever decided to re-enter the comics business I think he would start a totally new strip, viewing Calvin and Hobbes as completed.

I don't see him ever licensing merchandise, it goes to the heart of his character.
 
Painful as it has been for us the fans, I really feel Watterson made the right decision in not licensing Calvin and Hobbes and ending the strip on the right note: it's much better that he did this than force it to keep going, or worse, some sort of Franchise Zombie. Worse, licensing would have violated the ethos of the characters he created.

However, I admit I would have enjoyed seeing a few Peanuts-style cartoons, as well as maybe some t-shirts and mugs and suchlike.
 
Top