Frazz 

Don't know that I've posted here about Frazz, the comic strip that some conspiracy theorists believe is the second coming of Calvin and Hobbes. They would have you believe that our Calvin was Calvin Frasier (His last name was never revealed, of course), and that Bill Watterson is now using the pen name of Jef Mallett to further the adventures of our now-older protaganist, now known as Frazz. As evidence, they cite the artistic style which is somewhat similar to C&H, the main character's distinctive hair, some of the lettering, the fact that some of the jokes are A LOT like some old C&H jokes. And, of course, then there are all the little things that conspiracy theorists love: this article about Watterson, in which most of the C&H artwork is by Mallett, a passing reference in a Frazz strip to Watterson, the fact that one of the main characters is named Caulfied, which they say is a reference to Holden Caulfield, the main character of Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger, a brilliant writer who created his masterpieces and then just quit and disappeared from the public eye (sound familar? I don't think Salinger ever authorized any CITR t-shirts or stuffed animals, either).
Of course, in cross-examination, it comes out that information is available about Mallett, and he's not Watterson. ("So what?!" demand the conspiracy theorists. "They could have made all that stuff up, and paid somebody to use his picture!") He's a self-confessed huge fan of C&H, who admits drawing heavy inspiration from Watterson. And, beyond the superficial, Frazz is definitely not C&H (of course, it's not uncommon for a comic strip artist to lose his edge over time).
All in all, it's a nice thought. I think, even if intellectually, a lot of us believe it's better for Watterson to have left us one pure good thing and then not tarnish or dilute it, I imagine many of us also have a romantic side that likes the idea of Watterson returning, working in secret to further the story of his beloved creation.
But, it's just not true. Sorry.
All of that is lengthy precursor to what I was originally going to ask. In Frazz, the supposedly-would-be-Calvin character is working as a school janitor. It somehow just doesn't jibe with how I thought Calvin would end up, though, to be sure, I never really sat down and tried to plot out the course of his life. I never really pictured him as a grown-up at all, much less with a career. Reading the strips again, as I'm doing now, I could see textual support for a Frazz sort of situation--Calvin is certainly bright enough, but he's hardly an overachiever. Likewise, Frazz is probably the smartest character in the strip, and he seems perfectly content as a school janitor. I guess I always just pictured Calvin as someone who would really bloom later, finding a way to channel the creative energy.
Calvin was 6 in 1985, and, though he didn't age in C&H, based on that he'd be 25 now. Where do you think he would be now?

:: :: 08:38 :: David :: [permalink] ::