Within the last month two of the blogs I regularly read and are linked to the side there have commented on Bill Watterson and unauthorized Calvin stickers. If they read my blog they would know that I have commissioned a vinyl decal place I found on the web to make me a Calvin & Hobbes sticker for my car. Have they stopped reading my blog because of this? If not, are they aiding and abetting a known criminal? Or is their only real objection that they found the image of Calvin peeing on “insert object” offensive?
I scanned the image I’m having made into a sticker from a C&H collection book I bought. The fellow that is making the sticker for me feels as if I have commissioned a piece of art from him. Is this sticker fair use for me? Is it art? Is it a tribute to my favorite cartoon characters?
My local newspaper just started carrying Calvin & Hobbes on the funny pages again. Not new stuff, but 20 year old strips. C & H will only be running from now until December the announcing article said. It is mainly a way to help sell Mr. Waterson’s new book, The Complete Calvin & Hobbes, a $150 set of books that reprints ever strip that ever appeared in the newspaper over it’s 10 year run. To make room for adding Calvin & Hobbes the paper stopped running Shoe daily and a couple of other smaller comics on Sunday. I sure hope Mr. Waterson is compensating the authors of the strips he is misplacing in this self-promotion scheme…
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 291
I am still reading your blog. The thing that offends me is that Calvin is whizzing over everything. This is behaviour that is totally inconsistent with the character and peeing on stuff is just offensive.
Legally – and I am told this by the folks doing the art for my MINI Cooper – the art/graphics that you and I are using on our automobiles must be changed by 15% to avoid copyright infringement. I wonder if mirror imaging the art/graphics counts? Hmmm.
Peace and happy motoring,
–Will
15%…hmm. I guess that is how that guy on ebay gets away with selling all the “Life Is Short xxxx Naked” decals. He has added a tongue in the mouth.