Bill Watterson, the notoriously reclusive creator of Calvin and Hobbes who retired from drawing comic strips almost 20 years ago, drew parts of three days of Stephan Pastis’ Pearls Before Swine last week, and will donate the original art (including Pastis’ portions) to be auctioned to support Parkinson’s disease charity Team Cul de Sac.  Pastis revealed the secret, which Watterson had made him promise to keep until after all three strips had run (Wednesday through Friday), on his blog. 

Pastis approached Watterson through an intermediary to try to set up a meeting, which didn’t happen, but Watterson responded with the suggestion that they collaborate on Pastis’ strip. 

Pastis set up Watterson’s art with a storyline in which a second-grader who thinks Pastis’ art is weak is drawing the strip.  Watterson drew the middle panel of the three days’ strips.