At San Diego Comic-Con 2013, the FBC Crew attended Stripped: The Comics Documentary panel, which featured the creators of the comic strip documentary which has been four years in the making.  Stripped, a Kickstarter success story, is a documentary that brings together the world’s best cartoonists to talk about the art form they love, and what happens to it as newsprint fades away.  The film includes interviews with Jim Davis (Garfield), Cathy Guisewite (Cathy), Jean Schulz (Peanuts), Mike and Jerry (Penny Arcade), Matt Inman (The Oatmeal), and 90 more of the world’s best cartoonists.  Exciting to add is that the film includes the first-ever recorded interview with Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes).

The panel featured directors Frederick Schroeder and Dave Kellett, editor Ben Waters, and associate producer Jen Troy, all of whom introduced extended clips of Stripped, including the segment of Bill Watterson.  Following the previews, the panelists fielded questions from the audience, which included a discussion of their experiences in creating the film, whether comic strips still hold a place in audiences’ hearts, whether web comics will be represented in the film, and where the industry will go in light of the disappearance of newsprint.

Stripped is currently in post production, as the filmmakers are acquiring a few final licenses for the comic properties used in the film.  In addition, they are currently courting distribution; however, they hope to have a release date for the final film very soon.  For more information on the documentary and updates regarding its release, please visit Stripped on Facebook and Twitter, @strippedfilm.