[1][2] He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie and The Broons; comic strips featuring them have appeared in the Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post since 1936, along with annual compilations.
[4] In 1925 the school principal recommended Watkins to the thriving publisher D.C. Thomson, based in Dundee.
While Percy was still appearing in Adventure, Watkins co-created, with writer/editor R. D. Low, what would become his most famous characters, Oor Wullie and The Broons.
[4] His workload was further increased when D.C. Thomson created The Beano, an eight-page comic booklet, with Watkins being responsible for drawing the Lord Snooty strip.
Watkins' most enduring adventure strip was Jimmy and his Magic Patch, which debuted in the 1 January 1944 issue of The Beano and ran for 18 years.
[4] Watkins was one of only two D. C. Thomson cartoonists who signed their work (beginning in June 1946),[4] which was known for its intricate detail and unique style.
[10] D. C. Thomson continued to reprint Oor Wullie and Broons strips in The Sunday Post for seven years before a replacement was found.