Exploring Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

In 2005, Watterson placed his collection of over 3,000 original Calvin and Hobbes strips - nearly the entire ten-year run - on long-term deposit in the library. Rich West, a college friend of Watterson’s and historian of political cartoons, introduced Watterson to the library and its curator, Lucy Caswell.

Watterson.īut Watterson remained quietly involved in the comics world, primarily through the Cartoon Research Library (now the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum) at The Ohio State University. The cartoonist’s reclusiveness inspired a book, Nevin Martell’s Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, and a documentary, Joel Allen Schroeder’s Dear Mr. Not only can comics be more than we’re getting today, but the comics already have been more than we’re getting today.”Īfter the end of Calvin and Hobbes, Watterson retired to a quiet life in his home of Chagrin Falls - and later Cleveland Heights - Ohio, where he painted watercolor landscapes. “Most readers today have never seen the best comics of the past, so they don’t even know what they’re missing.

“We’ve lost many of the most precious qualities of comics,” Watterson said at the time. The title of the speech: “The Cheapening of the Comics.”

At a 1989 speech at the Festival of Cartoon Art at The Ohio State University, Watterson praised classic comic strips like Peanuts, Pogo and Krazy Kat, then lamented how far newspaper comics had fallen since then. On the rare times he spoke in public, he resonated with intelligence, passion and dark humor, but admitted his frustration by the business surrounding his chosen art form. He declined most interviews and public appearances, and only one photo of him circulated in the media. The world of newspaper comics has changed almost beyond recognition since then, and it’s hard to imagine Watterson as part of that world today.ĭuring the 1985-1995 run of Calvin and Hobbes, Watterson famously shied away from the media. Creator Bill Watterson, one of the most reclusive contemporary artists in the medium, appeared seemingly out of nowhere, drew a daily comic for ten years and then vanished after the series’ 3,150th post. Over the years, its elegant artwork, sharp wit and gentle humanism have won the hearts of casual readers and serious critics alike (and, less endearing, has inspired motorists to stick peeing-Calvin decals on their cars). Mention Calvin and Hobbes to almost anyone under a certain age - and many people over it - and you’ll get a smile.

Exploring Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson