The artistic form of the comic strip has existed for some time, dating back to medieval tapestries that depicted sequential pictures. Newspapers started running the humorous and satirical printed strips in America around the end of the 19th century. Since then, luminaries of the field have arisen: Walt Kelly, Charles Shultz, Alex Raymond, and Berkely Breathed, to name a few. Also grouped in that fine company is Bill Watterson, creator, writer and artist of “Calvin and Hobbes,” which had a ten-year production run in newspapers from 1985-1995. The final strip, on Dec. 31, 1995, depicted the two title characters sledding off into a field of freshly fallen snow, as Calvin exclaimed, “Let’s go exploring!”
The recently released “Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue” gives a definitive look at what Calvin and Hobbes achieved, and how it got there, before it all came to an end on New Years’ Eve 1995.
Fast forward twenty years, and countless fans and admirers continue to discover and enjoy the strip, now collected in many different books. The strip’s following is uncanny, as it was never licensed out for merchandise or various other forms of representation, and Watterson himself is notoriously shut off from the press and the limelight. He did, however, have the foresight to donate his collection of over 3,000 original strips from the “Calvin and Hobbes” run, as well as other drawings and strips he did in various stages of his life, to The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. Now, longtime devotees to the strip. and new generations of fans, are able to walk through the life of the strip and its creator with this exhibition catalogue, “Exploring Calvin and Hobbes.”
This latest book provides a feast previously withheld from fans in the scores Calvin and Hobbes books previously published over the years. It has two parts: an interview, and a guided tour. The first thirty some pages are an incredible talk with Watterson, conducted by curator of the museum, Jenny E. Robb. Watterson stated he “developed a reputation as a hermit recluse, and that’s worked so well in my favor that it’s something I continue to try and live up to.” That isn’t the whole story on that, or any aspect of his life and career. He shuns the spotlight because it is a distraction and not the reason he drew comics in the first place. Watterson, at his very center, is fueled by the creation of the art and the drive to perfect the craft. He talks of his heroes in the art of comic strips, like Kelly and Shultz, and how he was amazed by the possibility to earn a living by drawing comics, something he was then determined to achieve. It was never about the recognition, or the idea of fame and fortune. That is one of the many things that made his strip so pure, so incredibly well written and well-drawn.
The interview is a wealth of information that has previously been undisclosed by Watterson. Tidbits on his childhood, his rocky start into his career as a political cartoonist, and as he has been painting more, his respect for artists such as Egon Schiele and Lucian Freud. For readers that intimately know the decade long strip, there are plenty of hidden jewels and Easter eggs about Watterson’s process and where certain stories or jokes came from. The interview moves along at a measured pace and brings a whole new perspective to Calvin and Hobbes, as well as the man who brought them to life.
The second part of the book is a look at the exhibit itself, with insight from Watterson and strips chosen by the curator to acutely show the scope of his work. It is broken down into sections that guides you through the entire world created from, and around, a boy and his “good natured, man eating confidant”. From original first pitch drawings, to hand-picked strips detailing the characters, settings and seasons, it is an extensive and complete microcosm of the entire run of the comic strip. Readers are also treated to a look at the tools Watterson used and strips that he himself picked out that give credit to his influences and idols, with descriptions written by Watterson.
This book gives a definitive look at what Calvin and Hobbes achieved and how it got there. Long gone are the days when the newspaper would come to the house and the family would take turns passing the comic section around. With today’s digital age, comics are much more accessible, but the readership and appeal is far from the heights it once was. Even strips like “Calvin and Hobbes” owe a lot of success to published book collections. With “Exploring Calvin and Hobbes,” the reasons for its continued success are all more clear. For fans young and old, it is a must have book for everyone’s collection.
As a final thought, Watterson reiterates how he still doesn’t know exactly how he stumbled upon this wonderful comic strip and its characters. He describes how they really talked for themselves and took a life of their own as he continued to write and draw the strip. He felt by the end of the strip he had achieved what he set out to do, and that art needs to continue to grow and evolve to survive. He states, “That’s partly why the last strip was about exploring. I had always assumed I’d draw cartoons my whole life, so in a way, I was surprised as anyone.” We can only be eternally grateful he started out on that adventure in the first place.
Jeff Ayers is Features Editor for Neon Gods.com. He also writes for Graphic Novel Reporter and Fanboys Inc. He has earned bylines for UpstateLive.com and the Comic Book Herald.
