The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Schulz is in a league all his own.” His Painting Hobby “Comic-strip cartooning requires such a peculiar combination of talents that there are very few people who are ever successful at it,” Watterson wrote. He described how Schulz changed the format of newspaper comics and disregarded “cinematic” visual styles in favor of simple but expressive artwork that “reveal a deep understanding of cartooning’s strengths.” When Schulz died in 2000 at age 77, Watterson broke his post– Calvin and Hobbes public silence to pen a tribute to his hero for The Los Angeles Times. “He was a hero to me as a kid, and his influence on my work and life is long and deep,” Watterson wrote of the legendary cartoonist behind characters like Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Watterson had long described Peanuts creator Charles Schulz as one of his greatest influences. A Tribute to Peanuts’ Charles SchulzĬharles Schulz, seen here in 1962, created Charlie Brown, among his Peanuts characters.

Here’s what Watterson has been up to since Calvin and Hobbes ended.

Needless to say, Watterson’s fans are overjoyed about his first major book since Calvin and Hobbes, especially because new material has been so rare for nearly three decades. Written in partnership with caricaturist John Kascht, Watterson’s new work is described as a “fable for grown-ups” about “what lies beyond human understanding.” He was just doing something he enjoyed doing.” Watterson’s mother, Kathryn, added: “He definitely wants to disappear.”īut Watterson has been back in the headlines with the announcement of The Mysteries, which will be released on October 10. “He doesn’t get his kicks by being famous. “He would like it all to fade away,” Watterson’s father, Jim, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1998. Salinger of the strips,” Watterson gives few interviews, rarely releases new artwork publicly, and made Time ’s list of most reclusive celebrities. Described by The Washington Post as “the J.D. Nearly as famous as the comic itself is the reclusivity of its creator, Bill Watterson, who has kept out of the public eye since ending Calvin and Hobbes’ 10-year run in 1995. It’s been more than 27 years since Calvin and Hobbes graced newspaper pages, but the critically-acclaimed comic strip about a mischievous 6-year-old boy and his stuffed tiger best friend is still widely beloved by legions of fans.

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson