Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip

When I learned that this book existed, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved reading Calvin and Hobbes. It was in newspapers from when I was 12 to when I was 22. Perfect age, I thought. I wanted to learn more about the strip and about Bill Watterson. It didn't disappoint. Nevin Martell takes the reader on the same journey he took, seeking out Bill Watterson but learning everything he could about Bill and about the strip along the way. We also learn a bit about how the cartoon industry works, and about many of Bill's friends and coworkers. We learn why there was never any merchandising for Calvin and Hobbes. I won't give away the ending, but I encourage you to read Looking for Calvin and Hobbes. You will learn quite a bit about one of the most popular, funny, and interesting comic strips in recent times. This book doesn't disappoint.

"Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip" is a fun, fast-paced book that any fan of the tousle-headed cartoon boy and his anthropomorphic stuffed tiger should read. Perhaps, as some reviewers say, it's not especially deep. Perhaps it doesn't offer many new earthshaking revelations about the life of publicity-shy "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson. And it's true, as other reviewers note, that it doesn't even include any Calvin and Hobbes strips--author Nevin Martell describes strips in words in order to make his points. Even so, I found it to be a very interesting look at the genesis and evolution of one of the most popular comic strips of all time. "Calvin and Hobbes" set extremely high standards of excellence for artistry, storytelling, relevance and humor, and gained millions of fans throughout the world during its ten-year run that ended in 1995, when Mr. Watterson retired his beloved characters with nary a look back. Much of Mr. Martell's book is based on the few precious interviews and speeches that Mr. Watterson gave many years ago, and on the introductions and commentaries in his series of "Calvin and Hobbes" books. Mr. Martell did manage to score interviews with some of Mr. Watterson's classmates, friends, associates and other cartoonists, but most of the interviewees revealed few new insights into the strip's reclusive creator. Nevertheless, I found "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" to be an informative and valuable resource. Even though I own all of the individual "Calvin and Hobbes" books that were some of his main sources, Mr. Martell collects the available information into a meaningful, coherent (if ultimately incomplete) package. He does a great job of chronicling the story of Mr. Watterson's unforgettable comic creation in an enthusiastic, highly readable way. I enjoyed "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" immensely. And now, even though I've probably read all of them a half-dozen times or more, I think I'll start to work my way through my "Calvin and Hobbes" collection again. It's a great way to hook up with some old friends.

Looking for Calvin and Hobbes is a wonderful book--a cliffhanger, a quest, the fulfillment of an impossible dream, and what I detect may be a realization of two fictional characters made flesh. Does Bill watterson become that hilarious brat Calvin and does his biographer Nevin Martell become that adoraable Hobbes? Crazy? Full disclosure, I taught Bill Watterson briefly at Kenyon College and then he was nothing like Calvin, and his family would attest to that. But when you read how Bill becomes the Mr. No of all the great comic creators of all time, you have to wonder. And Martell? When you read about his love for Bill's characters, his dogged research to find Bill out, his tact, his loyalty to an unrelenting subject, his final triumph--you must think, this guy is Hobbes to the core. Oh read this! If you are an aspiring journalist, learn how Martell handles a story no one else has been able to tell. If you intend to invent a comic strip, you need this. If you love a quest, you will enjoy this. Nevin--next,I suggest the elusive Greta Garbo.

Apparently, we have moved through denial, anger, and bargaining; we have survived the deep depression and now have reached acceptance--there will be no more Calvin and Hobbes. It is no wonder that Bill Watterson wants us all to go away, he gave birth to a wonderful creation but it lived its natural life and passed on. It is not coming back and let's be honest, we aren't so much interested in Mr. Watterson as we are in somehow squeezing out more of the joy he brought to us with Calvin and Hobbes. To this end, Mr. Martell tells the story of his attempt to recapture the joy of Calvin and Hobbes by coming to understand something more about its creator. Intriguingly, the book ends up teaching us more about life than about either Mr. Watterson or his creation. Calvin and Hobbes, alas, is dead. I count myself as fortunate enough to have lived in a world where every morning brought a new Calvin strip. My children need not wait; they can merely rip through the complete work by taking down my well-thumbed books off of the shelf. I think it is unanimous that Calvin and Hobbes ranks as one of the great creations and it seems to annoy folks that the creator survives. Sure, we can always revisit Calvin, but the experience is fraught with a kind of ineffable sadness; rather like remembering happy times with a parent or friend who has passed away. As all great art does, Mr. Watterson's efforts have profoundly changed and affected all who encounter them and it is quite understandable that he has no desire to assist us in dealing with the emotions engendered by his unique exploration of life as Calvin and Hobbes spoke on so many different levels to so many people. The value of Mr. Martell's fine effort is found in the examination of how to deal with loss and change. It is literally the story of bereavement and the finding of joy in what remains. Mr. Watterson tapped into something great and was pleased to share his talents; now, the man wishes to be left alone to enjoy life's journey in his own private manner. There is a lesson to be had in Mr. Watterson's devoted efforts to keep Calvin and Hobbes the purest expression of its medium, free from exploitation and complications. It is the highest evidence of Mr. Watterson's wisdom that he recognizes and appreciates that fame and fortune are more punishment than reward and this volume succeeds by highlighting this fact. In nothing do we honor Mr. Watterson's creation more than by recognizing that--it's a magical world, let's go exploring.

I was not a die-hard Calvin and Hobbes fan, mostly as a result of not being a serious comics fan but I did occasionally read and enjoy the strip. Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much I enjoyed the book- regardless of my lack of knowledge for the subject matter. Watterson's work and life comes alive on the page by the authors own appreciation for the subject matter and it is filled with interesting anecdotes about Watterson. Although, the author's own admiration of Watterson's work and ethics comes shining through, it never feels biased. The author presents an objective lens on Watterson's character and actions, many of which were not received well by the general public or his colleagues. Yet, this book literally hums with an irrepressible enjoyment of Watterson and his craft. It is truly an engaging and entertaining book and brings out a strong respect for the hard choices Watterson made in his career, and the integrity with which he approached it.