Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip [Hardcover]

There are problems with Nevin Martell's book, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. While the title encourages the reader to think he or she will be reading the story of how Calvin and Hobbes came to be, what we get instead is one man's personal odyssey to score an interview with the elusive creator of the strip, Bill Watterson. It's true that we DO get to read the results of Martell's research (which include lots of tidbits regarding the aforementioned story), and it's often interesting. However, the book suffers from the plethora of personal asides about his wife, prior writing projects, and rock star interviews Martell had done.

Another problem rises due to the fact that Bill Watterson owns "Calvin and Hobbes" lock, stock and barrel. As a result, there are no comics printed in the book. Instead, Martell resorts to taking page upon page to describe individual strips, from first panel to last. While I acknowledge that this wasn't the author's fault, it adds a level of tedium to some sections of the book.

And yet another issue with the book comes in the writing itself. Martell primarily writes for magazines, and that's how this book reads: as a series of magazine articles on the same subject, rather than as a coherent whole. He repeats quotes from earlier parts of the book, summarizes earlier chapters in later ones, and so on. This would be fine if we were reading the book one chapter at a time over several weeks or months, but it doesn't work in book form. Also, his description is sometimes clumsy: "Everything was drenched in pure white, as if God had forgotten to shake the Earth as he would a snow globe." That's a long way to go for a simple image. In addition, Martell sometimes makes errors when discussing the comics themselves. When talking about Calvin's use of the cardboard box (one of the great conventions of the strip), he states that the Atomic Cerebral Enhance-O-Tron is one of the box's many uses. Well, the ACE was a colander that Calvin put on his head. A small error to be sure, but one that a fan will easily catch. Several more are scattered through the book.

However, the book is worth reading. His interviews with Watterson associates are illuminating, and his chapter on how Calvin and Hobbes influenced other comic artists is a must. He rounds up a who's who of current and former comic artists and syndicate bigwigs for these chapters. No one can fault the man's legwork.

Overall, I'm not sorry I read it. It was obviously a labor of love for Martell, and that comes through on every page. The problem is, that often comes through too strongly. It's interesting, but not essential to ones' appreciation for, or understanding of, the wonder that was Calvin and Hobbes. 3.5 stars.

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 expected this to be a book about Bill Watterson, and not a lengthy blog about the author. After the introduction, when Martell says he would have to write the book as though the author were dead, he should have subsided mentioning trying getting in contact with Watterson, and he should have adopted a more formal, respectful tone, rather than the whiny, redundant, "why won't you talk to me?!"

The book is some two-hundred pages of fillers. Many vague quotes and anecdotes could have been cut. Most of Martell's material comes from very polite reaction stories, lacking depth and uniqueness.

That said, the quotes from Watterson--which can be found in full in /his/ books--provided perspective as to why he has made the choices he did. It is almost funny, that Martell, with his wealth of resources, was unable to provide any insight into his subject. It seems that Watterson has already explained everything. Why grant further interviews just to repeat yourself? Because this magazine wants their own? So this guy can put his name on it? Answers to why he refused commercialization, further work, and interviews have already been provided. From my understanding, Watterson is not a grouchy, old man--he is a serious writer, and when he finds subjects he is passionate about--say old comics that have lost relevancy but remain in publication for profits--he speaks on it. I see him as more selective than reclusive.

When Martell writes about Watterson's process, he mentions a quality filter on anything that left the drawing room; this is one of many lessons which Martell should have taken away from his own project. Had the book been rewritten with the tools obtained--instead of being about the search for tools--I think this could have been an excellent read.

I believe Bill Watterson has chosen intelligently in his non-participation with /Looking for Calvin and Hobbes/.

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