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calvinrydbom's review against another edition
I liked this book a lot more than most, in large part because of the couple of chapters other folks pointed out liking as well. Yes Martell essentially pulled together a ton of writing and interviews you could find on your own-but for me the few interviews with old friends, his editor of sorts at the syndicate and the dozen of other comics are what I found interesting. I though the chapter solely devoted to other cartoonists opinion of him was worth the price of the book alone.
dolqueil's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating subject, but the writing and editing are a little weak.
davefoolery's review against another edition
3.0
Why do biographies matter? Why do we care about the personal lives of famous people, especially those who have given us something as cool as Calvin and Hobbes?
I had my doubts about this book as I was reading, but Martell is so enthusiastic about Watterson and everyone he talks to is so enthusiastic about Watterson that I couldn't help but get excited about Calvin and Hobbes all over again.
I wish there had been cartoons to go with the descriptions. I guess I'll just have to pull out Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons and bask in the Watterson magic.
I picked up this book in part because I enjoyed the Schulz biography and the way that made me think about the challenges that Schulz faced. This book lacked that depth, but somehow in the end managed to achieve something similar. I'm left with an appreciation of a cartoonist that's greater than when I started.
I had my doubts about this book as I was reading, but Martell is so enthusiastic about Watterson and everyone he talks to is so enthusiastic about Watterson that I couldn't help but get excited about Calvin and Hobbes all over again.
I wish there had been cartoons to go with the descriptions. I guess I'll just have to pull out Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons and bask in the Watterson magic.
I picked up this book in part because I enjoyed the Schulz biography and the way that made me think about the challenges that Schulz faced. This book lacked that depth, but somehow in the end managed to achieve something similar. I'm left with an appreciation of a cartoonist that's greater than when I started.
stammarama's review against another edition
4.0
About as an insightful book as you're going to find given the reclusiveness of its subject.
junderscoreb's review against another edition
2.0
It's a testament to the power of Calvin and Hobbes that I actually enjoyed portions of this book. I read through sentences like this one (describing the cut-throat landscape of professional comic strip writers): "This was the dog eat dog world Watterson wanted to jump into without a bulletproof vest or a parachute," for upwards of 100 pages before really admitting to myself that I was going to get little out of this book. Just when my eyes were too sore from rolling at Martell's prose to read any further, he would describe a particular strip and I would get a little dopamine squirt that would keep me going. Next time, I'll cut out the middle man and just re-read the collections.
andrewboscardin's review against another edition
1.0
I was really looking forward to this book, which looked like it might be a well-considered, thoughtful look at Calvin and Hobbes and creator Bill Watterson. I tried not to be too skeptical of the author, whose credits include a Dave Matthews biography and a book about a Beck album, but I probably should have been.
Using "hooking up with Jessica Biel" as a metaphor and imagining that bootleg merchandise might make Watterson "well, pissed" are just a couple of the examples of how bad the writing is here. Not to mention the constant stream of "gosh wow" stories of various famous and semi-famous people actually taking the author's phone-calls (OMG!) or returning his letters (neato!).
No wonder Bill Watterson doesn't do interviews anymore.
Using "hooking up with Jessica Biel" as a metaphor and imagining that bootleg merchandise might make Watterson "well, pissed" are just a couple of the examples of how bad the writing is here. Not to mention the constant stream of "gosh wow" stories of various famous and semi-famous people actually taking the author's phone-calls (OMG!) or returning his letters (neato!).
No wonder Bill Watterson doesn't do interviews anymore.
sarah_eats_books's review against another edition
3.0
Really I am somewhere between a 2-3 star review of this book. I adore Calvin and Hobbes, so I enjoyed learning tidbits I hadn’t known about Bill Watterson and his creation. That said, the writing was only ok. I was a little disappointed that the author never actually meets Watterson. All of his information either comes from preexisting interviews or extremely truncated interviews Martell holds himself. I do appreciate that the book condenses information into one place, but I wish that Martell had spent more pages on his time with Watterson’s mother. He has such a huge buildup leading up to that moment that it seems like a waste to then only include her answers to maybe five or six questions. It would have been nice if he had come up with some more original questions, too. Even with its faults, though, the book was entertaining and a good reminder of the heart and imagination behind Calvin and Hobbes.
moon110581's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of this book was interesting information about Bill Watterson and the development and success of Calvin and Hobbes. A lot of it was also about the author, and the more Nevin Martell wrote about himself the less interesting and likable he became. He didn't seem to be especially clever, or talented, or even have that much of a sense of humor. Also, he, like a lot of other people, never managed to get that interview with Watterson. Instead, he got to talk to his mother. The most interesting part of the book was the very end, which was added with the paperback release to update us on more recent Watterson-related news.
tallblackguy's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book because it brought back great memories of great strips, but the very premise of the book is the quest to talk to a man who, quite simply, does NOT WANT TO BE TALKED TO. There's a part of me that is interested in the backstory, the family life, the influences and those he's influenced, and this serves as a compendium of such.
That this book does well. But Bill Watterson has moved on and, rightly or wrongly, has decided not to be a public figure, and you have to respect that.
That this book does well. But Bill Watterson has moved on and, rightly or wrongly, has decided not to be a public figure, and you have to respect that.