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4.68 AVERAGE
4.68 AVERAGE
A really great interview with Watterson, and a bunch of cartoon proofs that show you his work. Great for a fan.
This book is worth its weight in gold just for the interview with Bill Watterson. I must now go purchase my own copy as this was loaned to me by a friend.
This rating is part nostalgia, part happiness at seeing a few panels I'd never seen before, and part Watterson being an interesting guy to hear from.
I've been a Calvin and Hobbes fan for as long as I can remember and it's one of those rare comic strips you can return to over and over again and enjoy just as much the tenth time as the first. This is a brief catalogue of the exhibition which also include an introduction and a delightful and enlightening interview with Watterson. This definitely made me wish I could see the exhibit in person and made me want to go pull out all of my old Calvin and Hobbes books again.
This is the first "new material" I've had to read from Calvin and Hobbes in years. Although I was born two years after Watterson finished his run on the famed comic strip, the collections found their way to me (curiosity of my older brother) when I was younger. The strip itself remains one of my favorite comics of all time (newspaper or not) and I don't how it can't be considered to be the greatest the strip of all time. From Watterson's artwork that only grew stronger with time to his simple and careful storytelling that was funny, heartfelt, and most of all, thoughtful. Maybe I didn't know at the time but looking at my own creative work now I can see some of the impact the stories made on me not in terms of plot but storytelling philosophy.
For Christmas my older brother once again got me this, a book I've been meaning to get since it came out. Exploring Calvin and Hobbes isn't new material or showcasing brand new strips that Watterson had been secretly slaving away at after all these years. It's as the title suggests, an exhibition. Thus it reprints and revisits many of the strip's best moments and covers some of the same ground as the Tenth Anniversary book but it does so in a beautifully designed and eye-appealing manner. The true highlights for me were the way it gives insight into the creative process for Watterson. We see his work process and it offers a snapshot way of how the strip evolved and changed. We get to see some of Watterson's influences showcased in the book (which has given me new comic strips to check out).
But just because there isn't any "new material" doesn't mean we don't get to see "new stuff". In the book are some of the earliest versions of the strip. These early versions are fun to read because it shows the early nugget of ideas that would eventually grow. The book ends (the only way it should) with the final Sunday paper "Let's Go Exploring" and seeing the early versions of the strip contrasted with that is quite something to take in.
The real highlight is the new in-depth interview that Watterson gives within the book. This is his first interview in years and hearing new words from the private creator is worth the price of the book alone. Some big Calvin and Hobbes fans might be familiar with some of the material covered in this book but seeing it done with such care and depth made me smile as I slaved over the 35-page interview.
So whatever might feel like a retread is made up for with a wealth of creative information and all presented in a beautifully designed book. Any Calvin and Hobbes fan would want to check this out.
For Christmas my older brother once again got me this, a book I've been meaning to get since it came out. Exploring Calvin and Hobbes isn't new material or showcasing brand new strips that Watterson had been secretly slaving away at after all these years. It's as the title suggests, an exhibition. Thus it reprints and revisits many of the strip's best moments and covers some of the same ground as the Tenth Anniversary book but it does so in a beautifully designed and eye-appealing manner. The true highlights for me were the way it gives insight into the creative process for Watterson. We see his work process and it offers a snapshot way of how the strip evolved and changed. We get to see some of Watterson's influences showcased in the book (which has given me new comic strips to check out).
But just because there isn't any "new material" doesn't mean we don't get to see "new stuff". In the book are some of the earliest versions of the strip. These early versions are fun to read because it shows the early nugget of ideas that would eventually grow. The book ends (the only way it should) with the final Sunday paper "Let's Go Exploring" and seeing the early versions of the strip contrasted with that is quite something to take in.
The real highlight is the new in-depth interview that Watterson gives within the book. This is his first interview in years and hearing new words from the private creator is worth the price of the book alone. Some big Calvin and Hobbes fans might be familiar with some of the material covered in this book but seeing it done with such care and depth made me smile as I slaved over the 35-page interview.
So whatever might feel like a retread is made up for with a wealth of creative information and all presented in a beautifully designed book. Any Calvin and Hobbes fan would want to check this out.
I can't put into words how influential Calivin and Hobbes has been to me as an artist and lover of art and comics, but this book makes me love it all over again.
This is probably the only book I've read where Bill Watterson shares his process, means of thinking, and history. He explains why he was a recluse, why he stopped when he did, and how he got to where he was, all things I had heard hinted at or passed down nineteenth-hand before. This is an artist in his own words. In some things he comes across petulant, some thoughtful, some naive, but very understandable and very relatable.
In sports, it's an anachronism for someone to quit their sport in their prime, and they are the exception to the rule. Watterson gives a reason; he had no more to say. He says that the last three years of the strip were his best, and he honestly, REALLY doesn't understand why people like Calvin and Hobbes so much. That astounds me. He doesn't actually get it.His concern wasn't politics, or making a point, or even really giving you insight as to the world of a six year old. It was doing his best work.
Anyone who enjoyed Calvin and Hobbes needs this book. Point blank, straight up. You've seen the comics included in the exhibition collection, but to see some of his paintings and his pre-Calvin work (Calvin originally had bangs that covered his eyes) was a treat.
This is probably the only book I've read where Bill Watterson shares his process, means of thinking, and history. He explains why he was a recluse, why he stopped when he did, and how he got to where he was, all things I had heard hinted at or passed down nineteenth-hand before. This is an artist in his own words. In some things he comes across petulant, some thoughtful, some naive, but very understandable and very relatable.
In sports, it's an anachronism for someone to quit their sport in their prime, and they are the exception to the rule. Watterson gives a reason; he had no more to say. He says that the last three years of the strip were his best, and he honestly, REALLY doesn't understand why people like Calvin and Hobbes so much. That astounds me. He doesn't actually get it.His concern wasn't politics, or making a point, or even really giving you insight as to the world of a six year old. It was doing his best work.
Anyone who enjoyed Calvin and Hobbes needs this book. Point blank, straight up. You've seen the comics included in the exhibition collection, but to see some of his paintings and his pre-Calvin work (Calvin originally had bangs that covered his eyes) was a treat.
A fun collection of Bill Watterson's original drawings and watercolours, including some of his pre-C&H work and political cartoons, and a couple of his post-C&H landscape paintings, on display in the Billy Ireland Museum at Ohio State. The collection is worth it especially for the interview with Jenny Robb, which goes a great deal more in-depth into Mr. Watterson's history and artistic development. Folks who are already familiar with the Tenth Anniversary collection probably won't find much that's shocking or unexpected here, but it's still great to read about and see a lot of what Watterson was talking about in that volume's essays and reflections.
The interview, as well as the collection of early pitches for C&H, were what really sold me on this collection.
The interview, as well as the collection of early pitches for C&H, were what really sold me on this collection.