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A review by vegantrav
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip by Nevin Martell
4.0
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes is a an interesting history of Calvin and Hobbes written by Nevin Martell, a dedicated fan of the strip. As it is written by an unabashed admirer, it's more of a paean to Calvin and Hobbes and to Bill Watterson, the strip's creator, than a straightforward account of how Watterson brought Calvin and Hobbes into being and then, at the height of its popularity, retired.
What the book really misses, through no fault of Martell's, is first-hand insight from Watterson. Watterson is notoriously reclusive--not unlike J.D. Salinger--and has not granted any interviews in years, and Martell documents his polite, hopeful, yet ultimately failed efforts to secure an interview with Watterson.
In Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, we learn that Watterson is somewhat befuddled by not only the enduring interest in the strip but also by his fans' interest in his own life. Still, Martell is able, through interviews with Watterson's friends and professional colleagues as well as his own mother, to paint a rather good portrait of a man with a brilliant sense of humor, a great artistic touch, and a nuanced understanding of the human psyche.
What the book really misses, through no fault of Martell's, is first-hand insight from Watterson. Watterson is notoriously reclusive--not unlike J.D. Salinger--and has not granted any interviews in years, and Martell documents his polite, hopeful, yet ultimately failed efforts to secure an interview with Watterson.
In Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, we learn that Watterson is somewhat befuddled by not only the enduring interest in the strip but also by his fans' interest in his own life. Still, Martell is able, through interviews with Watterson's friends and professional colleagues as well as his own mother, to paint a rather good portrait of a man with a brilliant sense of humor, a great artistic touch, and a nuanced understanding of the human psyche.