Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes

Posted by Luke Arnott Oct 26, 2009

This week's Feature Article is on the brilliant Calvin and Hobbes strip, and some of its resultant merchandising troubles. Its creator, Bill Watterson, is a notorious recluse – the J. D. Salinger of comic strips. (Though Calvin and Hobbes is a lot better than Catcher in the Rye.)

I don't get into it in the article (aside from one throwaway line), but it's interesting to compare Calvin and Hobbes with its contemporary Garfield, which, already not in the same class artistically, totally went the merchandising-sell-out route. Even the idea of a Garfield CGI movie puts me off my lunch.

Of the time (1980s-1990s), I think only Gary Larson's The Far Side comes close to Calvin and Hobbes, and Larson also had the good sense to quit while he was ahead.