Description
"Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" is an affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio - a man, a boy and his tiger. From the get-go, it was obvious that this was no ordinary comic strip. Calvin was named after the 16th-century Protestant theologian who believed in predestination, Hobbes after the philosopher a century later who once observed that life is 'nasty, brutish and short'. Watterson injected real philosophical questions into his strip and coupled his commentaries with groundbreaking artwork. His lavish half-page Sunday strips completely re-envisioned the potential of the comics, while never detracting from his poignant humor. Bill Watterson was completely different from most comic strip creators because he never wanted to see Calvin & Hobbes turn into a commercial monolith. A longtime liberal and former political cartoonist, he staunchly refused to have the characters merchandised - a decision which could have netted him millions of additional dollars in income per year - and rarely made public appearances or granted interviews. When Steven Spielberg called him to talk about making an animated Calvin & Hobbes movie, Watterson didn't take the call. As a result, dozens of bootleg items have flooded the market. There were only 3,160 strips ever produced, but Watterson has left behind an impressive legacy. Calvin & Hobbes references litter the pop culture landscape and his fans are as varied as they are numerable.
An affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio - a man, a boy and his tiger.
About the Author
Nevin Martell is the author of Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People and Beck: The Art of Mutation. He is a Contributing Editor at Filter magazine and a music journalist. He lives outside Washington, DC, where he develops documentaries and non-fiction television for Story House Productions.
Reviews
"Nevin Martell's book provides a rare glimpse of the riddle wrapped in the mystery inside an enigma that is Bill Watterson and his brilliant work, which I now know was almost called 'Marvin and Hobbes.'"- Stephan Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine
"Watterson can hide, but he can't die. His work lives on and we're lucky to have Nevin Martell reminding us so colorfully in this joyful book."- Berkeley Breathed
"Martell gets as close as anybody can to Watterson in a book that takes the reader behind the strip, a well-researched portrait of the cartoonist that is both fascinating and revealing." -Currents -- Barry Goodrich
"Martell gives us a tantalizing...glimpse of Bill Watterson in this journalistic exploration of the press-shy cartoonist's life. ...Readers who still hold Watterson's strip in their heart should enjoy the ride." -AM New York
"[A] Don Quixote story that is humorous, well-written and (if I may borrow that tired summer-reading platitude) a real page-turner." - The Strippers Guide (A website for comics)
"[T]his really is a wonderful, warm, and informative book that manages to capture just the right amount of magic about the creator and his creation." --Comics Worth Reading
"Martell, who wears his fan heart on his sleeve, travels far and wide to gather pieces of Watterson lore. He interviews former syndicate employees, comic strip artists from the past and present, and some of Watterson's closest confidants. By doing so, Martell walks a fine line between diligent journalist and obsessive fan. But his journey is a reminder that some things can't be recaptured, no matter how much we may wish otherwise." -The New York Times, "The Moment" blog
"This story of Nevin Martell's search for the elusive Bill Watterson, the J.D. Salinger of the cartoon world, is so richly infused with the spirit of "Calvin and Hobbes," the genuine innocence and affection and humor, it doesn't even matter that the author never meets his subject. Watterson has never allowed the licensing of his work -- no merchandise, no TV, no movies. After doing a few interviews in the 1980s, he wrote a "manifesto against celebrity": "People love to have you, and then they use you up and there's nothing left." Early on, Martell wrote Watterson, who disappeared from public life after he stopped writing the strip in 1995, but never heard back. Discouraged but determined, he researched Watterson's life, interviewed friends, editors, even Watterson's mother, visited Watterson's childhood home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, talked with other cartoonists, studied the influence of Peanuts, Krazy Kat, Pogo and Winnie the Pooh and pondered the effect of "Calvin and Hobbes" on his own life. Is this a definitive biography? No. But it's in many ways better and truer to the spirit of Watterson's creation."-The Los Angeles Times Book Review
"This is essential reading for die-hard Calvin and Hobbes fans who want to stalk Watterson. Martell will give you all the reasons why you will never find the man. So instead of attempting something both discourteous and criminal, read this book instead."-The San Francisco Book Review
"Nevin Martell has written a curious book, although one would probably best consider it a biography. Bill Watterson so consistently shunned the media that one is put in mind of the Shakespeare biography industry in which a few facts are churned in an attempt to generate a larger picture of a life... In spite of Watterson's refusal to speak for himself, Martell has written an engaging and informative book while avoiding most of the traps that catch fan writers."-The International Journal of Comic Art
Mini review in the '7 books you should own' section of Belfast Telegraph Evening, 28th August (UK) 'An education for some of us and a treat for the fans'
Book Information
ISBN 9780826429841
Author Nevin Martell
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 450g
An affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio - a man, a boy and his tiger.
About the Author
Nevin Martell is the author of Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People and Beck: The Art of Mutation. He is a Contributing Editor at Filter magazine and a music journalist. He lives outside Washington, DC, where he develops documentaries and non-fiction television for Story House Productions.
Reviews
"Nevin Martell's book provides a rare glimpse of the riddle wrapped in the mystery inside an enigma that is Bill Watterson and his brilliant work, which I now know was almost called 'Marvin and Hobbes.'"- Stephan Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine
"Watterson can hide, but he can't die. His work lives on and we're lucky to have Nevin Martell reminding us so colorfully in this joyful book."- Berkeley Breathed
"Martell gets as close as anybody can to Watterson in a book that takes the reader behind the strip, a well-researched portrait of the cartoonist that is both fascinating and revealing." -Currents -- Barry Goodrich
"Martell gives us a tantalizing...glimpse of Bill Watterson in this journalistic exploration of the press-shy cartoonist's life. ...Readers who still hold Watterson's strip in their heart should enjoy the ride." -AM New York
"[A] Don Quixote story that is humorous, well-written and (if I may borrow that tired summer-reading platitude) a real page-turner." - The Strippers Guide (A website for comics)
"[T]his really is a wonderful, warm, and informative book that manages to capture just the right amount of magic about the creator and his creation." --Comics Worth Reading
"Martell, who wears his fan heart on his sleeve, travels far and wide to gather pieces of Watterson lore. He interviews former syndicate employees, comic strip artists from the past and present, and some of Watterson's closest confidants. By doing so, Martell walks a fine line between diligent journalist and obsessive fan. But his journey is a reminder that some things can't be recaptured, no matter how much we may wish otherwise." -The New York Times, "The Moment" blog
"This story of Nevin Martell's search for the elusive Bill Watterson, the J.D. Salinger of the cartoon world, is so richly infused with the spirit of "Calvin and Hobbes," the genuine innocence and affection and humor, it doesn't even matter that the author never meets his subject. Watterson has never allowed the licensing of his work -- no merchandise, no TV, no movies. After doing a few interviews in the 1980s, he wrote a "manifesto against celebrity": "People love to have you, and then they use you up and there's nothing left." Early on, Martell wrote Watterson, who disappeared from public life after he stopped writing the strip in 1995, but never heard back. Discouraged but determined, he researched Watterson's life, interviewed friends, editors, even Watterson's mother, visited Watterson's childhood home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, talked with other cartoonists, studied the influence of Peanuts, Krazy Kat, Pogo and Winnie the Pooh and pondered the effect of "Calvin and Hobbes" on his own life. Is this a definitive biography? No. But it's in many ways better and truer to the spirit of Watterson's creation."-The Los Angeles Times Book Review
"This is essential reading for die-hard Calvin and Hobbes fans who want to stalk Watterson. Martell will give you all the reasons why you will never find the man. So instead of attempting something both discourteous and criminal, read this book instead."-The San Francisco Book Review
"Nevin Martell has written a curious book, although one would probably best consider it a biography. Bill Watterson so consistently shunned the media that one is put in mind of the Shakespeare biography industry in which a few facts are churned in an attempt to generate a larger picture of a life... In spite of Watterson's refusal to speak for himself, Martell has written an engaging and informative book while avoiding most of the traps that catch fan writers."-The International Journal of Comic Art
Mini review in the '7 books you should own' section of Belfast Telegraph Evening, 28th August (UK) 'An education for some of us and a treat for the fans'
Book Information
ISBN 9780826429841
Author Nevin Martell
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 450g
