My summer reading list is a bit eclectic. The way I go about selecting books for the summer is a kind of chaotic science. First, I look at the books on my “to read” book shelf. Then I look at my wish list in Amazon, followed by a quick glance through my ongoing book list on my phone, computer, and sticky notes around my office. Once I have all these lists in front of me, I begin putting books in categories: theological, practical, historical, cultural, and just-for-fun (this last category is for books outside of my normal reading sphere that helps to broaden creativity).
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The unconventional story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip fits into the latter category.
I didn’t necessarily grow up reading Calvin and Hobbes. I remember it. But I wasn’t an avid reader. I just didn’t read the paper much as a kid. In the rare case that I did, it was most certainly the comic section though.
I remember having a slight interest in comics because of my grandpa Thompson. He was an amateur artist, and before he died he taught me a few things about drawing. We always worked from the comic page of the newspaper. So, my interest was peaked when I first saw this book.
To be honest, I don’t remember how I came across this book. Maybe one of my friends told me about it, or maybe I saw it mentioned on Facebook, Twitter, or some such social network. At any rate, I’m glad I read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
When Nevin Martell set out to write this biographical book about Watterson and his famous strip, he wasn’t sure if he would actually be able to accomplish his goal. According to Martell, “Though Watterson’s influences are somewhat easy to ascertain, the man himself is an enigma. During the ten years that Calvin and Hobbes was drawn and was entrancing millions and millions of readers around the world, the man behind it tried to remain as anonymous as possible.”
Watterson’s intentional obscurity has to do with the fact that he is a purest of sorts. He abhorred the idea of celebrity. In a rare interview, he told Gene Williams, a sports editor, that although “I know most people dream of being famous or being a celebrity … I’ve found it to be a nuisance all the way around. There’s very little of it I enjoy. You become a cartoonist all your life, all day. It’s no longer a job. You are defined by your work. You suddenly have no private time.” These words were not an exercise in false humility for Watterson. His hatred for popularity is clearly demonstrated in the way he lives his life.
Even though many might consider him a curmudgeon, Watterson’s cultural analysis of American celebrity is right on target: “As a culture, we embrace people for no reason other than the fact that they have a job that puts them in a position of recognizability. People who have no other virtues necessarily are somehow made into these things that we devour … There’s something very strange about our fascination with other people’s lives that I don’t think is entirely healthy.” As a result of his view, Watterson allowed very little in the way of merchandise. Thus, we don’t see many, if any, Calvin and Hobbes toys or nicknacks. And just for the record, the decals on car windows are rip offs.
As a side note, I’m fairly certain there is a sermon in that last quote somewhere. Watterson is no Christian, at least there is no indication that he is. But the answer to his problem is found on a hill called Golgotha. Remember the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians. He pointed out that, “Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified.” The only thing that will fix the human fascination with celebrity is the cross.
No doubt, Watterson is an obscure character. But it is his quirkiness that makes his one of the best comic strips of all times.
Calvin and Hobbes is not for the lazy reader who wants to be spoon fed jokes, or who has no imagination. This comic strip is based on the assumption that the reader plays a part in making the storyline come alive. Speaking about Watterson, Martell explains that, “He wanted you to think about what happened in the slender white spaces between the frames of the strip and beyond its ending. No matter what magic Watterson concocted, there was rarely a moment when the strip felt forced or, worse yet, meaningless.”
Watterson’s creative genius was that he didn’t fill in all the blanks. In fact, the basis of Calvin and Hobbes was a dual reality. Is Hobbes a real tiger, or is he just a figment of Calvin’s imagination? To Calvin, he was real. To Calvin’s parents, he was a stuffed animal. Watterson’s postmodern approach allowed both realities to be true. “I don’t think of Hobbes as a doll that miraculously comes to life when Calvin’s around. Neither do I think of Hobbes as the product of Calvin’s imagination. Calvin sees Hobbes one way, and everyone else sees Hobbes another way. I show two versions of reality, and each makes complete sense to the participant who sees it,” explained Watterson.
Nevin Martell does a remarkable job throughout this book telling the story of Bill Watterson without ever having actually talked to the man. He explains his background and his approach, which deepens the reader’s appreciation for the strip, even if, like myself, the reader isn’t all that familiar with Calvin and Hobbes.
Watterson was not just a run of the mill cartoonist. He took his job very serious. He saw cartoons as an art form. And although his approach makes him a bit odd in the comic strip world, it made his strip one of the best.
Personally, I can see a little bit of Calvin in all four of my boys. As they play with stuffed animals, Legos, and toy cars, they drift off into another world. I can also see some Calvin in me as well. It isn’t difficult for me to get lost in the white spaces between the frames as I imagine playing in Calvin’s reality.
4:1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
