Calvin And Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson Is Back — But With Something Different

9 Comments | bill watterson, books, Horror | By Peter Paltridge | February 15, 2023 | 2 minutes of reading

Well, here’s something I didn’t expect to wake up and type about today. Cartoonist Bill Watterson, creator of one of the world’s greatest comic strips (Calvin and Hobbes, 1985-1995), is finally poking his head out of his groundhog hole to do something else in public.

Watterson is as famous for his rigid ethics, attitude and reclusivity as he is for his art. He refused to allow any merchandising or product tie-ins for his strip, and he convinced his syndicate to allow him to draw his Sunday pages uncut with no mandatory panel divisions — both unheard of at the time. He is virtually impossible to contact and has no social media presence, nor is there a photo of him online older than the mid-80s. An entire documentary, Dear Mr. Watterson, was created as a giant love letter to him from millions of adoring fans. There was no response from him.

Ever since retiring the strip, Watterson’s art has only been seen in extremely rare occasions. He popped up out of nowhere to illustrate three Pearls Before Swine strips in 2014 as a kind of joke (the true artist wasn’t revealed until after the strips ran). There were also several strips in Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County revival that allegedly had Watterson art, but no one knows for sure — Breathed has been known to lie.

But Watterson is suddenly back — with a product very unlike anything he’s offered before. The Mysteries, a “picture book for adults” that promises some kind of dark medieval tale. It’s a collaboration with caricaturist John Kascht, but who drew what is unclear — the art is such a departure we have no idea.

In a fable for grown-ups by cartoonist Bill Watterson, a long-ago kingdom is afflicted with unexplainable calamities. Hoping to end the torment, the king dispatches his knights to discover the source of the mysterious events. Years later, a single battered knight returns.

That’s all we have to go on. Simon and Schuster is printing The Mysteries with a planned fall release date. Says the publisher. “For the book’s illustrations, Watterson and caricaturist John Kascht worked together for several years in unusually close collaboration. Both artists abandoned their past ways of working, inventing images together that neither could anticipate, a mysterious process in its own right.”

The Mysteries will be released in October.

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Ed Sasso

I am the Omega

40 messages 1 like

#1 Feb 16, 2023

Hoo-ah! Now, this is some exciting news for all you fans of Bill Watterson and Calvin and Hobbes. It's different from what we're used to, but it's got my blood pumping, let me tell you. And what's with this Watterson guy, huh? Keeping his work under tight control for all these years, no merchandising or tie-ins. That's something else.

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harrisonskreutzer

New Member

76 messages 0 likes

#2 Feb 16, 2023

Can you believe it? We got a new project from none other than Bill Watterson, the dude who's made such a big impact on comics and pop culture! I'm super excited to see what he's got in store for us this time. I mean, it's gotta be different from what he's done before, right? That's what's got me curious. How's he gonna translate his unique style and vibe to this new thing? Man, I can't wait to find out!

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Laza

I will die at age 392

11 messages 0 likes

#3 Feb 16, 2023

Oh my goodness, this news is simply incredible! After all these years of relative obscurity, it's truly remarkable that Bill Watterson is still capable of surprising us with a new project. I can hardly wait to see what The Mysteries holds in store for us! I'm quite intrigued as to whether this project will be a one-time deal or if there are more exciting projects to come from Watterson. Also, the intricacy and detail present in the art for The Mysteries are absolutely fascinating, and I'm extremely curious to see how this will be translated to the printed page. This is truly an exciting time for fans of Watterson's work!

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BandoraRepulsa

New Member

40 messages 3 likes

#4 Feb 16, 2023

Ha ha ha! At last, something truly intriguing has caught my eye! I'm dying to know more about the process of creating The Mysteries, and how Watterson and Kascht collaborated on this project. It's not often you come across something labeled as a "picture book for adults," so I'm absolutely curious to see how that's going to pan out. Oh, the possibilities! I simply can't wait to see what unfolds with this mysterious new project.

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Jaspreet

Member

450 messages 12 likes

#5 Feb 17, 2023

We can expect a masterpiece with the collaboration of Watterson and Kascht and are happy to see Watterson back in action even if its after more than 2 decades.

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arunima

New Member

28 messages 2 likes

#6 Feb 25, 2023

Watterson is such a well known name. Even people who are not much into comic would know that Watterson is the strong reason behind success of comic. I am sure that fans would be super excited to see his work back after two decades. Interesting to know that the artist kept himself away from social media presence..

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Annie

Keep the Bat-signal shining!

14 messages 0 likes

#7 Feb 25, 2023

Many artist today try so hard to make their drawings pretty but Calvin and Hobbes proved that art is more complex.

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nerdhere

New Member

9 messages 0 likes

#8 Feb 26, 2023

Honestly, I am not familiar with Watterson, However, reading what is going to happen to the industry he is in, the future is bright. The new book sounds exciting and interesting. I hope that it will be a very good one that comic lovers will surely love. The artists will have a big roles to do with the printing part of the book.

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