I miss Watterson


by

Saturday, January 17, 2009


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19 Responses to “I miss Watterson”
  1. Malachi Ward says:
    January 18, 2009 at 1:21 am

    Me to.

    Reply
  2. Frank Santoro says:
    January 18, 2009 at 9:02 am

    especially on winter Sundays.

    Reply
  3. Dan Nadel says:
    January 18, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    The cool thing about Watterson is that growing up reading that strip was, I suppose the last time a generation got to read a real ongoing masterpiece. Those days are over. But I like that I took it for granted as much as, say, kids in the 50s took Pogo for granted. It’s good to remember these things as the entertainments they were/are. Maybe I’m not making any sense here. Next please!

    Reply
  4. Malachi Ward says:
    January 18, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    When I was reading Calvin & Hobbes growing up I mostly loved it because it represented a lot of what I wished my childhood could be. I always wanted my fantasies to be as vivid as Calvin's, I wanted to have a tongue as sharp as his, I envied the fictional place he lived that was surrounded by a forest and hills and creeks, and, as a kid who grew up in the desert, I envied the seasonal changes Calvin & Hobbes experienced.

    I really dug the art as a kid too, especially the dinosaurs and the alien landscapes. But even though I came to understand and appreciate the more "mature" themes of the strip when I was a little older, the most potent feelings I have towards the strip are connected to why I liked it as a kid.

    …um, I think that's related to what Dan was saying.

    Reply
    • Jeff Manley says:
      February 5, 2011 at 9:43 am

      I grew up in Northern Michigan (waaay north of Watterson’s Mid-Ohio home) and I lived on a Farm that was pretty much exactly like Calvin’s. I had woods and streams and Winter… and it was fun. Nothing beats sledding to your near death until you are so cold that your toes are turning purple and the only way to warm up is to sit on the heat register in the living room with some hot chocolate.

      So in other words, I am sorry you grew up in the desert.

      Reply
  5. looka says:
    January 19, 2009 at 2:47 am

    I only say: “CRACKOW! CRACKOW!”
    Or was it “KRAKOW! KRAKOW!”?

    You know right?

    Reply
  6. Frank Santoro says:
    January 19, 2009 at 11:14 am

    Yah, that time Calvin invaded Poland.

    (just kidding…..geez)

    Reply
  7. jesse mcmanus says:
    January 19, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    i think i'm slightly too young to have read it in the papers (or rather, to have understood it when i saw it there) but in elementary school i took pride in having read every book collection cover to cover. the first one i got was the book of all the sundays, and i think my favorite was the "indispensable" c & h.

    what malachi said about it representing what childhood should or could be is a funny and apt thing. there's so many great images like the evil snowman brigades, the suction-cup shooting gun, his outfit and overall design (striped shirt, black pants, spikey hair, converse shoes sort of, dot eyes, sometimes that big inverted triangle smile) that just rang with some snarky punker huck finn thing that was so appealing to a li'l scrapper just starting to read comics.

    i remember watterson bitching about how he quit comics cause the space in the papers was shrinking. this probably isnt the whole story, but i've recently wondered if he couldn't stretch out and enjoy himself in a "graphic novel". but then again, it might suck, and c&h is so awesome, capped off at it's prime. for someone weaned on the collections, i guess i can't get as weepy about papers as you big lummoxes, but it would be neat to see him go through more changes, stick deftly skilled hands into other glove types.

    Reply
  8. Patrick Smith says:
    January 19, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    The Complete Calvin and Hobbes has an interesting essay by Watterson about his relationship with the syndicate (which was strained by his refusal to merchandise), his reasons for quitting, and what he’s up to now (as I recall, living out west, painting).

    Reply
  9. Tom Spurgeon says:
    January 19, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    What the hell are you talking about, Dan? Kids take everything for granted. Were you reading C&H in a state of innocence but processing ACME, Twin Peaks and Ren & Stimpy and Nirvana in the context of the histories of alt-weekly strips, television, animation and rock music? How demented a child were you?

    Also, everyone please read Cul De Sac.

    Reply
  10. Dan Nadel says:
    January 19, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    Tom’s right. What the hell was I talking about? I don’t know. This is why I don’t post that often. I’m kinda dumb.

    Reply
  11. Chris Lanier says:
    January 20, 2009 at 1:01 am

    Tom beat me to mentioning "Cul de Sac" (he beats everyone to mentioning "Cul de Sac"), but it's a real keeper. It's not in the mold of Calvin & Hobbes — except for the fact that it's character driven, and great. Its sense of fantasy is pleasingly grounded & earthy. Don't take it for granted while it's here, unless you're a kid, in which case, per Tom, that'll be inevitable.

    Reply
  12. Tom Spurgeon says:
    January 20, 2009 at 7:05 am

    Please don’t let my being a dick color anyone’s opinion of Cul De Sac.

    Reply
  13. T. Hodler says:
    January 20, 2009 at 7:33 am

    That should be the title of your autobiography.

    Reply
  14. Frank Santoro says:
    January 20, 2009 at 8:31 am

    okay, I just signed up for an online subscription of “Cul de Sac”.

    Man, that took forever! Why is signing up for anything online like opening a new account at a strange bank in some part of town you’ve never been to before?

    Reply
  15. Kat says:
    January 20, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    I so agree…love Calvin and Hobbs;)

    Reply
  16. Tom Spurgeon says:
    January 20, 2009 at 6:50 pm

    My autobiography is called “Crimes Against Me.”

    Reply
  17. LOST CAT says:
    January 21, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    It’s great too how you see younger kids still digging Calvin and Hobbes. They like it better than Peanuts. I can’t think of another daily strip collection kids seem to like as much.

    Reply
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