Exploring Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Īt the height of its popularity, Calvin and Hobbes was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide. Though the series does not frequently mention specific political figures or contemporary events, it does explore broad issues like environmentalism, public education, and philosophical quandaries. Hobbes' dual nature is a defining motif for the strip: to Calvin, Hobbes is a living anthropomorphic tiger, while all the other characters see Hobbes as an inanimate stuffed toy. It also examines Calvin's relationships with his long-suffering parents and with his classmates, especially his neighbor Susie Derkins. Set in the contemporary suburban United States of the 1980s and 1990s, the strip depicts Calvin's frequent flights of fancy and friendship with Hobbes. Commonly cited as 'the last great newspaper comic', Calvin and Hobbes has enjoyed broad and enduring popularity, influence, and academic and philosophical interest.Ĭalvin and Hobbes follows the humorous antics of the title characters: Calvin, a precocious, mischievous, and adventurous six-year-old boy and Hobbes, his sardonic stuffed tiger.

Humor, family life, politics, philosophy, satireĬalvin and Hobbes is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is the repository of the Bill Watterson Deposit Collection (including the entirety of Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes artwork).The cover of Calvin and Hobbes, the first collection of comic strips, released in April 1987. The book also includes an extensive, original interview with Watterson by Jenny Robb, the exhibition's curator. The show also includes art from cartoons and cartoonists that Watterson has identified as influential in the development of his art, including Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat, Doonesbury, Pat Oliphant, Jim Borgman, Flash Gordon, Bloom County, and Steadman. It includes original art of Calvin and Hobbes, along with Watterson's original commentary. The exhibit is Bill Watterson's personal exploration of how the wonder of Calvin and Hobbes came to be. Includes an in-depth, original,and lengthy interview with Bill Watterson.Įxploring Calvin and Hobbes is the catalogue for an exhibition by the same name at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University that ran in 2014.

Enjoy this beautiful companion book to the extensive Exploring Calvin and Hobbes exhibition at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library.

Exploring Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson