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Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip, by Nevin Martell

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Review

"Nevin Martell's book provides a rare glimpse of the riddle wrapped inthe mystery inside an enigma that is Bill Watterson and his brilliant work, which I now know wasalmost called 'Marvin and Hobbes.'"- Stephan Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine"Wattersoncanhide,buthecan'tdie.Hisworklivesonandwe'reluckytohave 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 mayborrow 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 managesto capture just the right amount of magic about the creator and hiscreation."—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

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About the Author

Nevin Martell is the author of Standing Small: A Celebration of 30 Years of the LEGO Minifigure, Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People and Beck: The Art of Mutation. He is a Contributing Editor at Filter magazine and his music journalism has appeared in Paste, Giant, Men's Health, High Times, and Flaunt, as well as online at RollingStone.com. Currently, he lives with his wife in Washington, DC, where he writes full time. You can find him online at www.nevinmartell.com.

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Product details

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Continuum; Revised edition edition (August 19, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1441106855

ISBN-13: 978-1441106858

Product Dimensions:

5.6 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches

Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

3.9 out of 5 stars

81 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#175,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

This is what happens when you tell your publisher you're going to write a biography of notorious recluse Bill Watterson, including an interview with the famous artist and author, but you never actually get an interview with Watterson. There is nothing new here; some awkward and unnecessary interviews with people who knew Waterson in the distant past or maybe know someone who went to college with him or something like that. This narrative would have been far better suited as a long-form piece for a magazine or website; as a book, it's mostly filler.

There are problems with Nevin Martell's book, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. While the title encourages the reader to think he or she will be reading the story of how Calvin and Hobbes came to be, what we get instead is one man's personal odyssey to score an interview with the elusive creator of the strip, Bill Watterson. It's true that we DO get to read the results of Martell's research (which include lots of tidbits regarding the aforementioned story), and it's often interesting. However, the book suffers from the plethora of personal asides about his wife, prior writing projects, and rock star interviews Martell had done.Another problem rises due to the fact that Bill Watterson owns "Calvin and Hobbes" lock, stock and barrel. As a result, there are no comics printed in the book. Instead, Martell resorts to taking page upon page to describe individual strips, from first panel to last. While I acknowledge that this wasn't the author's fault, it adds a level of tedium to some sections of the book.And yet another issue with the book comes in the writing itself. Martell primarily writes for magazines, and that's how this book reads: as a series of magazine articles on the same subject, rather than as a coherent whole. He repeats quotes from earlier parts of the book, summarizes earlier chapters in later ones, and so on. This would be fine if we were reading the book one chapter at a time over several weeks or months, but it doesn't work in book form. Also, his description is sometimes clumsy: "Everything was drenched in pure white, as if God had forgotten to shake the Earth as he would a snow globe." That's a long way to go for a simple image. In addition, Martell sometimes makes errors when discussing the comics themselves. When talking about Calvin's use of the cardboard box (one of the great conventions of the strip), he states that the Atomic Cerebral Enhance-O-Tron is one of the box's many uses. Well, the ACE was a colander that Calvin put on his head. A small error to be sure, but one that a fan will easily catch. Several more are scattered through the book.However, the book is worth reading. His interviews with Watterson associates are illuminating, and his chapter on how Calvin and Hobbes influenced other comic artists is a must. He rounds up a who's who of current and former comic artists and syndicate bigwigs for these chapters. No one can fault the man's legwork.Overall, I'm not sorry I read it. It was obviously a labor of love for Martell, and that comes through on every page. The problem is, that often comes through too strongly. It's interesting, but not essential to ones' appreciation for, or understanding of, the wonder that was Calvin and Hobbes. 3.5 stars.

You are warned that this book is not a traditional biography. Certainly there are a lot of biographical details about Bill Watterson, but a goodly portion of the book is the author's journey to obtain them. Generally, I enjoyed this book, but if I were his editor, I would have asked him to make some cuts. My advice is to take it with a grain of salt and skip around if you feel you need to.

This book did so much more for me than entertain me with stories of Watterson and Calvin & Hobbes. It made me inspect myself in some ways and has inspired me in others. What a good book and about such a thought provoking subject. Great job Nevin.

In the film industry there's a well known curse on the filming of Cervantes' novel Don Quixote. Cinematic giants such as Orson Welles and Terry Gilliam have attempted to capture this legend on cellulose. Though various musical, theatrical and made-for-television productions have appeared, none have yet succeeded in the realm of major motion pictures. Gilliam even released a documentary about his misery called "Lost in La Mancha" (he's apparently exhumed the "Man Who Killed Don Quixote" project, set for 2011 release). Nevin Martell's short book "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" provides a biographical equivalent to the motion picture Man From La Mancha (though in this case the "curse" orginates from the subject). The book could probably carry the title "Lost in Chagrin Falls." Unfortunately, despite the book's actual title, Calvin, Hobbes and their elusive creator, Ohioan Bill Watterson, still remain at large. In fact, this three-parts authorial memoir, one-part biography may even add to the Watterson mystique. The obstinately elusive cartoonist dodges the author at every step. But this just validates the law of induction, for he has turned down just about every interview ever sent his way. Given the glut of evidence concerning Watterson's attitude towards publicity, this project was Quixotic from its very conception.Drooling, blathering fans of "Calvin and Hobbes" probably know everything relevant contained in this book. Nonetheless, those who love the strip but know next to nothing about its creation or its creator will learn quite a bit. Unfortunately, even readers in that demographic will have to wade through pages of memoir that may or may not prove interesting. And this book is more of a memoir than a biography, which the main title states pretty clearly, though the subtitle belies with the words "the unconventional story of Bill Watterson." In the sometimes meandering,largely first person narrative, only fragments of Watterson's story appear. A few of Watterson's interviews and essays get quoted nearly in entirety. These quoted passages stick out neon-like as highlights. The surrounding intrusive narrative doesn't really add much to them. Along the way, readers learn far more personal information about the author than about Watterson. Though some anecdotes, such as Watterson's famous quote "why would I want to talk to Steven Spielberg?" and his berating speech at the 1989 Festival of Cartoon Art prove rewarding even if some experience them as reruns. The author does seek out numerous people who knew or worked with Watterson. He demonstrates admirable persistence here. Unfortunately, these episodes typically relate no more than good memories or reminiscences from many people who no longer know the cartoonist. Raving fans may soak up every word, though they may not learn much new. Others may find them uninspiring along with the author's ruminations about his comic collections and memories. Most unfortunate is what the author refers to as "the finale." Yes, a member of the Watterson family does finally come forward, but the encounter, rare as it is, reveals as much as the other encounters. The family respects the cartoonist's privacy. And the cartoonist himself seems extremely uninterested in further talk about "Calvin and Hobbes." Further, he seems to subscribe to the Sartrean notion of genius, namely, that genius resides in creative works rather than in the people that create them.Though Martell does not find Calvin, Hobbes, or Watterson, "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" nonetheless provides a good overview for the uninitiated. Those interested in Watterson's pre-"Calvin and Hobbes" work will find adequate information here, but unfortunately only in narrative form. The book sadly contains no pictures. Doubtless anyone who reads this book will learn something from it, though the sections that read more like memoir could have withstood extensive reduction. One thing remains certain, this is no "Schulz and Peanuts," the massive 2007 Charles Schulz biography that Watterson actually reviewed for The Wall Street Journal. This reads more like a memoir of an attempt to write a book as in-depth as David Michaelis' magnum opus. But to be fair, Schulz frolicked in the limelight relative to Watterson's hermetically sealed public attitude. In the end, Martell asks the question many fans have likely asked: will Bill Watterson appear again? Will he change his vow of silence towards his cartoon masterpiece? Though he supposedly now paints (though some in the book say he's not too satisfied with the results yet) many forsee the artist's potential "second coming" in this medium. Maybe. Maybe not. If he does come out again and speak openly, this book will instantly become obsolete except as a documentary of the thick shell the cartoonist maintained in "retirement." And this begs one big, nagging question that undergirds the book. Obviously Watterson doesn't want attention. This book hammers that point in like a suspension bridge rivet. Obviously the time isn't ripe for a resurgence. So why, given the evidence available, even prior to this book's publication, was this project undertaken? Skipping the obvious answer, Martell and the publishers sort of got what they deserved. If anything, this book should stand as a warning to those who want to seek out Watterson. He will only appear when he's ready and he will appear on his terms. And if he doesn't, then his amazing strip remains. And isn't that enough? Those who voraciously covet a Hobbes doll may protest. But Watterson doesn't owe us anything. He's living his life the way he wants and maybe we should just leave him alone until he's good and ready.

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