Exploring Calvin and Hobbes – For fans interested in the history and inspiration behind a boy and his tiger

See sample pages from this book at Wink.

Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue
Bill Watterson and Robb Jenny
Andrews McMeel Publishing
2016, 160 pages, 8.5 x 11 x 0.6 inches (softcover)
$15 Buy a copy on Amazon

I like many grew up on Calvin and Hobbes. I don't know if there's a comic, book, film, or any other piece of art that better captures a childhood. I read every Sunday strip, most of the dailies, and the ones that I missed I would read in dog-eared collection books checked out from the library. As I got older, I wanted to know more about the strip's creation. When I picked up the Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a 14-pound tomb, I was a little disappointed. Other than an introduction, there was very little information about the mysterious creator Bill Watterson. Thankfully, Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An Exhibition Catalogue makes up for that.

This is the Blu-Ray extras that Calvin & Hobbes fans have been waiting for. It's not for those casually interested in reading the strip. There are plenty of other books for that. But if you're interested in process, history, and the inspiration behind a boy and his tiger, you're going to love this book.

The book explores an exhibit of Watterson's work at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum. It also includes one of the most in-depth interviews he's ever given. In it you get a rare look at his early work, the tools Watterson used, the struggles he went through, and the wonderful comic that he created. You get a real sense of the artistry that Watterson put into the strip, and how it evolved over the years. It's great to relive and learn about something that had such an influence on me. This book is definitely a must-have for Calvin and Hobbes fans. - JP LeRoux