Awareness Post: Bill Watterson

Bill Watterson was born July 5, 1958 and spent much of his childhood drawing and making cartoons. Watterson did not take any art classes in school, but continued to make cartoons throughout school with his friends and even made a comic strip for the school paper.

By the time he reached college, he had already decided that he wanted to go into cartooning. He majored in political science at Kenyon College because he thought it would help him with editorial cartooning. He continued to make comics throughout college, and even developed the Spaceman Spiff comics, which was the first inkling of his greatest work: Calvin and Hobbes

After graduating in 1980, Watterson worked as a political cartoonist for the Cincinnati Post. However, his unfamiliarity with the political scene and difficulties keeping up with the newspaper workflow led to him being fired. Watterson then switched to freelance work, where he felt much more comfortable. It was there that he thought of Calvin and Hobbes, and he worked on that comic strip from 1985 to 1995.

Many of Watterson's comics have a much quieter, thought-provoking sense of humor rather than slapstick or sarcasm (though there is a fair share of that as well). Many of the jokes play off of Calvin's overactive imagination, inflated ego, and general disdain for authority. Calvin and Hobbes evokes a sense of nostalgia for me in particular. As a six-year-old reading Watterson's comics for the first time, I was captivated by his fun illustrations and imaginative themes, even though I didn't get the jokes as well. Now that I'm old enough to appreciate the humor, I realize why Calvin and Hobbes is revered like it is. Watterson combines childish themes, creative situations, and a sharp sense of humor to create something that I and many other readers have enjoyed their entire lives.

Exhibitions (Interestingly enough, there have been exhibitions of Watterson's comics):

• 2001, 2014- Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum

• 2001- Ohio State University

Books:

• 1987: Calvin and Hobbes

• 1988: Something Under the Bed is Drooling

• 1988: Yukon Ho!

• 1990: Weirdos from Another Planet

• 1991: The Revenge of the Baby-Sat

• 1991: Scientific Progress Goes "Boink"

• 1992: Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons

• 1993: The Days are Just Packed

• 1994: Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection

• 1995: The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book

• 1996: There's Treasure Everywhere

• 1996: It's a Magical World

• 2023: The Mysteries

Publisher Website: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bill-Watterson/19962368