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An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

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Re: An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

#4
post #2

(1987)

Aw nuts, I was hoping this was another new release. Watterson has famously been living quietly out of the public eye for almost 30 years now, but recently released a new short book in collaboration with John Kascht called "The Mysteries". He did appear in an interview on that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHND7L1wUl0

Re: An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

#5
I grew up on Calvin and Hobbes and reread the comics every 5-10 years or so.

It is sad that Watterson no longer makes these comics, but I've scratched my itch by reading "Phoebe and her Unicorn". You can read it free online I think, but my daughter and I read the paperbacks. It's not quite the same (the unicorn is real), but shares a lot in common. I just thought I'd add this for any fellow Calvin and Hobbes fans on here.

Re: An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

#6
Side note, but every time I DON'T see a Hobbes plushy, a Calvin bauble head, the Calvin and Hobbes TV series, etc. I'm so thankful that Watterson grimly held onto the merchandising rights of his characters.

He maintained such a high standard for his comic right unto the end.

Not everything in this world needs to be commoditized to death. "But how will new generations learn about Calvin and Hobbes without Calvin and Hobbes: Gacha game for iOS?". They can experience it the same way that we all did - in syndicated comic form.

https://www.abebooks.com/9780740748479/Complete-Calvin-Hobbe...

Re: An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

#8
post #6

Side note, but every time I DON'T see a Hobbes plushy, a Calvin bauble head, the Calvin and Hobbes TV series, etc. I'm so thankful that Watterson grimly held onto the merchandising rights of his characters. He maintained such a high standard for his comic right unto the end. Not everything in this world needs to be commoditized to death. "But how will new generations learn about Calvin and Hobbes without Calvin and H…

The counterpoint is how many children would love their own stuffed Hobbes to be sitting next to them as their parents read a few comics to them.

You can merchandise things without going overboard and losing your soul.

Re: An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

#9
post #6

Side note, but every time I DON'T see a Hobbes plushy, a Calvin bauble head, the Calvin and Hobbes TV series, etc. I'm so thankful that Watterson grimly held onto the merchandising rights of his characters. He maintained such a high standard for his comic right unto the end. Not everything in this world needs to be commoditized to death. "But how will new generations learn about Calvin and Hobbes without Calvin and H…

"unto the end" and "commoditized to death" made me briefly paranoid that Mr Watterson had died, but thankfully he is still quite alive:

"Watterson lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio as of January 2024"

Re: An Interview with Bill Watterson (1987)

#10
post #6

Side note, but every time I DON'T see a Hobbes plushy, a Calvin bauble head, the Calvin and Hobbes TV series, etc. I'm so thankful that Watterson grimly held onto the merchandising rights of his characters. He maintained such a high standard for his comic right unto the end. Not everything in this world needs to be commoditized to death. "But how will new generations learn about Calvin and Hobbes without Calvin and H…

>They can experience it the same way that we all did - in syndicated comic form.

You can also buy the entire series in a single collection. I've got it, it's great, and my kids love reading it with me.

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