Bill Watterson (1) (1958–)

More marvelous mischief. This one has a fair few strips where Calvin's parents join in the fun, and those are some of my favorites. I particularly like the one where the dad leaves Calvin in the car while he runs an errand, and Calvin and Hobbes hide under a blanket in the back seat. When Dad comes back, he pretends he can't find him and that he's thrilled to have lost him. His playfulness there is great, and Calvin's indignation when he pops up out of hiding is hilarious. This collection also features "the little racoon" sequence, at which I had to put the book down for a bit and come back when I felt ready. Nine strips of gentle weepy brilliance there. ~Feb 2024… (more)

People fear the forest at first, but when its mysteries become known, they grow over-confident. Their civilization may fall, but the Mysteries will remain.

It's pretty much impossible to separate Watterson from his earlier creation, the beloved comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. If you can, do so before reading this book. Watterson and Kascht's collaboration bears little artistic similarity to C&H, though the messaging is more recognizably Watterson (respect for nature, people are destroying the planet and need to be more thoughtful in general, etc.). Each two-page spread is a full page of artwork and a few lines of text -- a picture book for adults, if you will. There's plenty to discover in the black and white illustrations, and I found myself wondering about the media used to create them. There's more story there than I was able to uncover at a quick perusal, but I also don't feel compelled to return to them, or to own this volume. It's a little bleak for my taste.… (more)