Lassi ja Leevi : juhlakirja. 4 : 10-vuotisjuhlakirja (1995)

I became aware that Bill Watterson had given commentary in this book, and I was quite please to find paragraphs of essays describing his thought process, and his worldview of comics. I have loved Calvin and Hobbes since I first encountered it (near the beginning of its creation in the 80's). There are some many nostalgic and pleasant thing to consider with his writing and art work, and at the same time, presentations of some of the things that are wrong in our world. Even when I don't agree with the viewpoint, I feel engaged with the ideas presented.

I think it says something that Mr. Watterson stood up for his beliefs and quit at the peak of his career, instead of becoming what he expressed frustration about in this book - the strip that goes on well after its prime. ( )

I really like the setup for commentary here. ( )

00014772

My parents didn't subscribe to the newspaper, so I didn't have access to the comic strips as a kid. I would sometimes get access to compilations of comic strips the though (Garfield, Peanuts, etc.). It was in this venue that I first came across Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin's adventurousness and imagination was an inspiration for me and my friends. A few of my friends were obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes, and had read every book. I enjoyed it, but wasn't a fanatic.

It being the summertime, I felt in the mood for something carefree, and found this on my shelf. It is a different Calvin and Hobbes, in that it includes lengthy musings and reflections by the author, Bill Watterson. Even though I was given this book as a child, I had only ever paged through reading the comics, so this was my first time reading the text. I realize now that much of the lore my friends would tell me about Watterson likely comes from this book.

Watterson talks extensively about the evolution of comics, and the newspaper medium in general. The book was published in 1995, and the pressures facing news and art back then almost sound quaint compared to current affairs.

Although Calvin can seem innocent in his naïveté, I now realize that he was a bad influence on me both in childhood and in adulthood. Watterson says that Calvin accurately represents many of childish tendencies that have endured through adulthood. I feel like this attitude—that old people aren't adult or mature, just old—permeates especially the outlook of privileged white men. Sure, it is possible for this to occur, but it is deeply saddening. Cultures throughout the ages have developed ceremonies and mythologies based on a path of maturation, and these are generally absent from Western convention.

Watterson also muses on the ways in which racism and other judgmental stereotypes enter comics to their detriment. Ironically, in this very book, there are some lengthy misogynist episodes involving Calvin and Susie.

I hadn't realized it until after I had finished reading this book, but apparently Watterson stopped the strip in 1995, after ten years, when he himself was in his late thirties. He hasn't done anything comparable since. ( )

A few years ago I thought having a cartoon book sitting by my bed at night would be the best way of going to sleep. For a long time now it’s been this Calvin and Hobbes collection, but today I binged on it, finishing it with a cup of tea after breakfast....

rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/the-calvin-and-hobbes-10t... ( )