It sounds like he’s given up Calvin & Hobbes for good and has become a total recluse.
http://www.clevescene.com/issues/2003-11-26/feature.html/1/index.html
I understand Watterson’s complaints about newsprint comics and the reasons why he retired C&H, and that’s fine.
He also has a right to be angry about the car-window decals.
But I don’t understand the reclusive schtick. If he wants a quiet retirement, then fine. If he wants to opt out of life (and all the good and bad that goes with it) then he isn’t living a genuine life.
The one week I miss the Sunday comics is apparently the one week they have a new half-page one :(.
Eh, I think Watterson is getting strange in his old age. Though maybe he is working on the movie thing… that would be cool.
How sad—for someone who, judging by his writing in Calvin, had such a level head and a good sense of perspective, he’s gone completely doo-lally.
Have you even considered the idea that Watterson is so much more level-headed than you are, with a better perspective, that you can’t understand his actions? What makes you so certain that you can be the ultimate arbiter of what is reasonable?
Oh . . . I thought you knew . . . I was elected Ultimate Arbiter of What is Reasonable back in August . . . Didn’t you vote?
“Completely doo-lally?”
He lives in a nice house, but aparrently leaves it regularly to do shopping and other errands. He doesn’t receive fan mail, isn’t creating a syndicated comic strip, and isn’t interested in doing interviews with the media.
If that’s the description of “completely doo-lally,” then I am, too. And so is most of the population of the USA. It describes a relatively ordinary person – one who isn’t a celebrity and doesn’t want to be.
It looks to me like he said “I am not a public figure” and went on with his life. Nothing more. (Though the whole setting-fire-to-paintings thing is a bit too tormented-artist for my taste – though, if it works for him, that’s fine.)
I dunno, I read the article, and didn’t see anything to suggest Watterson has gone off the deep end, or anything like that. Seems to me that he knows that, if he were to step back into the limelight again, the fan response would vaporize any hopes he has for a quiet, tranquil life. And he’s obviously enjoying himself too much to risk that, so he stays anonymous.
Watterson might be a compulsive perfectionist, but that’s what made Calvin & Hobbes so great to begin with.
Agreed. That article just confirmed why I admire Watterson so much. I do hope that he decides to put out some new projects, though.
Reading that article didn’t really tell me much about Watterson that I didn’t already know.
OK, I didn’t know he lived in Chagrin Falls. But I do know that it’s a really nice town. Right on the Cuyahoga River (no, not the part that burned, Chagrin Falls is upstream), pretty town center, and there’s a nice towpath trail, too (we know from the strip that he is a cyclist).
If you get The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, you can get a pretty good sense of the man. Consider this quote:
ibidp.9
And his views on merchandising and licensing were also well laid-out:
ibidp.11
The article is right in keeping with the man’s own principles. I admire him for it. After all, he was offered millions of dollars on a silver plate, and he said “no” and went to a nice, anonymous life of leisure and doing what he likes. I envy him.
I woudn’t call that a recluse at all. He never started Calvin and Hobbes to become a celebrity, and in fact tried to avoid it as much as possible while he was doing the strip. Now that the strip is over, why would he want people following him around a la Jennifer Lopez?
He sounds a bit like Gary Larson. I wish more cartoonists would quit while they’re ahead…
What gets me is that Watterson does not receive pilgrims. I would be in Chagrin Falls in a heartbeat fawning all over him but for the fact I think if I ever lost my mind and did something that stupid I’d end up imposing myself on someone who clearly doesn’t want the attention and I’d end up feeling like an intrusive jackass.
But I’d jump at the chance to interview him, pick his brain over the creative process, and (OoooOo) maybe get a Calvin and Hobbes sketch. (OOoo!!)
The closest I’ve ever gotten to Watterson is hanging out at the Museum of Cartoon Art in Columbus at Ohio State to see his 2001 exhibition, and collecting his (sparse) interviews and speeches, and of course, all his Calvin and Hobbes work. Someday, I’d like to read his biography.
I admire his standards, creativity and talent. I even admire his stance in a puzzled kind of way. For the life of me, growing up fairly poor and daydreaming of a better life thrugh cartooning, I can scarcely understand how he (a married man, at that!) said “No” to literal millions in merchandising when he was essentially engaged in a commercial enterprise in the first place. Clearly we do not share the same beliefs regarding the purpose and benefits of art.
Two summers ago I made a detour to Chagrin Falls on my way to Cleveland, just to see the famous hometown of Bill Watterson (and Tim Conway, too, BTW). I was hoping that I might catch a glimpse of the man himself, but had no luck there.
I was also hoping to buy an autographed copy of one of his books, but the clerk in the Fireside Book Shop said that after people started selling them at high markups on eBay, Watterson stopped providing them.
But I did get a nice root beer float at the Popcorn Shop, and walked down behind it to gaze at the waterfall under the shop. The whole time I kept my eyes peeled for a skinny middle-aged guy on a bike.
I think the author of the Clevescene article would have known if he met Watterson. The few extant photos of him show that he looks exactly like Calvin’s father. I suspect he actually did meet him in the book store and is masking the fact.
If you want to know what the town center of Chagrin Falls looks like, check out the back cover of “The Essential Calvin & Hobbes.” It’s a very accurate depiction. Appropriately enough, the store that the giant Calvin has in his hands is the Popcorn Shop. The bookstore is on the left side of the picture.
The funny thing about my little sightseeing trip is that I’m not a star-struck person. I’ve met lots of famous people, and I can hardly think of another celebrity who would inspire me to cross the street, much less drive 20-30 miles out of my way on the slight chance of catching a glimpse. I like to think that if I had seen him I would have been cool, and wouldn’t have bothered him or even taken a picture. Perhaps fortunately, I wasn’t put in the situation of finding out and possibly embarrassing us both.
The fascination is his inspiring example. I mean, how many people do you know who turned down millions of dollars just to protect the integrity of his creations? Very rare in this day and age.
Askia: I think that Watterson felt he was engaged in an artistic, not a commercial, enterprise. And personally, I agree with him completely that the commercialization of comic characters cheapens them and kills most of their inherent magic. It’s good that you can’t buy a plush Hobes in a department store. Because that means he will always be able to magically transform from the static stuffed tiger to the real live Hobbes whenever Calvin is alone with him.
And by rejecting the commercialization, Watterson said to us, his readers, I’m drawing this for you, not to make myself rich. That’s why I admire him so much.
Opting out of life + getting strange + going doo-lally == choosing to live quietly and comfortably, with at least an afternoon now and then chatting with non-grabby friends in a nice little bookstore.
Now that’s the kind of math that really needs to be on the funny pages!
Watterson’s work speaks for itself.
All else -autographs, interviews, stuffed animals- is gratutious fluff. I can’t see how refusing to give press interviews makes him a “Recluse” or “Strange”. I’d leave the superficial profiles to those Famous For Being Famous.
For those wishing to learn more about his perspective, I second paperbackwriter’s recommendation: pick up a copy of The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. It’s a great little book.
A Good article on Watterson. And Chagrin is a great little town (having lived there from 1964 to 1972, I feel qualified to make this judgement. Although I was only eight when we left, eh… maybe not) A minor nitpick:
Chgrin Falls is NOT on the Cuyahoga. It is on the Chagrin River.
I think it’s an interesting statement about our society that someone who wants to remain private, who doesn’t want strangers coming up to him as if they know him, who doesn’t want the world to know everything about him, is considered weird, even sick. As though the norm is that we should all want to be just like Paris Hilton.
Thinking more about my reasons for wanting to meet Watterson, I think it would be to express my enormous gratitude for the hours of pure pleasure C&H has given me, my admiration for his talent and creativity, and my respect for his extraordinary integrity in turning down wealth that few of us could or would resist.
No doubt he’s heard this from lots of people, perhaps he’s tired of it, perhaps he’s embarrassed by it. I can imagine that if you’re not a naturally outgoing person, having to deal constantly with fawning and gushing strangers would be something of a strain. Show business people expect it and want it (mostly), but to be subjected to it unwillingly is no bed of roses. (Not that I have any first-hand experience in this area.)
Oop, mixing up my 8 years-ago memories of the Cleveland area. I was conflating it with maybe Valley View? Still, Chagrin Falls would be a nice place to live.