Prologue 1. Working on a Dream 2. Making Friends 3. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 4. A Boy And His Tiger 5. Calvin in Wonderland 6. Welcome to the Machine 7. This is How You Disappear 8. Under the Influence 9. There and Back Again 10. The Future is Always Uncertain Epilogue
An affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio - a man, a boy and his tiger.
Nevin Martell is the author of Standing Small: A Celebration of 30 Years of the LEGO Minifigure, Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People and Beck: The Art of Mutation. He is a Contributing Editor at Filter magazine and his music journalism has appeared in Paste, Giant, Men's Health, High Times, and Flaunt, as well as online at RollingStone.com. Currently, he lives with his wife in Washington, DC, where he writes full time. You can find him online at www.nevinmartell.com.
"[T]his really is a wonderful, warm, and informative book that
manages to capture just the right amount of magic about the creator
and his creation." --Comics Worth Reading
"Martell, who wears his fan heart on his sleeve, travels far and
wide to gather pieces of Watterson lore. He interviews former
syndicate employees, comic strip artists from the past and present,
and some of Watterson's closest confidants. By doing so, Martell
walks a fine line between diligent journalist and obsessive fan.
But his journey is a reminder that some things can't be recaptured,
no matter how much we may wish otherwise." -The New York Times,
"The Moment" blog
"This story of Nevin Martell's search for the elusive Bill
Watterson, the J.D. Salinger of the cartoon world, is so richly
infused with the spirit of "Calvin and Hobbes," the genuine
innocence and affection and humor, it doesn't even matter that the
author never meets his subject. Watterson has never allowed the
licensing of his work -- no merchandise, no TV, no movies. After
doing a few interviews in the 1980s, he wrote a "manifesto against
celebrity": "People love to have you, and then they use you up and
there's nothing left." Early on, Martell wrote Watterson, who
disappeared from public life after he stopped writing the strip in
1995, but never heard back. Discouraged but determined, he
researched Watterson's life, interviewed friends, editors, even
Watterson's mother, visited Watterson's childhood home in Chagrin
Falls, Ohio, talked with other cartoonists, studied the influence
of Peanuts, Krazy Kat, Pogo and Winnie the Pooh and pondered the
effect of "Calvin and Hobbes" on his own life. Is this a definitive
biography? No. But it's in many ways better and truer to the spirit
of Watterson's creation."-The Los Angeles Times Book Review
"This is essential reading for die-hard Calvin and Hobbes fans who
want to stalk Watterson. Martell will give you all the reasons why
you will never find the man. So instead of attempting something
both discourteous and criminal, read this book instead."-The San
Francisco Book Review
"Nevin Martell has written a curious book, although one would
probably best consider it a biography. Bill Watterson so
consistently shunned the media that one is put in mind of the
Shakespeare biography industry in which a few facts are churned in
an attempt to generate a larger picture of a life... In spite of
Watterson's refusal to speak for himself, Martell has written an
engaging and informative book while avoiding most of the traps that
catch fan writers."-The International Journal of Comic Art
Mini review in the ‘7 books you should own' section of Belfast
Telegraph Evening, 28th August (UK) ‘An education for some of us
and a treat for the fans'
"Nevin Martell's book provides a rare glimpse of the riddle wrapped
in the mystery inside an enigma that is Bill Watterson and his
brilliant work, which I now know was almost called 'Marvin and
Hobbes.'"- Stephan Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine
"Watterson can hide, but he can't die. His work lives on and we're lucky to have
Nevin Martell reminding us so colorfully in this joyful book."-
Berkeley Breathed
"Martell gets as close as anybody can to Watterson in a book that
takes the reader behind the strip, a well-researched portrait of
the cartoonist that is both fascinating and revealing."
-Currents
*Barry Goodrich*
"Martell gives us a tantalizing...glimpse of Bill Watterson in this
journalistic exploration of the press-shy cartoonist's life.
...Readers who still hold Watterson's strip in their heart should
enjoy the ride." -AM New York
"[A] Don Quixote story that is humorous, well-written and (if I may
borrow that tired summer-reading platitude) a real page-turner." -
The Strippers Guide (A website for comics)
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