“Sometimes
when I'm talking, my words can't keep up with my thoughts. I wonder why we
think faster than we speak. Probably so we can think twice.”
– Bill Watterson
When Watterson was creating names for the characters in his award-winning comic
strip, Calvin and Hobbes, he supposedly decided
upon Calvin (after the Protestant reformer John Calvin) and Hobbes (after the
social philosopher Thomas Hobbes) as a sort-of tip of the hat to
the Political Science Department at Kenyon College in Ohio, where he studied
political science.
In The Complete Calvin And Hobbes – of which
I am a proud owner – Watterson stated that Calvin is named for "a
16th-century theologian who believed in predestination,” and Hobbes for "a
17th-century philosopher with a dim view of human nature." Either way the words he wrote for the wise
little boy with a talking stuffed tiger as his best friend stand the test of
time – something every writer and artist hopes his or her work will achieve.
Born in July of 1958, Watterson created Calvin and Hobbes after first
trying his hand at political cartooning. He said he incorporated elements of his life, interests, beliefs
and values into his work—for example, his hobby as a cyclist, and
memories of his father's speeches about "building character." For his efforts he has been awarded virtually
every major prize in cartooning, often writing thoughtful and provocative
statements in the process.
He
stopped his comic strip when he felt it was becoming too commercialized and has
focused mostly on art since 2000.
But, after being honored with an international prize for his life’s work
in 2014, he says he has many things left to do, including some writing. “God put me on this earth to accomplish a
certain number of things,” he said.
“Right now, I am so far behind that I will never die.”
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