Here is an article I had written way back in December, for the debating society in my college. Now that its been published and the newsletter released, I decided to put it up here. Its an article, so it is kinda long. I have been at a loss as to what to write, so this will have to do till then! ;-)

*******************************************************************************************

It’s rare to see people having a good insight into the human psyche, rarer still to see authors doing the same, but by far the rarest to see a cartoonist who has not only the quality of being funny time and again, but also a powerful understanding of the way we as people think. Imagination as wild as can be, unbridled, impressive. In my personal opinion (and believe me when I say that I am part of a fairly large group who feel the same way), he is by far the greatest comic genius of our times – managing to edge out other greats such as Charles Schultz of Peanuts fame.

Bill Watterson was born William B. Watterson II on the 5^th of July, 1958 in Washington D.C.. In 1980, Watterson graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier with a degree in political science. As his first job, he was offered a job drawing political cartoons for The Cincinnati Post, for a trial period of 6 months. It was offered on the condition that he could be fired at any time, no questions asked. And such did happen – he was fired not too long after.

He then started work on Calvin and Hobbes. It was first published on November 18^th, 1985. Though not much of an instant hit, word spread about the bright new guy on the block. Soon enough, laurels began to pour in. He won the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society in 1986, the youngest person to win the award. In 1988 he won this award again, and was nominated in 1992.

It’s not difficult to see the beauty of Calvin, the hyperactive 6 year old with enough intellect to put established intellectuals to shame; and Hobbes, his (imaginary?) stuffed tiger buddy, as both try to live life each day. This, when Calvin has long realized that life is pointless, considering that death is inevitable. Laughing till you cry becomes a habit with Calvin and Hobbes, but it will never fail to bring a smile to your face. Then again, there are those moments when he can be so poignant, surreal as to bring a tear to the eyes of the most insensitive lout (if you don’t believe me, have a look at “Something Under The Bed Is Drooling, pg 94-96). How Bill Watterson manages to put himself into the shoes of a 6-year old, see the world through his eyes, yet bestow him with prodigious gray matter is what makes him more than just great. A very apt description of him I found someplace: “Calvin sounded like a 6-year-old psychotic on Ritalin one day and a Yale lit grad the next”.

Even with all his brains, Calvin is the typical kid (well, almost!) – He likes running around, playing games (but ones without any rules, so he went ahead and invented Calvinball), watching TV, playing out fantasies and hating girls. So, he is also dictator for life of G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy Girls). His disdain for the female kind equates to his love for “bugs”.

Your heart goes out for his parents, who must put up with not just his antics but the wanton destruction he is capable of. His teacher, Miss. Wormwood, routinely assumes the form of an alien who gets hit by Spaceman Spiff’s frap-ray blaster (one of Calvin’s favourite alter-egos along with Stupendous Man).

Then again, there are a lot of people who write some very funny stuff (you must have a look at Pearls Before Swine by Stephen Spastis), what is it that puts apart C&H from the rest? Here’s my take on it. Calvin is a self-made man (boy?). He lives in his own world, by his own rules. The world to him is as he sees it. Each time I read a strip of C&H, it strikes me, and strikes me hard, how our outlook has narrowed, our imagination died down. How we have lost ourselves in being worldly-wise, lost sight of all that there is to life – what is, is not what you see…much the other way around, what you see, is what is. The whole world is simply what you make of it, and it is only when you accept this with your heart and soul that you will see his world unfold in front of you…see it transform in your very eyes. Even though it may seem that I am getting carried away, it is remarkable to lose sight of routine and be swept away into a seemingly distant galaxy (ala Spiff).

Here, I must quote Calvin:

"Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success... ...Flat stretches of boring routine... ...And valleys of frustration and failure."

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

And the line that personifies him: "You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help."

If you are yet to experience the magic C&H weave together, may this well serve as your initiation ceremony. Where boxes are transmogrifiers/duplicators/time machines, gym instructors are twisted space frogs, babysitters are your worst nightmare, toboggans are deities, a bathtub has to be checked for sharks, seven plus three is a billion and the world is out to get you. Don’t take my word for it, get your hands on a copy of Calvin and Hobbes and be spellbound. 

Bill Watterson…I doff my hat to you! Blessed would be comic lovers the day another even half as good as you is born…

(Bill Watterson announced his retirement on 9^th November, 1995. His vociferous opposition has meant that C&H merchandise and motion pictures shall probably never be made )