Calvin and Hobbes has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts, but believe it or not, the iconic comic strip has been out of commission for nearly 15 years. There isn’t a lot out there as to why the comic’s creator, Bill Watterson, decided to pull the plug on the highly successful story. In fact, there isn’t a lot out there about Watterson at all. While some may say that he is a bit of a recluse, others would argue that he simply enjoys his privacy. And why shouldn’t he? Recently we located a rare interview where Watterson discussed his decision to stop writing Calvin and Hobbes, which he answered as follows:
This isn’t as hard to understand as people try to make it. By the end of 10 years, I’d said pretty much everything I had come there to say. It’s always better to leave the party early. If I had rolled along with the strip’s popularity and repeated myself for another five, 10 or 20 years, the people now ‘grieving’ for ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ would be wishing me dead and cursing newspapers for running tedious, ancient strips like mine instead of acquiring fresher, livelier talent. And I’d be agreeing with them.
Be sure to check out the full interview to find out more, including how Watterson deals with groupies. Yes, strangely enough he’s had to deal with a few crazy fans over the years.