I don’t think it makes me special to say I owned a million Calvin and Hobbes books growing up. But as good as the comics were, Calvin cartoonist Bill Watterson is almost more legendary for the way he quietly retired in 1995 and refused all offers to license his creation for commercial purposes, effectively turning down millions. Also, he lives in Ohio – by choice. Everything about him is mysterious.
Dear Mr. Watterson, a Kickstarter-funded documentary from filmmaker Joel Allen Schroeder, attempts to explore the Calvin and Hobbes mythos and its creator, without necessarily blowing up his spot and invading his carefully-maintained privacy. It opens limited release (ie, probably nowhere near you) and on VOD November 15th. I’m hoping it will not only be a pleasant trip to nostalgia town, but will also explain the bumper sticker phenomenon, where people think it’s a good idea to depict the same character peeing on “haters” and meekly praying to Jesus. Such a weird impulse. “Yeah, I really love Jesus, as you can clearly see by my tattoo of Problem Child hugging a crucifix.”
Oh, thank goodness, Seth Green, I feel like I never see him explaining the appeal of comic stuff.
I’d like to see the version of this documentary, but about Family Circus, where it’s just talking heads being baffled by its continued existence. “I mean seriously, who has been reading this crap? If you had thoughts this asinine, wouldn’t you just keep them to yourself? I FEEL LIKE I’M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!”