The documentary Dear Mr. Watterson (2013) opens this week in theaters and on video on demand. The documentary about the great comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and its creator Bill Watterson is directed by Joel Allen Schroeder. To promote the movie, which started as a Kickstarter project, the filmmakers have released this interesting clip that examines three comic strips that apparently influenced Watterson and Calvin and Hobbes. Check it out.
As you can see from the clip, we do not have the reclusive Watterson, who remains protective of his creation and still refuses to license products related to the comic. So other commentators explain the comic strips whose influences they see in Calvin and Hobbes. The three influences discussed in the clip are Walt Kelly’s Pogo, Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts, and George Herriman’s Krazy Kat. If you want more on Watterson, check out his recent rare interview on Mental Floss.
What is your favorite Calvin and Hobbes strip? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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