HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A reader phoned to tell us
today would be RTS creator Joe Cleary’s birthday. Joe, who died a
few years ago, was an executive editor who was responsible for
starting this readers’ column more than 50 years ago. And,
incidentally, RTS’ “”birthday”” was Nov. 19. Believe it or not,
this column turned 56 years old – a milestone.
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SPECIAL GIFT: If you’ve been enjoying the
return of Calvin and Hobbes to The Era’s comic page, you no doubt
have an appreciation for the inner workings of a child’s mind.
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Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the comic strip,
also passed along an interview with author Bill Watterson that
sheds some light on the strip’s creation:[neWLine]
Q: Are the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes similar to
your own childhood, or is the strip a way for you to create stories
you never experienced as a kid?
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A: I’d say the fictional and nonfictional aspects were pretty
densely interwoven. While Calvin definitely reflects certain
aspects of my personality, I never had imaginary animal friends, I
generally stayed out of trouble, I did fairly well in school, etc.,
so the strip is not literally autobiographical. Often I used the
strip to talk about things that interested me as an adult, and of
course, a lot of Calvin’s adventures were drawn simply because I
thought the idea was funny. In any given strip, the amount of
invention varied.[neWLine]
Q: Displayed not only through characteristics of Calvin and
Hobbes, but also through your unique style of art, storytelling,
and layout, you seem to stress the individual. You spoke to
outcasts or people who did not seem to fit the “”norms”” of society
and no doubt made it feel OK for people to be different. Was that
your intention when starting Calvin and Hobbes and how do you feel
about individualism and originality?[neWLine]
A: I guess one thing I like about Calvin is that whether
he fits in with the wider world or not is almost beside the point,
because he can’t help but be himself. Of course, when I started
Calvin and Hobbes, my intention was simply to have a job
cartooning. I had very few big ideas of where my work was going
until it got there, but looking back, I think the strip generally
shows my values on these subjects.
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For really devoted fans, a really complete collection of Calvin
and Hobbes is available for purchase just in time for Christmas.
Get our your wheelbarrow (and your wallet).
