The book is great. It includes a 7 page essay by Bill Watterson and captions for most of his hand-selected Sunday strips. Each strip is shown in preproduction phase, with pencil marks, white-out, and colorless, and also in the finished format, just as Mr. Watterson liked to show it.

If you're a fan of Watterson's work as I am, you will not be disappointed. I already had all the collections but this is a welcome edition. The originals of the Sunday pages are what is on display at the Ohio State University Cartoon Research Lab and this book serves as a catalogue for those who can't make it out there while the exhibit is displayed.

Another testament to the amazing work of Bill Watterson, and I really hope that he will continue to share his work, in whatever format he chooses, for many years to come.


A fine compliment to the C&H enthusiast's collection   October 3, 2001
 21 out of 21 found this review helpful

Watterson hand-picked each Sunday strip in this book and provided a 3-5 line commentary on most of the strips. The chosen strips are split about halfway between the old format and the later, "non-bordered" format, and the selected Sunday strips are certainly representative of C&H's style and character.

Some of the commentary is very similar to what's found in the 10th anniv. book, but most of it is newly informative and interesting. As an aspiring comic-stripper, I found Watterson's comments very useful in bettering my approach to the design, coloring and plot of a comic strip, more so than what he says in the 10th anniv. book.

The collection begins with an essay from Mr. Watterson about his perspective on C&H 6 years removed, and it's probably my favorite part of the book. Also included are the non-colored sketches of each strip on its neighboring page. Since these sketches are reprinted in color, you can see the erasures, griddings and white-outs; a nice touch, for sure.

Comic strip enthusiasts are going to grab this book no matter what I say (and well they should), but more casual readers may be happier reading this book at the bookstore for free instead. It's short and contains comics already printed in the many C&H collections, but it's certainly suited for the C&H fan who wants more. I think it's very kind of Mr. Watterson, a man who never wanted the fame C&H garnered him, to offer his time and comments for this collection. As a lover of the comic arts, I genuinely thank him for helping make this book happen.


A MUST-HAVE for all fans!!!   October 1, 2001
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Bill Watterson--the reclusive creator of Calvin and Hobbes--shares his personal insights on creating this incredible strip. If you're a fan, there's no question that you should buy the book. It's like being introduced to Calvin and Hobbes all over again. The strips you've seen before, but you'll learn things you never knew.