Am I Wrong To Not Be Excited?

Here’s a new trailer for Dear Mr. Watterson, the documentary about Bill Watterson and the creation of Calvin & Hobbes which, as you know, is the greatest comic strip of all time. I’m a die-hard C&H fan, and I’ve loved the strip since I was a kid, but I can’t say as I’m the least bit excited for this movie. Why? Because Bill Watterson isn’t in it. Watterson famously doesn’t like publicity, interviews, or merchandising, which I totally respect, but it feels to me like any documentary about Calvin & Hobbes will be incomplete if you don’t have at least a few words from the creator. Hell, the lack of Watterson in this movie basically means that the Calvin & Hobbes 10th Anniversary Book with Watterson’s notes on the strips affords the reader more insight into Watterson’s mind than Dear Mr. Watterson will be able to, and let’s face it: the real magic of Calvin & Hobbes lies between Bill Watterson’s ears. Anyway, I don’t mean to poo-poo this film – it looks sweet, and it celebrates something that we all love. But it ain’t the C&H documentary that I’ve been longing for. Sorry, guys.