In honor of the release of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, there's a nice article in the Post on the history of the strip and it's creator Bill Watterson. I always admired Watterson's steadfast refusal to compromise his strip's integrity and turn in into a marketing monster. (Of course I admired the artistic excellence and philosophical depth of the strip itself too). No doubt he passed up untold millions of dollars, as the article makes clear:
It is 1988. The strip has been going for three years. The phone rings at Universal Press Syndicate. It is Steven Spielberg's assistant. Mr. Spielberg would very much like to speak to Mr. Watterson.
Lee Salem, the syndicate's president, is ecstatic. Two creative minds like that getting together! The Wizard of Oz! Winnie the Pooh! Peter Pan! Excited, he calls Watterson at home in Chagrin Falls, a leafy suburb of Cleveland. Would he talk to Spielberg?
No, Watterson says.
