• Looking for Calvin and Hobbes

  • The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip
  • By: Nevin Martell
  • Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
  • Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (121 ratings)

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Looking for Calvin and Hobbes  By  cover art

Looking for Calvin and Hobbes

By: Nevin Martell
Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
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Publisher's summary

For ten years, Calvin and Hobbes was one the world's most beloved comic strips. And then, on the last day of 1995, the strip ended. Its mercurial and reclusive creator, Bill Watterson, not only finished the strip but withdrew entirely from public life.

In Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, Nevin Martell sets out on a very personal odyssey to understand the life and career of the intensely private man behind Calvin and Hobbes. Martell talks to a wide range of artists and writers (including Dave Barry, Harvey Pekar, and Brad Bird) as well as some of Watterson's closest friends and professional colleagues, and along the way reflects upon the nature of his own fandom and on the extraordinary legacy that Watterson left behind. This is as close as we're ever likely to get to one of America's most ingenious and intriguing figures - and it's the fascinating story of an intrepid author's search for him, too.

©2010 Nevin Martell (P)2014 ListenUp Production, LLC

What listeners say about Looking for Calvin and Hobbes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Calvinball!!!!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bill Watterson. This guy created one of the most popular comic strips ever and never wanted to turn the spotlight on himself. Try to picture him in a Hulu commercial with Seth MacFarlane...you can't.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES. But I didn't. This narrator is ridiculously easy to listen to.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not Worth the Time

What disappointed you about Looking for Calvin and Hobbes?

There is next to nothing of substance about Watterson or the comic strip.

What was most disappointing about Nevin Martell’s story?

Martell fills in for his lack of substantive information with fluff and filler. Unless he saved the good stuff for the last chapters. I did not finish the book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jeremy Arthur?

No opinion about this

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Looking for Calvin and Hobbes?

Editor could have condensed book into magazine article.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting, Fun, and Inspiring

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. The story not only goes into great detail on the life of a comic strip legend. It also tells an interesting story of the history of comic strips in general.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked listening to Watterson's description and interpretations of specific pieces he's done. It's captivating hearing his motivation for a piece and where he draws inspiration.

Have you listened to any of Jeremy Arthur’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to other audiobooks by this narrator and I must say that this is one of his best. His delivery of the story is excellent and I definitely felt drawn in to the life and works of Watterson.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Into the mind of an American icon

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was a great listen and i definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Calvin and Hobbes or any comic strip for that matter.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I spent the whole book looking for Calvin and Hobbes

This is not a book about Calvin and Hobbes. It is a biography of its creator Bill Watterson, written against the subject’s wishes and with no input from the subject. Throughout the book Bill Watterson is repeated shown to be reticent about media attention, and the irony is totally lost on Nevin Martell. Martell never interrogates his own
sense of entitlement to Watterson’s personal life, which Watterson clearly isn’t comfortable with. There’s something very disturbing about the thought of this unasked-for biographer, with whom you’ve declined an interview, seeking out all your friends and family and walking around your childhood home town, trying to score an interview with you to sell more books. I felt really sorry for Watterson the whole book!

If you can stomach this disturbing undercurrent, then the contents of this book are some basic facts about Watterson’s life, along with some information about Calvin and Hobbes that is already available in the 10th anniversary collection, which you should buy instead. You might enjoy this, but if you’ve read the 10th anniversary collection, don’t expect to learn anything about Calvin and Hobbes you didn’t already know.

There is one short section of the book I enjoyed. In it, Martell discusses the character of Rosalyn, Calvin’s baby-sitter, and how she develops a unique connection to Calvin. This was the only part of the book that actually said something nontrivial about the comic strip that I love. If Martell had written this into an entire book, a book about his personal reaction to the strip itself, a book of analysis, I would be singing his praises, This is what I came to this book looking for, and this is what Bill Watterson would want as well — talk about the art itself, not just about the artist as celebrity.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you!

I, too, am a diehard fan of Calvin, Hobbes, and Bill W. This is a delightful book. I don’t blame Bill at all for being so reclusive. Fame and money have corrupted too many in our time. It takes a man of character to stand his ground like this comic genius has. I admire Bill W. greatly and love his work. He has a gift from God, which he has used well. Thank you for ferreting out a little more knowledge about this great comic strip and it’s creator.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read!

This is an absolutely must read/listen if you are a fan o C&R. A great research and a lovely point of view over Bill Watterson life's work.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Painful to get through

A book about a guy writing a biography. Not actually a biography. This is so painful because there are tiny little pieces of actual biography which forces you to sit through hours of author navel gazing just to get to the fragments of actual biography. If you love Bill Waterson you will suffer greatly through the 80% pointless meandering garbage just for the few tidbits. Painful.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

He didn't find him.

author spent too much time talking about what he was drinking or the weather. This was less of a bio and more of a story about trying to get an interview. learning about Bill's thoughts on fame I am glad he did not betray his ideals for this book. The author did not deserve an interview. Bill is fantastic and I respectfully wish him a great quite life. Maybe a post mortem strip??

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Must listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! Bill Watterson is such an interesting person and I think Nevin Martell does a wonderful job of telling his story and sharing the frustrations fans have of not knowing more about the reclusive Watterson.

What about Jeremy Arthur’s performance did you like?

I loved Jeremy Arthur's voice throughout the entire audiobook. Sometimes narrators can be too monotone, especially in non-fiction, but I thought Jeremy Arthur was a perfect choice. I'll definitely be looking out for more of his work.

Any additional comments?

I like Calvin and Hobbes, but I'm not a superfan, so most of the information in this book was new to me. I know a lot of Watterson's fans will already know much of what is in the book, but I think Looking and Calvin and Hobbes has a little something for everyone - from casual Calvin and Hobbes readers to lifelong fans.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Cozy Peek Behind the Scenes - Amazing Narration!

What did you love best about Looking for Calvin and Hobbes?

There is an underlying warmth to this book - it's clear how much Neville Martin adored and appreciated the beautifully written comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, and its author, Bill Watterson. The amazingly cozy tone of Jeremy Arthur's narration really helps to bring about a sense of endearment and fondness on behalf of Neville.

Have you listened to any of Jeremy Arthur’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to a handful of Jeremy's other audiobook performances - he has such an inviting and engaging tone and timbre to his voice. It's present without being overbearing - you can sit back and relax and really enjoy the storytelling. He draws you in and is very easy on the ears - there's a tenderness to his sound that I absolutely enjoy. I'm waiting, in anticipation, for his next audiobook, Pickett's Charge, to be up for sale!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was beautifully produced - extremely high quality and fabulously narrated. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone! Great story with a stellar narration!

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