‘Calvin and Hobbes’ Creator Drops New Adult Fable ‘The Mysteries’

Bill Watterson, creator of “Calvin and Hobbes,” has released a new adult fable titled “The Mysteries.”

The book, which features illustrations from both Watterson and caricature artist John Kascht, is the cartoonist’s first publication in years after his retirement in 1995. It’s currently available to purchase on Amazon, where it’s a No. 1 bestseller.

The book description reads: “A long-ago kingdom is afflicted with unexplainable calamities. Hoping to end the torment, the king dispatches his knights to discover the source of the mysterious events. Years later, a single battered knight returns.” 

Nevin Martell, the author of “Looking for Calvin and Hobbes,” a story of the strip and Watterson that’s also part memoir, spoke to “The Guardian” about Watterson’s new book, calling it “exciting and monumental.”

“It’s so wildly different from what [Watterson] did on ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ … and I think that’s a very conscious decision on [his] part,” Martell said. “He would not ever want to be pigeonholed as just the Calvin and Hobbes guy.”

“The Mysteries” does appear to be a tonal departure from the more whimsical nature of the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strips, taking a darker approach to the artwork’s elements. The black-and-white cover features a man with a horrified expression standing in front of an ominous-looking forest and cottage.

Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes” focused on the friendship between six-year-old Calvin and his stuffed tiger friend Hobbes. Throughout its daily publication from 1985 to 1995, the comic chronicled Calvin and Hobbes’s adventures together, taking them through childhood experiences such as performing water stunts and creating imaginative inventions. Since his retirement, Watterson has remained relatively out of the public eye, only participating in small projects on rare occasions. 

“The Mysteries” is available for purchase online on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.