William Boyd Watterson Ii , known as Bill Watterson, is an American cartoonist and the writer of the influential and popular comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. His career as a syndicated cartoonist ran from 1985 to 1995; he stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes at the end of 1995 with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the comic strip medium. Watterson is known for his views on licensing and comic syndication, as well as for his reclusive nature.
Watterson started life in Washington, D. , where his dad, James G. Watterson , worked as a patent examiner while going to George Washington High school Law Colledge before becoming a patent attorney in 1960.
(Bill Watterson photo #2)
In 1964, when Bill was six years old, the family moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where his mom, Kathryn Watterson, became a city council member. James was elected as a council member in 1997, holding that position for 12 years before retiring on August 31, 2009 to pursue some artistic projects and goals.
(Bill Watterson photo #3)
Watterson, who drew his first cartoon at the age of eight, spent a lot of time in childhood alone, occupying his time with drawing and cartooning. This continued throughout his primary and secondary schooling years when he drew cartoons for the colledge newspaper and yearbook. During this time he discovered comics strips like Pogo, Krazy Kat, and Charles Schulz' Peanuts which subsequently inspired and influenced his desire to become a professional cartoonist.
Bill Watterson
