Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson has finally released his long-awaited adult fable, The Mysteries. This dark fairytale, which is said to tell a story about “what lies beyond human understanding,” was released yesterday, October 10.
In addition to words from the legendary comic strip author, The Mysteries features illustrations from renowned caricaturist John Kascht. The two worked with each other for “several years” to create the short story that you can now purchase. This is Watterson’s first published work in nearly 30 years, with its release marking a moment not only for Calvin and Hobbes fans but for fans of quality storytelling in general. If you’re interested in seeing if the long wait was worth it, you can purchase a copy from places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Bookshop.
“In a fable for grown-ups by cartoonist Bill Watterson, a long-ago kingdom is afflicted with unexplainable calamities,” a description for The Mysteries says. “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.
“For the book’s illustrations, Watterson and caricaturist John Kascht worked together for several years in unusually close collaboration. Both artists abandoned their past ways of working, inventing images together that neither could anticipate—a mysterious process in its own right.”
Time will tell if The Mysteries will have the cultural impact seen with Calvin and Hobbes. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates from Watterson and Kascht.
