Everything You Need to Know About Calvin and Hobbes Creator's Book "The Mysteries" (2025)

Author and illustrator Bill Watterson is best known for his beloved classic comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes, which many people consider to be the best comic strip of all time. Since his retirement from creating Calvin and Hobbes comics in 1995, Watterson has largely stayed out of the spotlight, occasionally creating works for charity auctions, but otherwise living a quiet, private life. For the first time in almost 30 years, however, a new work by Bill Watterson is being published. Co-illustrated with caricaturist John Kascht, Watterson is publishing a picture book entitled The Mysteries.

The Mysteries appears to be a major departure for both Watterson and Kascht from their previous work. Calvin and Hobbes was a daily comic strip, and brought with it the constraints of frequent deadlines and specific formatting requirements — though Watterson liked to push the boundaries of those constraints as much as he could. Meanwhile, Kascht has mostly worked in caricature, creating illustrations for magazines and other promotional works. Described as a “fable for grown-ups,” the dark, more mature tone of The Mysteries promises to usher in a new era in Watterson’s illustration and writing career.

What Is The Mysteries?

See Also

REVIEW: The Mysteries is an Elusive, Handmade Wonder from Bill Watterson and John KaschtBook Review: “The Mysteries” by Bill Watterson and John Kascht

The Mysteries is the first new work published by Bill Watterson since the final Calvin and Hobbes comic strips in 1995. The book, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, is a picture book. So far, all the images teased from the book feature soft, moody, gray-scale colors reminiscent of charcoal drawings. The book released in the United States on October 10, 2023 and will be available through all major book retailers, both online and in brick and mortar stores.

The Mysteries' story was written by Bill Watterson, but the dark, brooding illustrations were co-created by both Watterson and caricaturist John Kascht. The mature-readers book appears to have a traditional fairy tale setting in an imaginary kingdom. This kingdom has been beset by multiple strange calamities, and the king has sent his knights out to find the source of the kingdom’s misfortunes. Years later, only a single, battered knight returns from their quest.

The Creators of The Mysteries

The art style in The Mysteries appears to be a major departure for both of its creators. Bill Watterson is known for his detailed line drawings that were showcased in his Calvin and Hobbes comics. Although far more detailed than the drawings of many of his cartooning peers, Watterson’s illustrations displayed a signature style using variable-width ink strokes in a fairly traditional comic strip style. Many of the best Calvin and Hobbes comics explored the breadth of Watterson’s skill with a pen. This ranged from simple illustrations of the comic’s main protagonists, to highly detailed illustrations of Calvin’s elaborate fantasies, whether he was daydreaming in school about being a space explorer, or playing with his friend Susie as she pretended to be a doctor or the president.

Co-creator of The Mysteries John Kascht is best known for his work as a caricaturist. Kascht’s dynamic illustrations of many of the world’s most famous faces have appeared in countless magazines, newspapers, book covers, billboards, and posters. His works are collected at the National Portrait Gallery. As a master of his art, Kascht has been profiled in multiple documentaries, and he also works as a faculty member of Marywood University’s graduate program in illustration and design.

The art style seen in previews for The Mysteries appears to be a bit closer to Kascht’s traditional style than Watterson’s, though they are still a departure for both artists. Although he is also skilled with simple linework, many of Kascht’s caricatures employ a softer, more blended style. According to the publisher, Watterson and Kascht worked unusually closely together on the illustrations for The Mysteries for several years, creating images together that neither illustrator fully anticipated before their collaboration began. Those images have an appearance similar to charcoal sketches, with deep shadows creating a brooding atmosphere, highlighted by pale, stylized faces emerging from the gloom.

A Maturing Audience

After an absence of nearly 30 years, no one was sure what to expect from Bill Watterson when he emerged from his self-imposed retirement. Over the years, Watterson has created a few works including some illustrations for charity auctions, a graphic for a documentary, a poster for a festival, and a few guest strips for the comic strip Pearls Before Swine (which were also auctioned for charity). According to those who know him personally, Watterson had been pursuing his artistic passions while living a normal life, including painting landscapes inspired by his surroundings, but those paintings were never released to the public.

Thanks to the popularity and quality of Calvin and Hobbes, Watterson has an enormous fan base, even 28 years after the end of the comic strip. For many readers, Calvin and Hobbes is a part of their formative memories, growing up alongside the rambunctious child Calvin and his more level-headed companion, the tiger Hobbes. Calvin and Hobbes included countless life lessons, which taught readers how to cope with life events, both good and bad, that no doubt guided readers through their own lives and experiences. Many fans passed their love of the comic on to their own children years later.

The vastly different style of The Mysteries displays a recognition of the changing demographic of Watterson’s audience. Readers who grew up with Calvin and Hobbes are now adults, or even elderly. Characterizing The Mysteries as a “fable for grown-ups” reflects that maturing audience. Although picture books are traditionally the realm of children, The Mysteries appears to be a more mature story, with dark, perhaps even disturbing illustrations and morals that are targeted at an older crowd. This change in style likely reflects Watterson’s own development as an artist and his embrace of a more mature style within his own work.

It has been nearly three decades since the last new books by Bill Watterson were published, and fans of his work have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the skilled illustrator and author’s life. Finally, that wait is over, as Watterson’s new work, The Mysteries, hits the shelves. Although the style of the new book may differ vastly from Calvin and Hobbes, The Mysteries still promises to continue Watterson’s tradition of teaching valuable lessons through his stories.

The dark, brooding graphics that have been released from The Mysteries promise an intriguing story for adults. There's no doubt the tale will resonate with Watterson’s original readers, who are now far older than they were when his comics were initially released. Watterson’s collaboration with the talented illustrator John Kascht also promises to give readers a taste of a new illustration style formed from the unique styles of both artists working in collaboration. The Mysteries is poised to become the next classic from these skilled creators, and an intriguing read for any fans of their work.