There are few comic strips in history as beloved as Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes. For boys and girls of a certain age, it rivaled (even surpassed) the legendary Peanutsas the defining newspaper strip of our childhoods. Finally, this November, there is a documentary coming which traces the incredible influence that this strip had on an entire generation of, not just children, but other creators.
Dear Mr. Watterson: An Exploration of Calvin and Hobbes, an exploration of the profound joy and imagination of Calvin & Hobbes (and, perhaps, a meditation on the creator's reclusive nature), has been doing the festival circuit and doesn't hit a wider release until November 14th, but there's a charming trailer you can enjoy right now. Focusing on interviews with fans and other comic creators, Dear Mr. Watterson looks like less an exploration and more a celebration of "the best comic strip in the history of the universe."
For fans of Calvin & Hobbes, even the mention of the characters in another medium, despite it being a documentary, is a little jarring. Bill Watterson famously refused to engage in any licensing or merchandising of his characters, which prevented any stuffed animals, t-shirts, animated programs, or (shudder) live-action movies from ever coming to fruition. While not published since 1995, the strip lives forever in collected form, and in the unlikely event you've never experienced it, you really should just go ahead and buy the complete collection.
For more information, check out their official website!