Named for Protestant Reformer !!

Calvin and Hobbes, named for Protestant reformer John Calvin and philosopher Thomas Hobbes, debuted in 1985, while Watterson was still

living in tiny Hudson, Ohio, where he was free to roam the streets anonymously. And though C&H was based on the high jinks of a devilish

6-year old, Watterson readily conceded that he had no special knowledge of children. He and his wife have none.

"Basically Calvin does what I'd like him to do, and a little of what I remember doing-or wish I could do-when I was a kid," Watterson told the

Philadelphia Inquirer in 1987.

Over the years, Watterson has grown more reclusive. He won't allow Universal Press Syndicate to release a photo of him. And he has never

joined the National Cartoonist Society. Twice, when the group selected him for its top award, the Reuben, he declined to show up.

Nonetheless, among cartoonists Watterson is highly respected for his strip, his talent and his chutzpah. Several years ago, when newspapers

began shrinking the space they allot to each comic, Watterson issued an ultimatum: run Calvin and Hobbes big or don't run it at all.

Outraged, a few papers dropped the strip, but the rest yielded to his demand.

Also, Watterson has stood virtually alone in refusing to license his characters. He explains why in a preamble in his latest collection of strips,

The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book.

Licensing, he writes, turns the cartoonist into a "factory foreman, delegating responsibilities and overseeing the production of things he does

not create. Some cartoonists don't mind this, but I went into cartooning to draw cartoons, not to run a corporate empire."

"I take great pride in the fact that I write every word, draw every line, color every Sunday strip, and paint every book illustration myself. My

strip is a low-tech, one-man operation, and I like it that way."