Despite the fact that it's been 15 years since the last new Calvin and Hobbes strip, the work of cartoonist Bill Watterson seems to constantly at the forefront of the comics blogosphere these days. ComicsAlliance has published numerous Watterson-related stories in the last several months, and we add to them now with this post on some of the Calvin and Hobbes creator's early editorial cartoons. Specifically, cartoons about Mark Twain.



According to The Pictorial Arts blog, Watterson lasted only six months as an editorial cartoonist for The Cincinnati Post, where he illustrated a number of pieces based on the writings of Mark Twain. The material was spotlighted by The Daily Cartoonist and followed up with additional pieces provided by Nevin Martel, author of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip.

The first of the strips below features an early version of Calvin before his mop-top was replaced with the iconic spiky 'do.





