The Mysteries

This is a very short read - 400 words, at most - seemingly a very nihilistic tale about the folly of man and his rise out of ignorance, into arrogance. At first glance is seems very superficial but the longer I dwell on it, the more layers of commentary surface, and none of it very positive (and all in so few words). Where Calvin & Hobbes was a beautiful juxtaposition between wonder and innocence on one hand, and cynicism and misanthropy on the other, The Mysteries is purely the latter. The artwork is wonderful with a bleak, dark dystopian atmosphere - it reminds me of grainy, black & white stop-motion animation set to music in an eerie minor key. I can't shake the idea that this was written as an admission of the authors losing hope for mankind, while at the same time, being at peace with that. If the goal of art is to move the viewer, then this has succeeded; leaving me with a deep melancholy and feelings of insignificance.

This little book soothed my soul like a very much needed salve against the harshness of the modern age. We may live in a world where we believe we have captured all the wonder, all the mystery - but still the mysteries survive beyond the artifice of progress, beyond both the physical and metaphorical walls we have built around ourselves.Calvin and Hobbes captured many complexities very well; wonder, nature, philosophy. "The Mysteries" continues these themes, albeit in a slightly more opaque, "mysterious" way. This is not a riddle, but a kindness - an invitation to recall that the mysteries themselves are still alive and well. It is an invitation to return to a child-like wonder - if only we can surrender to the mysteries somewhat fearlessly, connecting with something deeper in ourselves that awaits our rediscovery.The artwork by Watterson and Kascht is gorgeous. I love the expressions of the carefully sculpted characters, and Watterson's style in the architecture and backgrounds is instantly recognisable. I laughed out loud at the newspapers with the word "BORING!" plastered upon their covers. It's that kind of subtle, yet defiant and illuminated humour I've missed since Calvin & Hobbes ceased it's run decades back.I am so grateful this book exists. It came into my life at just the right time. The "modern" world, in an incessant and frankly lemming-like march towards the precipice of techo-progression sometimes feels void and foreign these days. We seem to be inventing a future that nobody wants, yet doing it anyway. Watterson kindly and gently reminds us otherwise, and he does it with wit, wisdom, and insight.

Understand, this is a modern fable for adults. I'm not really sure what to make of it, it's either a very deep and revealing meditation on the nature of humanity or it's a paper thin story with virtually no plot and an ambiguous ending. I'll have to read it again, which won't take long.It's short, almost comically short, which leaves the artwork. It's sensitive and dark, it moves from medieval to modern, it's simple and yet beautiful, sort of. It's not stunning, it's not accessible, it's complex and layered, I think.Maybe it's meant to remind us how insignificant we are in the scheme of things.What it's not, absolutely not, is anything like Calvin and Hobbes.I've waited 25 years for this. I feel slightly underwhelmed and yet... It has something quite special.

The media could not be loaded. You just have to believe it is something special...to make it special.As Calvin says, "the stupidest thing one could do is become an adult". Guess this one is not those are still young are heart.The book is a straight forward simple 'fable for adults'. Like a short story you might like to read once in a while. Artwork is farthest from Calvin and Hobbes as can be. No bright colours or flashy strokes, it's more 'mature' for my taste.If you're like me who bought the book because it's from Bill Watterson, there's no point in complaining.

Nice art work but the “story” itself seemed like it was cobbled together in a single morning while making the coffee.

It's nearly 30 years since a certain young boy and his tiger last graced the page. To be sure. you'll find no trace or clue of that here, but this collection is just as remarkable but in very different ways.Set in the bleak greyness of a dark, medieval fairy tale, the authors tell the allegorical tale of a Kingdom living in fear of its own ignorance, despatching several presumably brave knights to track down and solve these mysteries.There are some sumptuous illustrations here, with angular and darkly gothic characterisations to represent the literal Dark Ages, along with a hugely corpulent king, complete with a hilarious and beautifully drawn crown.The story makes some sharp turns along the way, and as with most allegories the enjoyment is in the journey rather than the destination. Most startling is the complete absence of colour, which is understandable in parts but surprising in others. An unremitting grey prevails instead.I definitely enjoyed this hope there will be more to come.

A lot of people will buy this because it’s co produced by Bill Watterson of Calvin & Hobbes fame. It’s absolutely terrible, do not buy it. Takes <5mins to read, the art is poor, the story is cliched. Strange that Watterson was so against any merchandise for his most famous product. Must be short on money for a guy of such artistic integrity to sell this dung.

I first heard of this book when a video by the authors come onto my YouTube feed. I was intrigued by the creative prosses the authors took to bring this slim book into being, so I got the book just to see what the result was. What I got was a kind of modern-time fairy tale, with strangely haunting artwork. I don't think this is for children. It is somehow a bit dark and, as the name suggests, mysterious, but non the less a delight.Don't expect anything like Calvin and Hobbs. This is a completely different kettle of fish.

Not your usual style from Waterson. But different.

Fantastic illustrations and an intriguing philosophical story.

Of course it’s not Calvin and Hobbes, that has already been done over 30 years ago. This is “The Mysteries”. Waterson’s and Kascht‘s collaboration has resulted in a wholly unique art form. To truly appreciate this monumental achievement, do yourself a favor and watch “Collaborating on The Mysteries – Bill Waterson and John Kascht” on YouTube.Is this book brief as in the number of pages? Yes, but not brief in content. Can one read this book in 10 minutes? Yes, but it was surely not the author’s intent for this to be a quick read. Instead, contemplate each page and get lost in the artwork for some time. I also recommend several helpings!The artwork is a departure from what each artist is famous for which is obviously Waterson’s comic strip, and John Kascht is known for his watercolor caricature paintings. Kascht’s contributions are not paintings, they are actually clay and mixed media sculptures that have been photographed! And they are spectacular.Waterson’s writing style here reflects his sparse visual offerings as the viewer and reader must use their own imagination to fill in the gaps. This leaves the story open to many possible interpretations.

...something completely different.Is it what I expected it to be, when I preordered it at the first announcement? No, absolutely not.Is it short? Text- and pagewise: Yes.But the impressions this book might leave in your mind are deep and last long.Going through it is like having a strange dream.I don't know, how often I read this book now, but it still gives me the same feelings I had at the first time.For me, it's an absolutely awesome piece of art.A big "Thank you!" from the bottom of my heart to Bill Watterson and John Kascht!

Beautifully succinct. Perfectly weird. Amazingly detailed… and wonderfully mysterious.Knowing now, what went into this absolute masterpiece, I am so, so very proud to wield The Mysteries, by Bill and John; a whole year of collaborative push and pull, only to say, “NO - We can do better.”The binding is exquisite. The weight and level of page gloss is right on. The type face/font is aptly chosen and placed, apropos of the minimal quantity of dialogue - which, I thought was also excellent.The story… yes. Exactly what it needed to be… that’s the beautifully succinct and perfectly weird. I loved it.The artwork… my God, the artwork.. The amazingly detailed.Just… every page. Every page was true mastery. I found myself shivering and shaking my head, smiling; “How did they DO this?”As an artist, myself, having grown up, thriving and literally surviving grade school and high school from one week to the next on Bill’s colorful and flawless art, and wacky, lovingly hilarious and engaging stories … and making it through and enduring adult life, marveling at the befittingly detailed and unbelievably accurate and chaotically ironic portrait work of cultural icons defining today by John - I’ve gotta say… a more perfect artistic collaborative effort, you would be hard pressed to find.My wife purchased this book for me through her account, which is why I’m the one leaving the review… I waited a few days to let it sink in… and read and perused The Mysteries no less then ten times before writing this…But this review isn’t for readers, or even for those looking for some guidance or reassurance as to whether or not to purchase this book…This is an open letter to the authors, Bill Watterson and John Kascht…Thank you.Thank you so much. This was exactly what I was looking for. I knew this book was coming out, and so, I read no reviews previous to the purchase or even before asking my Honey Bunny to buy it for me, and abandoned all preconceived notions or assumptions as to what The Mysteries was going to be like.And yet…It was exactly what I needed, and precisely what I knew it was going to be - beautifully succinct, perfectly weird, and amazingly detailed.Thank you.- Mike Leporati