Bill Watterson : Journey with Calvin and Hobbes

Like most people, Bill Watterson did not have instant success with his passion for cartooning. Instead, it was something he did in his spare time whilst working in an advertising job to pay the bills.
Many strip ideas were considered by Watterson and submitted to various syndicates. After several rejections, he did receive some positive feedback around one strip that featured a side character called 'Marvin' (the little brother of the main character) who had a stuffed tiger. Encouraged by the feedback, Watterson reworked his idea for the strip to focus on these characters.
The first strip was published on November 18, 1985. Whilst it had taken a while for Watterson to get published, within a year of syndication, Calvin and Hobbes was being published in around 250 newspapers and in wide circulation around the world. In this sense, Calvin and Hobbes was an 'instant' success.
Accolades for Watterson soon flowed in. Watterson twice received the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society (1986 and 1988, and nominated in 1992). In 1988 the Society awarded him the Humor Comic Strip Award. Watterson was also featured in the Los Angeles Times, one of the major newspapers in the USA, in 1987.

Sadly, after a decade of strips, Watterson decided to call it quits. He sent a letter in 1995 to all editors whose newspapers carried his strip:
I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue.
That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I'll long be proud of, and I've greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.
The 3,160th and final strip, "It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy!", ran on Sunday, December 31, 1995. It depicted Calvin and Hobbes outside in freshly-fallen snow, reveling in the wonder and excitement of the winter scene. The last panel shows Calvin and Hobbes zooming off on their sled as Calvin exclaims. "Let's go exploring!". It was a beautiful and fitting way to end one of the greatest comic strips that have ever been drawn.