Calvin and Hobbes Creator Releasing a Dark and Adult Graphic Novel

Bill Watterson, the creator of the beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, is releasing a dark and adult graphic novel later this year.

Published by Simon & Schuster, The Mysteries is a new 72-page book by Watterson and renowned caricaturist John Kascht. The two artists have been working in close collaboration on the project for several years, and it’s now finally ready to hit shelves on October 10.

The illustrated story is described as “a fable for grown-ups” that explores “what lies beyond human understanding.” The mature and mysterious tale centers around a “long-ago kingdom” that is “afflicted with unexplainable calamities.”

“Hoping to end the torment, the king dispatches his knights to discover the source of the mysterious events,” reads the publisher’s description of the book. “Years later, a single battered knight returns.”

This will be Watterson’s first major work since Calvin and Hobbes concluded in 1995, which is the same year that the cartoonist announced his retirement. In a statement at the time, Watterson said he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium.

Simple in its penmanship but deep in its wisdom, the comic strip followed the humorous antics of an adventurous six-year-old boy and his sardonic stuffed tiger. All told, Calvin and Hobbes appeared in over 2,400 newspapers during its 10-year run.

Kascht is a famed caricaturist, whose satirical drawings have appeared on book covers, billboards, and in several major publications, including The New York Times and MAD Magazine. Some of his work is also featured in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.