Original artwork from the legendary Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strips is notoriously hard to find, yet Heritage Auctions is offering a hand-coloured Sunday comic strip in its November 15-17 auction.

Calvin and Hobbes collectors shouldn't wait for the next piece to come along

Bill Watterson, creator of the comic strip, is renowned for holding onto his original artworks, which has triggered a huge demand for such works among collectors. The example at auction is unique and the only original Calvin and Hobbes comic strip to be offered this century.

However, an original calendar cover from 1986 was sold in Heritage Auctions' February sale for $107,550.

Also from 1986, the work at auction has been hand-coloured by Watterson himself and was presented as a gift to fellow cartoonist Brian Basset, creator of Adam@Home and Red and Rover. It is inscribed: "To Brian & Linda, who know about slugs, with best wishes - Bill Watterson".

The strip sees Calvin jumping into a pile of leaves before his imaginary friend Hobbes warns him of the risk of slugs crawling up his trouser leg. Featuring a great reference to the B-movie classic The Blob in the final panel, it will sell with a $125,000+ valuation.

Also among the auction's expected top lots is a rare piece of original The Flash artwork, which was drawn by Carmine Infantino, the future editorial director at DC Comics.  

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a superb range of comic art currently available. Our collection features a number of signed works from Charles Schulz' Peanuts - the most popular and influential syndicated daily comic strip in history.