Calvin and Hobbes

[brettdale]

http://mediasportandotherrantings.blogspot.com

How can one not be moved by the great Calvin and Hobbes. As a child, I was into the American Archie comic series, then I moved on to mad and cracked magazine, and that was it for my comic book tastes, until at 19, I was given a book titled Calvin and Hobbes.

The genius of Bill Watterson can never be matched, he captures the innocence of childhood perfectly, for ten years he did the strip, never selling out, never putting out cheap merchandise, never going in with a deal at McDonald's, he even said no to Stephen Spielburg when the acclaim producer/director wanted to make a movie.

What made it so good?, well the strip appeals to kids and Adult alike, the way Calvin thinks, how he always sees the world the ways he wants it to be, how he uses Adult thinking, to twist every situation towards his favour, a kid who is so full of energy and despite all the mischief he gets into, he has a large IQ.

Then there is Hobbes, his Loyal sidekick, adults see him as a stuffed toy Tiger, while Calvin sees him as real. The way he is written, the reader is left into two minds, he seems to be what Calvin would be grown up, he also talks to the reader, but if someone else appears in the strip, beside Calvin, hes back to being a stuffed toy.

Both Calvin and Hobbes are Philosophers, and as noted in some Wiki pages, the strip is really about the Human condition.

A lot of comedy, makes you laugh and think, with Calvin and Hobbes, I think it's the other way around, you can enjoy each strip on so many levels.

The big question though still remains...

[Dr.Phool]

1. I loved that strip!!!!!

The question that remains is, will it ever return?

[tularetom]

2. Unfortunately a whole generation only knows Calvin

as the kid on the decal peeing on a Chevy logo in the rear windows of Fords (and vice versa).

My granddaughter's boyfriend had one of them decals in his car and when I asked him if he liked Calvin he didn't know WTF I was talking about.

[YankeyMCC]

3. My 11 year old son

discovered my C&H collections and gobbled them up, he loves the strip. Makes me proud :)

[brettdale]

4. Thats cool

No matter what age people are, everybody can related to it.

[pscot]

7. I gave one to my granddaughter when she was nine

She was hooked immediately. Very few things can make you laugh so hard you cry.

[1984 and a Half]

5. Anecdote

What's funny, when I was three or four, I found a ''Calvin and Hobbes'' book, ''Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons.'' It looked interesting, I picked it up, opened it up to the FORWARD... and put it back because THERE WEREN'T ANY PICTURES. I was corrected when I was five.

[meeshrox]

6. LOVE the strip!

One year, I used the snowmen strips on my Christmas cards...those are my favorite!

Perhaps that just supports a childhood fantasy about snow...grew up (still here) in Florida. One of these days, when I escape Florida for a white Christmas, I'll have an army of mini-snowmen in my yard!