Calvin and Hobbes

By Ava Fineza

One of my greatest failures was during the last book club meeting of the year in 3rd grade or something, where we got to pick out a book and keep it. I had my eye on a Calvin and Hobbes collection, and while in the line I was so excited about it that when it came time for me to choose, I freaked out and somehow chose the wrong book, some chapter book about sandy glasses or whatever. Not only that - it was the second book in the series, and I didn’t think the girl who inevitably got the Calvin and Hobbes would want to trade. I berated myself for my mistake because I knew I wouldn’t just be able to buy it - my mom didn’t want to buy us yet another book from Costco just to have us finish it in two days or less.

But today, I stand before you as a rising adult, who’s able to buy their books with their own money. For reasons like these I am grateful to grow up, and I remember always wanting so badly to be an adult so that I could be taken seriously, so that I could make money and provide for myself, and so that I could do adult things like tip waiters (which I actually failed at the first time I tried) or get stuck in traffic. Pretty mundane things, but I was excited for them. Today, I am floating somewhere in between a child and an adult, and there are moments when I am pulled towards the nostalgia of my past and excitement for my future. It is in times like these where Calvin and Hobbes speaks to me especially, and its versatility in reach is one of the reasons why I love this amazing comic so much. The topics in Calvin and Hobbes are sometimes silly, sometimes serious, and whenever I reread the strips I can find moments that hit me that didn’t before and parts that I don’t grasp now that I might in the future.

Another winning aspect of the comic is the writing. Calvin, this six-year-old kid, uses extensive vocabulary and discusses topics I definitely didn’t understand in 3rd grade, but somehow comes off as even more of a kid to me. His mind is vibrant and full of curiosity, which we can see as he travels off-planet as Spaceman Spiff or creates another transmogrifier, and so his adult-y talk only adds to the hilarity of the situation. One of my favorite strips deals with a word I’m sure six y/o’s haven’t even heard before - neo-cubism (though, to be honest, I have no clue what that is either):

It’s hilarious and genius to make such a smart child respond to the most childish things, and the way Bill Watterson crafts Calvin is perfect *blows kiss.* Not only that - the bond created Calvin and his striped friend is unbreakable, and the calmer, more somber moments in the strip produce some of the rawest scenes between them. This one, where Calvin finds an injured raccoon and is not able to save it from death, is both beautiful and depressing:

only a portion of the story, but this strip is the most poignant imo

And another, which isn’t sad but very wholesome makes me tear up a bit (exaggeration, sorry I’m a robot) at their love for one another:

I shouldn’t just make this a collection of my favorite strips or else it would get really long really fast, but you can see how wonderful their chemistry is, even from only a few panels. The side characters - the frenemy, the parents, the dreaded babysitter, the vile teacher each join the world of Calvin and Hobbes with ease, and again, the chemistry is already there. 

So yeah, Calvin and Hobbes is the best. The strip is relatable to all ages (though older audiences may connect at a deeper level), the tone fluctuates to provide the perfect strip for any mood, and the creativity in the way the panels are built is truly a wonder to behold. All of our daydreams and adventures we had (or maybe, are having) as kids are brought to life in this amazing cartoon, and I am ever grateful to Bill Watterson for bringing Calvin and Hobbes into our lives. Thank you.

ok ok, just one more.