Bill Watterson (1)Reviews

I love Calvin & Hobbes.
I read most of the strips in Portuguese and then I found this edition with all the strips and couldn't resist.
So I'm slowly rereading it.

This was a weird little book… I knew better than to expect the frivolity of Watterson’s magnum opus Calvin and Hobbes, but what exactly this was I’m still not too sure. In some ways it mimics the style of a medieval Passion Play, using roughly shaped puppets to illustrate a simple allegorical tale of humanity’s fear, discovery, and then fall, but that is almost too easy an interpretation. The visual palette is starkly monochromatic, heightening the tension as humanity explores the Mysteries (an undisclosed group of beings or ideas) and embarks on a primal quest to unravel what exactly they are. While I quite enjoyed this thematic premise and was intrigued by the dramatic style the story set off in, as humanity became more modernized I also became less enthralled with the narrative. Once humanity knows everything, it’s only a matter of time before they lose all sense of whimsy and hope of novelty, so the story became far less enjoyable as I could clearly see they were only headed for an unhappy ending. At least by the finale the universe is left unblemished, with little but a dust-mote memory of the folly of humanity, and we can be left to wonder at what comes next. After all, the next great Mystery could be right around the edge of the galaxy, if we’d only bother to wonder.½

This would be a good book for grades 5 and up. It follows the stories of Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes and contains advanced humor and philosophical topics. Kids won't understand all of the content, but it would be good for them to learn how to read more complex dialogue and funny jokes, along with beautiful illustrations.

This would be a good book for grades 5 and up. It follows the stories of Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes and contains advanced humor and philosophical topics. Kids won't understand all of the content, but it would be good for them to learn how to read more complex dialogue and funny jokes, along with beautiful illustrations.

This would be a good book for grades 5 and up. It follows the stories of Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes and contains advanced humor and philosophical topics. Kids won't understand all of the content, but it would be good for them to learn how to read more complex dialogue and funny jokes, along with beautiful illustrations.

This would be a good book for grades 5 and up. It follows the stories of Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes and contains advanced humor and philosophical topics. Kids won't understand all of the content, but it would be good for them to learn how to read more complex dialogue and funny jokes, along with beautiful illustrations.

This would be a good book for grades 5 and up. It follows the stories of Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes and contains advanced humor and philosophical topics. Kids won't understand all of the content, but it would be good for them to learn how to read more complex dialogue and funny jokes, along with beautiful illustrations.

Well, that's a wrap on the Calvin and Hobbes reread. This was a very fun little project, especially as I didn't remember some of these strips from the last collection at all. Here's my hot take: Watterson was right to quit when he did. I remember the deep sadness and sense of being bereft when the strip ended, but I think he was done, that he'd done what there was to do with the material. I mentioned about one of the other later collections that it was starting to feel like we knew all the jokes. I think that Calvin and Hobbes is held so highly now is absolutely because it was a truly amazing and groundbreaking strip, but also because he stopped before it got entirely old hat.

A small collection of the best of Calvin and Hobbes. It never fails to initiate a smile.

Opens with a lot of short essays. "Hobbes is more about the subjective nature of reality than about dolls coming to life." Goes on w/ lots of commentary, which kinda spoiled it for me. Watterson is a little too full of himself if you ask me... I don't think his fans made him famous for the high-falutin' reasons he tells himself. I think the strips are brilliant, but the readers are fully entitled to appreciate them at will... even if they favorite ones that Bill said weren't his best or were produced under pressure or whatever.

What I'm saying is, if you have access to several of the others, skip this one. Unless you do actally want all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

Some of the jokes are wearing a little thin at this point, occasionally feeling like "yes, Bill, you've done that one." The total cynicism and distain for TV continues to be quite annoying to me, as well, and I think sometimes those strips don't land because Calvin so clearly has a strong imagination and does so many, many things beyond watch TV. But for the most part these strips remain absolutely stupendous, often making me laugh out loud and just generally feeling good. Hobbes is a treasure, and I'm getting a little sad that I only have two collections left to reread. I'm into material now that I did not read over and over as a kid, so some of the strips feel just about completely new to me, and that's a delight.½

An excellent selection of Calvin and Hobbes strips, how I miss them.

This is a collection of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. It contains Yukon Ho! and Weirdos from Another Planet as an omnibus edition, but also a story that has not been in print before. Bill Watterson won the 1986 Reuben Award as Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

After all these books, it has finally happened! Susie has entered Calvin’s house. And boy, does he go mad! This was such a hilarious story to read!

As this book contains the final set of comic strips Bill Watterson created before his retirement, I found my heart growing heavier as I neared the end. But what a fitting finale this book has been! Every single beloved character makes a memorable last appearance. I was the happiest to see Rosalyn return, and to see her final adventure with Calvin ending on mutually satisfying terms.

I’ll miss this gang! But as the final panels of the book say, it’s a new day full of possibilities; let’s go exploring!

Mr. Watterson, thank you for Calvin & Hobbes!




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This book is one of the top three books in the Calvin & Hobbes series, if not the best. Almost every strip was worth its weight in gold. This one seems to have more strips related to Calvin's antics in school. Poor, poor Ms. Wormwood!
To read this book after going behind the scenes with The Tenth Anniversary book is such a different experience. I can feel Watterson’s thoughts behind every strip differently now.

You've read Calvin and Hobbes, possibly even loved the comic strip. But have you ever thought about how each strip came into being? I remember seeing a short-lived show long back named "Caroline in the City", where the lead character was a cartoonist. All I knew about the process was what I had seen in the show. Don't most of us simplistically assume that a comic strip involves three steps: think, draw and colour? But with this book, Bill Watterson reveals the intricacies of each of these processes and takes us behind the "Calvin and Hobbes" scenes.

The book can be roughly divided into two types of content, though Watterson hasn't structured it that way. About a fifth of it is dedicated to the technicalities around a strip: what chance would a comic strip have in a world where even newspapers aren't sure of a future, the change in comic strips over time, how Sunday comics needs to fit into the predefined fixed story panels, licensing, merchandise (which Watterson is famously and resolutely against!), the travails of thinking up ideas for a daily strip well before submission deadlines, ... This content gives a fascinating insight into how much actually goes into the making of a comic strip and then ensuring its success.

The rest of the book focuses on the characters and how/why each of them came into being. (Did you know that Calvin gets his name from a sixteenth century theologian and Hobbes gets his from a seventeenth century philosopher?) His revelations about Calvin and Hobbes are so heartfelt. He even answers the question that many of us have asked : "What is Hobbes' reality exactly?" Watterson's answer is, "Hobbes is more about the subjective nature of reality than about dolls coming to life." With respect to Calvin, he declares, "I wouldn't want Calvin in my house, but on paper, he helps me sort through my life and understand it."

The book also includes many of Watterson's favourite strips along with some background about why he chose to include them here. As this is the special tenth anniversary edition, there are no new comics in this book, unlike the special Collector's editions released prior to this. If you have read the first few Calvin and Hobbes books, you will find these comic strips familiar. Then again, it's Calvin and Hobbes. Who said rereads are boring?

No Rosalyn for the second book in a row. But her absence is more than made up for by smart and sassy Susie! God, how I love that little girl!

Calvin, the “Boy of Destiny”, makes a return to mayhem with this action packed volume. Featuring most of the usual suspects such as Ms. Wormwood, Susie, Stupendous Man in addition to the fab trio of Hobbes, and Calvin’s Mom and Dad. I missed Rosalyn in this one. A Calvin book feels incomplete without his troubling his babysitter.

Calvin is back with a bang in this one! Almost every strip in this book is hilarious. The perfect read when you want an escape from reality.


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This was a good collection but compared to the excellent books so far in the series, this one felt quite repetitive with similar gags making a reappearance. I did love the title story though. And the one with Rosalyn the babysitter. It's still Calvin and Hobbes, so I can't go below four stars. It's impossible.

Back with a bang to Calvin! Though not as enjoyable as the first three books, this is still a worthwhile read. Calvin is as crazy as ever. And the highlight story, that of his journey to Mars, really stands out in its hilarity.

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Unlike what the title suggests, Rosalyn's story is just for a few panels. But no worries at all. Because the rest of the book is filled with awesome moments with Calvin's mom and dad. This one is the best Calvin book so far.

When you are in a reading slump, nothing can rescue you as easily as Calvin can... Looking forward to book 3 of this series! Calvin is always super-duper fun!

Yup, a hat trick of 5 stars! What else can be expected from Calvin!
This book was especially fun as Calvin reveals his vulnerabilities in many of the panels. His Dad also shows his true impish colours in a few comics. But as always, I pity Calvin's mom the most. Yeah, I know, I'm biased...

How can this be anything other than 5 stars! This is the first book in the Calvin series, and this is where we meet Calvin, his parents, Hobbes, Suzie and the babysitter for the very first time. A laugh riot from the first page to the last!




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