Calvin and Hobbes
This is the first collection of the popular comic strip that features Calvin, a rambunctious 6-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes charmingly to life.
Stats for nerds
19recommend
40mentions
37people
2008–2026years
50% recommend50% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Have to say, I've always admired Watterson's determination to keep Calvin and Hobbes a comic strip and not compromise on its vision for money/fame. As the article itself points out, it would have been very easy for it to become the next Peanuts or Garfield, and most artists probably would have taken that route the minute it became available. Heck, given the obsession with side hustles and grifting and get rich quick schemes, I don't think I could see any present day comic creator (or creator in general) making that sort of decision.
But yeah, it's admirable. Especially given how the average comic strip runs for decades on end with less and less humour or charm until its eventual cancelation.
- I grew up on Calvin and Hobbes and reread the comics every 5-10 years or so.
It is sad that Watterson no longer makes these comics, but I've scratched my itch by reading "Phoebe and her Unicorn". You can read it free online I think, but my daughter and I read the paperbacks. It's not quite the same (the unicorn is real), but shares a lot in common. I just thought I'd add this for any fellow Calvin and Hobbes fans on here.
- Tons, but there are notable standouts.
- The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adam - Spent all of senior year in HS reading the entire series
- Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut - Maybe it was because I mentally compared Harrison to Crow Sting from professional wrestling or because it was a short story, but I always think about this story
- Have a Nice Day! by Mick Foley - Pro wrestling is my guilty pleasure and like many fans, Foley's life resonated with me about friendship, giving 110%, all the while keeping a positive outlook on life
- Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson - A comic is a book with pictures. Out of all the comics about superheros, webcomics, and old newspaper comics, if I had to only read one of them for the rest of my life it'd be C&H
- Honorable Mention is Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I'm started reading them during COVID, but I'm thoroughly enjoying that dry English sense of humor, modern society cynism, and fantasy setting. I'm currently on my tenth book (out of ~40)
- I'm not sure how many times I've read this before - at least twice, I think. Much like Calvin and Hobbes, it never gets old.
I'm too young to remember Calvin and Hobbes as a new comic. But, my parents had a complete anthology and I must have read the entire thing half a dozen times, cover to cover. I think Calvin and Hobbes informed the way I try to look at life. Embrace spontaneity and use your imagination. It's easy to forget that stuff.
- Calvin and Hobbes was a source of happiness during a mostly miserable adolescence. My world is better for Bill Watterson having been in it, even if he'll never know that himself.
- For those who want to learn more about Watterson, I read “Chasing Calvin and Hobbes” a few years ago and recently re-read it, really enjoying it both times. It’s a more in-depth view of the strip and Watterson as a person.
