The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes is an omnibus treasury that is composed of material previously released in The Revenge of the Baby-Sat and Scientific Progress Goes Boink. As a result, this treasury isn't actually indispensable at all - which is part of the joke. The fact that Watterson would go to the lengths of making sure that even the titles of his treasuries contribute some humor is, to me, illustrative of the care that Watterson takes in crafting his comic. And that care shows up in the consistent high quality of the resulting output.

Almost everyone should be familiar with Calvin, a precocious, imaginative, unruly six or seven year old boy and his stuffed tiger Hobbes. Hobbes comes to life when Calvin is alone with him, and is Calvin's best friend. Although the strip is somewhat ambiguous on the point, Hobbes's lively activities are almost certainly a product of Calvin's imagination, which makes the fact that Hobbes appears to be a good deal smarter and more mature than Calvin that much funnier.

The book contains several funny mini-storylines - three encounters with Calvin's dreaded babysitter Rosalyn, including his stealing her science notes and locking her out of the house; Calvin's attempt to complete bug collection while waiting for the bus, and later attempt to write a report on bat (Bats = Bugs!); Calvin's disastrous experiments with his Duplicator (it turns out, multiple Calvin's are nothing but trouble for the original), and his Time Machine (dinosaurs think tigers might make a tasty snack); Calvin's interminable wait for his propeller beanie which turns out to be a huge disappointment; and Calvin, under peer pressure, signing up to play baseball. All are funny, and all capture what life as an overactive little boy is like, retaining an honesty amidst the humor.

But where Calvin and Hobbes shines is always the single strips, in which Calvin waxes philosophical, or lets his imagination run wild (the Spaceman Spiff interludes and imaginative dinosaur strips are among my favorites. I love Calvin's demented snowman sculptures too). Among the best are those with little or no dialogue - Calvin using an umbrella to make an impromptu pool, hosing his mother down as she leaves the house, and my favorite, convincing his dad to go play with him in the snow - all told just in pictures.

I also think Watterson is an underrated poet - the book leads off with several pages with a single picture and a brief poem - either humorous, or touching, or both. The strips in which Calvin improvises poetry (usually over the sleeping Hobbes) are also among the best, such as Calvin's alliterative haiku:

"Twitching tufted tail,
A toasty, tawny tummy:
A tired tiger."

While The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes may not technically be indispensable, it is certainly pretty close in my estimation. As with most Calvin and Hobbes material, this one gets my strong recommendation. ( )

hi dj

The guy's a genius!! ( )

There are two comics that will guide you through life - Doonesbury and Calvin & Hobbes. And while you can get them all on the web now, it is great to leaf through a book of them and laugh out loud ( )