The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes

this is nearly perfect. watterson really gets parenting, childhood, friendship, and even touches on philosophical issues as well. i probably shared an equal number of comics with my son as i did with my wife. the drawings are amazing, and convey everything we need to know; i love their expressions so much. there are a few things that don't quite hold up in today's world, but these comics are over 30 years old and i don't fault him for that.

this was pure joy to read.

This compendium collects two of the Calvin and Hobbes books, but even though we have already seen these mini stories before it is good to get a regular reminder about childlike living from the wise (yet strange) minds of this small boy and his pet tiger. Considering that the cover showed a glorious scene of the pair sledding down one of their favourite inclines, I assumed that this collection would have a lot of seasonal winter content; and yet I feel like the majority of the stories took place in summer! Watterson does cover all four seasons (mud in spring, crisp leaves in Autumn, mutant snowmen in winter, and the long days of summer), but the stories which stuck out in the collection were definitely of the summer variety. WE see show more Calvin run away to the Yukon (the main storyarc in Yukon, Ho!), suffer a rain-filled camping trip, and wax eloquent about how great it is to have nothing to do all summer - and to lament that Sundays in August are terrible because they remind him that school will be starting again soon. Overall this was another fun-filled set of adventures! show less

This thicker volume of comic strips contains all the material from previously published collections Yukon Ho! and Weirdos from Another Planet, the small print on the cover tells me. What it doesn't mention is that it also seems to have all the color strips from Lazy Sunday Book, which I just read. I know because I instantly recognized them all and my eyes started just instantly skipping over the sunday panels in here.

Nevertheless, it was an awesome read. I enjoyed every moment- the chuckles, the dipping into philosophy and introspective thoughts on social norms- seen from a six-year-old's viewpoint of course- the few touching moments. The struggles of parenting such a wild kid is more obvious to me, reading this as an adult. I really show more like the tiger's character. I noticed this collection had a few elements missing from the earlier, simpler strips- which seemed to be all about conflicts and curiosities Calvin would encounter at home, at school, on walks in the woods. Here we have a few run-ins with a bully at school. Calvin's torments of the neighborhood girl Susie now include showing off what he claims are gross elements in his packed lunch. His family goes camping in the rain- Calvin and his mom hate it, his dad remains optimistic and cheerful (until his glasses get broken). There's run-ins with a babysitter (how I'd hate to be in her shoes) and Calvin starts to spout political-sounding rhetoric (polls on his dad's popularity- as if he could vote him out of the role) and point out things like global warming and pollution. Makes it feel a bit more grown up, but still with a mischievous kid's take on everything.

from the Dogear Diary show less

3.5***

Who doesn’t love Calvin & Hobbes? Calvin is the intelligent, creative, imaginative, exasperating six-year-old with a “pet tiger” everyone else thinks is just a stuffed toy. For his parents, he is their pride and joy, and the bane of their existence … informing Dad that his polls show he is slipping in popularity and is destined to lose the next “Dad election;” asking his Mom if those are maggots or rice in the soup.

I loved this comic strip when it ran daily and Sunday, and I’ve missed it ever since Watterson stopped drawing it. But I have to say, a little goes a long way, and this is best enjoyed a strip or two (or page or two) per day, and not all at once. The book includes Calvin’s alter egos of Tyrannosaurus show more Rex, Spaceman Spiff and Stupendous Man. However, this particular collection is minus some of my favorite strips wherein Calvin created “interesting” (and sometimes frightening) snowmen tableaus. show less

Fans of Calvin & Hobbes will enjoy this collection. People who used to be fans of Calvin & Hobbes when they were younger, and now just find Calvin to be an annoying little punk who thinks he's smart, but is really just a lazy (though imaginative) slacker with a really bad attitude will wonder why in the world they still own this book.

Can I offer you some Calvin and Hobbes in these troubling times?

This second collection features some great Spaceman Spiff, the beginnings of Calvin's magnificent snowman art, and the origins of Stupendous Man.

Honestly though, Calvin and Hobbes is just good for the soul.

Calvin and Hobbes is timeless smart humor. Even though he is a mischievous child with a stuffed tiger that comes to life, his quirky personality is still relatable as an adult. The power to annoy is highly amusing to a child and as a prankster adult, they still amuse me. Another reason why I am so sarcastic as an adult. The late 80s and 90s were amazing.