Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995

My mission to read every bit of Calvin and Hobbes not collected in the Complete Calvin and Hobbes continues with this, a slim volume that puts Bill Watterson's original linework alongside the colored versions that appeared in newspapers for a selection of his favorite Sunday strips. Watterson also provides commentary on most of them. It's all strips you've (probably) read before, and many anecdotes you've (probably) read before too. But the large size of the book shows off Watterson's artwork better than the Complete Calvin and Hobbes books do, and it's great to have Watterson's commentary on the the comics form. He was an unsurpassable artist on the Sunday comics page even before the format change, and this book provides insight into show more the mind of a master. show less

Another (lazy) Sunday well spent with our favourite comic strip kid, Calvin, and his rascally and adorable tiger, Hobbes! Though Sundays with the pair are generally anything but lazy, as their weekends are filled with snowball fights, battles with aliens (aka mothers in disguise), and not a few philosophical musings. In this collection we are treated to a retrospective exhibition (in its print form) showcasing the Sunday special strips, which Watterson lobbied hard to expand into half page pieces of artwork during his tenure chronicling his unforgettable characters. While he does wonders with the short & sweet four-panel strips, it’s clear that the added space in the Sunday pages allowed his imagination to run as wild as Calvin and show more Hobbes and to experiment with novel illustration techniques. Hobbes dancing through unbounded panels will always be my favourite strip (what’s more iconic than the tiger’s adorable dance moves that remind us to take a moment or two of frivolity), but seeing this selection of strips in chronological order and with Watterson’s commentary gives us some wonderful additional depth to the story. As we read the final comic in the collection (also the final strip of the comic entirely) it’s hard not to tear up, as Calvin and Hobbes sled off to continue their explorations through the magical world that they’ve so lovingly shown us over the ten previous years. While the moment is definitely a touch melancholy, it’s also a reminder that joy is always out there for us to find - as long as we have our trusty tiger by our side and the faith to keep adventuring! show less

Well, the Sunday strips were some of the best, so a book full of 'em is bound to be awesome! And it is! I enjoyed the introduction by Watterson and his comments on each entry in here! It's also super cool to see the rough draft on the left page and the final draft on the right - for each one! And even though it pulls at my heart, I was glad to see the last cartoon included in this collection. Sniff, sniff. Love me some C&H!

This is definitely a collector's item. At least Bill and his publishers Andrews McMeel / Universal Press Syndicate wanted it to be that way.

This album chronologically catalogues all the full panel coloured strips of Calvin & Hobbes that appeared on the Sunday Pages. The book starts off with a thank you note to Bill Watterson for his contribution to the world of comic strips and a brief history about the book itself by Lucy Shelton Caswell of The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library followed by a lengthy, in-depth retrospective and all the technicalities involved in creating coloured comic strips by Bill himself. I would ask the reader to pay particular attention to the brilliant slicing and layout plan he came up with so that show more the strips, originally drawn for half page, could be printed in three other different formats.

The layout of the book is unusual. The left page shows the original sketch of the panel, including corrections done using a typewriter correction fluid, the sellotaped copyright information and stray 2H pencil marks. The right page shows the final coloured version as it appeared on the newspaper (and continues to do so). The pages are inscribed with additional footnotes that indicate the date of first publication and commentary by Bill himself recalling anecdotes or describing technical challenges he faced with the panel.

Almost all C&H fans felt sad when Bill discontinued his masterpiece. Newspapers still re-prints older material due to it's immense popularity. Worth every $14.95 ($10.25 in India) you pay for and more. And yes, it contains the sad yet optimistic final panel - "Let's go Exploring!" show less

This review stands for all of the Calvin and Hobbes books -- this was simply the best comic strip ever created. I highly recommend all of the books.

This book in particular is a nice compilation for Watterson's genius really comes through in the larger sets of frames. I love how he played with the extra space the Sunday strip afforded him.

This edition is an art exhibition catalogue, with fine reproductions of Watterson's original ink drawings, and colour reproductions on the opposite page. A fascinating essay by Watterson at the beginning gives some insights into his creative process and feelings about the characters. Each comic strip has notes from the artist about why he selected it for the exhibition. You can see great development in his style from the earliest ones to the later years. A wonderful book for the die-hard Calvin and Hobbes fans.

Liam