The Revenge of the Baby-Sat: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection

Calvin and Hobbes is, in my opinion, one of the greatest comic strips ever produced. The Revenge of the Baby-Sat, as one would expect, is an excellent representation of everything that makes this window into the twisted mind of a demented six year old and his stuffed tiger great.

Watterson always had to walk a fine line with Calvin: he is clearly an unruly child, a parents' nightmare, a problem in school, and the kid on the block that no one else wants to play with. Calvin could have easily been such a bratty monster that he became an unlikable character, yet there is something endearing about him. The true brilliance of the strip lies in Watterson's ability to bring out the core of sweetness in Calvin via his relationship with Hobbes show more while refusing to dilute Calvin's own difficult nature.

This volume contains several classic Calvin and Hobbes story lines, most notably the title sequence involving the dreaded Rosalyn, her science notes, and a locked bathroom. The volume features Calvin's (mostly failed) attempts to be good in anticipation of Christmas, his interactions with Susie Derkins, a girl unfortunate enough to live next door to Calvin and sit next to him in class, Calvin tries to move his parents car and pushes it into a ditch, and tries to finish a bug collection in the ten minutes before school starts. Calvin goes on a family camping trip, Calvin waiting with breathless anticipation of a propeller beanie that turns out to be less than he expected (made up for by the fact that it came in a cool cardboard box), and a family trip to a wedding in which Calvin forgets to bring Hobbes, much to his dismay. In a twist, when Calvin and his parents return from the wedding, they find their house has been burgled, and Calvin nearly comes unhinged at the thought that someone might have stolen his best friend. After the burglary, the strip focuses on Calvin's parents for a bit as they deal with their reactions to the break-in, at which point the strip runs the risk of becoming a bit too much like For Better or for Worse. Fortunately, this passes quickly, and in short order we are back to the adventures of a boy and his tiger.

Although the story lines are fun, the true heart of the comic is found in the stand alone strips. Calvin imagining himself abducted by aliens and forced to eat manicotti, Calvin panicking at the idea of getting a Valentine from Susie (and his dismay to find out it was actually intended for Hobbes), Calvin literally jumping out of his skin, his bizarre collection of snowmen constructions, and of course his philosophical musings while careening down a hill on his sled or wagon. It is a mark of Watterson's skill as a cartoonist that many of the best strips have little or no dialogue, the characters conveying the story simply through their actions: one of my favorites involves Calvin's mother getting ready for the day only to be surprised by a hose-wielding Calvin as she exist the door. There is only a single line of dialog in the strip, but the artwork is so good that any more would be too much. Similar strips involve such things as the travails of a base runner in a game with the bases too far apart, and a yawning, stretching sleepy tiger.

The only thing in the book that is less than perfect is that it is all in black and white, even those strips that were originally run in Sunday color editions. As a result, some of the strips lose a little bit of their humor (such as the strip where Calvin imagines that the world has become a photo negative), or become a little too dark (such as a hilarious strip where Watterson mimics the style of the soap opera strips like Mary Worth or Apartment 3-G). This is a minor quibble, as it only affects a limited number of strips. On the whole, this volume, like all Calvin and Hobbes material, is simply a brilliant example of comic genius. show less

Yet another of my old Calvin and Hobbes books for some nostalgic reading.

I feel like every review I give of a Calvin book is nothing but a series of superlatives, but that's because it's one of the greatest comic strips ever made. This one includes some fantastic stories, such as the origins of the super-secret club for only Calvin and Hobbes, G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid of Slimy girlS). There is also a much deeper story involving a break-in while the family is away at a wedding (in which Calvin also accidentally leaves Hobbes at home, causing a panic when he fears his tiger has been taken by the thieves. This leads to some great introspection from Mom, Dad, and Calvin as they consider what has happened.

Once again, everyone should have some show more Calvin and Hobbes in their lives, it's just good sense! show less

I've babysat younger siblings and cousins before, and some of them could be naughty sometimes (what kid isn't?) but none of them were ever as bad as Calvin, thank Jesus for that, lol. No wonder the babysitter gets paid extra, I feel sorry for Calvin's parents.

Like with other volumes in this series, there is a mix of light-hearted humor, such as Calvin's antics at school, along with his fantasies and adventures, and then there's more serious stuff such as dealing with the after-effects of the house being burgled. There's really nothing to not like about this book (or any of the other books in the Calvin and Hobbes treasury)

I have nothing to say (or write) about this collection except that it's wonderful and anyone out there (including me) who was late to the C&H party should do themselves a favor and pick it up. I have yet to read a writer of graphic or standard novels who ably described (and so beautifully) the fun and alienating aspects of American boyhood so believably as Bill Watterson does in this (and I suspect his others) collections of this sublime newspaper comic.

I think this one's my favorite Calvin and Hobbes collection. In it, Mr. Watterson tries his hand at a couple of more "serious" storylines, namely the "Propeller Beanie" tale and the sequence in which Calvin's home gets burgled. I think he handled both tales well, melding realistic events with Calvin's weird take on reality. And, of course, there's the usual Calvinity afoot, including the origin of G.R.O.S.S. (I would have thought that institution had started earlier in the strip's history. Good thing I'm rereading the collections so I can get things straight, eh?)
--J.

Watterson does an amazing job capturing both a child’s and an adult’s emotions, way of thinking, and attitude. Utter brilliance.

These really are laugh-out-loud funny. You'll probably annoy everyone around you. Not five stars though because when Calvin gets too terribly petty or whiny it wears me out.