The Essential Calvin and Hobbes
by Bill Watterson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bill WattersonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1988-01-01
ISBN: 0836218051
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Book Reviews of The Essential Calvin and Hobbes
Book Review: It only gets better from here...
Summary: 5 Stars
Sadly, in the not too distant future, newspaper comics will probably go the way of shadow puppets. Nonetheless, the leading lights of this quaint art form will become ensconced in either paper or digital books. Among thousands of strips, "Calvin and Hobbes" will definitely stand as one fit for preservation and study. Also, having achieved such a high standard in the genre's waning years makes the strip even more astounding. Long after art and philosophy were mostly obliterated from comics pages, Calvin and his surreal friend Hobbes wax meaning, morality, sadness and joy. The strip, one of the best to ever hit the comics pages, manages to bequeath an almost transcendent experience within the typically stifling medium of mainstream entertainment. The vicissitudes of life, imagination and existence bubble out of the experience of a relatively normal middle class setting. Calvin's almost solipsistic perspective compels a stuffed tiger to life. It remains his secret. Even other children don't experience Hobbes as animated. Calvin remains the only human being to which Hobbes graces his true self. Echoes of "Harvey" the "you-can't-miss-him-he's-a-Pooka" reverberate. Though where Jimmy Stewart's adult character suggested mental illness to those around him, Calvin's privileged visions suggest only the vast imagination and freedom of childhood. Hobbes mirrors the fidgety but introspective Calvin in action and philosophy. They seem to complete each other. So much so that scenes of Hobbes as a mere limp stuffed animal evoke sadness. Reality can stink.
This first treasury kicks off a journey that ran for ten years without a hint of burnout (though the strip experienced two sabbaticals). Hobbes' now classic first line, "we're kind of stupid that way," follows a stunning macabre tale of child-eating monsters, a la Vincent Price. The speed picks up fast with minimal lulls and duds (though this book, consisting of early material, contains more duds than later more developed volumes, but that's not saying much). Right off the bat, readers will notice the debt "Calvin and Hobbes" owes to "Peanuts." The obvious influence became more subtle in later strips, but here it remains indubitable. Fitting that Charles Schulz penned this volume's introduction. Doubtless he recognized the progeny of his work. Schulz wasn't really known for his modesty. But "Calvin and Hobbes" is no copy. It stands on its own as a totally original contribution to the comic medium. And after all, what late 20th Century strip wasn't influenced by the ubiquitous "Peanuts?" Charlie Brown and Snoopy paved the way for Calvin's philosophical prognostications on death, meaning and meaninglessness. Risks were taken, especially in the the injured baby raccoon episodes, which somehow manage to steer clear of cheesy melodrama. Calvin's brilliant coda, "what a stupid world," gracefully balances that rarely towed line of humor and tragedy. Sometimes the two seem inextricably intertwined. Other classics include the introduction of the transmogrifier, the controlling television (page 158), Hobbes' "cool" Mickey Mouse pants and Calvin's phantasmagoric daydream visions, superbly captured in color for the Sunday pages. "Calvin and Hobbes'" Sunday strips represent the sunset of a long tradition harkening back to the lush cathedrals of Windsor McCay's jaw dropping "Lttle Nemo" pages. This tradition has pretty much evaporated. We are kind of stupid that way, though some hope exists within the over-saturated pages of the internet. Some.
Though "Calvin and Hobbes" came to a screeching open-ended halt in 1995, the books continue to sell. New generations no longer read the strips in the papers, but in book form. A tank-sized complete collection was also released, but those not wanting to burden the expense or the girth of this hulking set can still easily find the entire series in the shorter treasuries (the web reveals which books contain the entire collection). So start here, this is the beginning, after all, but keep going. It just gets better from here.
Summary of The Essential Calvin and Hobbes
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes is an over-size anthology-type book including an original 16-page story and color Sunday cartoons.Comic Strips Books
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