Calvin & Hobbes Appreciation Thread

*Powder* · 09-20-2011, 05:00 AM

So, certainly I'm not the only fan here, right? I've been a fan of the comic strip for as long as I can remember. Much like the TMNT, it was (& at times continues to be) something that eased my mind. I was usually very sick (up until my mid/late teens) with a case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome often times so severe I could not leave my home, & my condition kept me in the bathroom for extensive periods of time. Of course when that's what you're dealing with, you've got to take your mind off of it as best you can. My gameboy came in handy, but nothing brought me more joy than the collected volumes of Calvin & Hobbes that I owned. My mom picked up one or two for me figuring it would be something I'd enjoy, and given my situation & fancy for the strips, over time I owned them all. Those comics were the only thing that really did the trick. They were funny, heartwarming, relatable (being a kid & all), wonderfully illustrated, frequently philosophical & they brought you into many different places as Calvin's imagination held no limits.

Generally speaking, newspaper funnies don't have a time-line. You can read them in any order, and not miss anything as they were simple gags that played out between three to six panels. Though that was the case with C&H on occasion, usually there was a storyline to follow with each new day that sometimes spanned over several weeks. So reading them in collected volumes was much like reading a standard comic book, which to my knowledge is uncommon for strips (though not unheard of). Stories with pictures, gotta love 'em.

I was a Calvin as a kid, so I felt right at home reading it. I latched on to my stuffed animals, giving them personalities & having imaginary adventures & conversations with them, the breadth of my imagination was unmatched, I was an only child terror with a big heart who drove his parents crazy, anything gross was right up my alley, & much like Calvin I didn't have many real friends. It felt like the book was made just for me. Being someone who didn't get out all too frequently and didn't get to enjoy the standard TV pilot childhood, it was wonderful to still feel on par with another kid, even if he was made of ink. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to look like orphan Annie or anything, but when you're a little kid it's much harder to deal with a crummy deck than it is as an adult. You feel like you're the only one in that position, you have the whole "why me" mentality 'cause you don't understand that "sh*t happens". Calvin & Hobbes always cheered me up.

Anyways, who else loves this strip?! Things that stick out the most for me are Calvin's dinosaur daydreams (that have an uncanny resemblance to Jim Lawson's "Paleo", now that I think of it!), the time he made a "transmogrifier" & turned himself & Hobbes into various critters, when clones of Calvin were wreaking havoc in the neighborhood, & the many train-wreck vacations their family had.

*oldmanwinters* · 09-20-2011, 02:22 PM

The Sunday strips were the ones I really anticipated every weekend. If I remember, the Sunday paper was the only one my family ever bought regularly (to get the coupons), so I didn't have much immediate exposure to the daily strips. However, since my dad owned just about all of the collected books back in the day, I did get to read the dailies sequentially in that format. Calvin really did have some great adventures with the Transmogrifier. All his plots to try and get out of doing his homework made me envious, although I also realized he could have saved himself a lot of worry by just doing it as early as possible and then enjoying the rest of his day.

**Jo Dawn** · 09-23-2011, 08:45 PM

Love Calvin and Hobbes. I have all the compilation books, and while I haven't read them in a few years, I am sure there are comics in there that will still make me laugh out loud as they did then.

Probably more, as I'm sure there are a few more I can appreciate now.

My brother has a Hobbes tattoo. We're both big fans.

*oldmanwinters* · 09-23-2011, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jo Dawn

My brother has a Hobbes tattoo. We're both big fans.

Wow, you should really pressure him to a Calvin on the other arm (assuming the Hobbes is on an arm, that is!).

*Powder* · 09-23-2011, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jo Dawn

My brother has a Hobbes tattoo. We're both big fans.

I've thought about getting one myself (of both characters), that's neat!

**Machias Banshee** · 09-23-2011, 09:13 PM

Loved Calvin and Hobbes growing up.

I used to hang out at the library after school and look through the collected books..

**Jester** · 09-23-2011, 09:16 PM

Enjoyed Calvin and Hobbs, but I really need to reread a lot of the strips to get a real feel for them again.

09-20-2011, 05:00 AM	#1
Powder 40 Years of TMNT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell-Ri-La Posts: 26,956	Calvin & Hobbes Appreciation Thread So, certainly I'm not the only fan here, right? I've been a fan of the comic strip for as long as I can remember. Much like the TMNT, it was (& at times continues to be) something that eased my mind. I was usually very sick (up until my mid/late teens) with a case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome often times so severe I could not leave my home, & my condition kept me in the bathroom for extensive periods of time. Of course when that's what you're dealing with, you've got to take your mind off of it as best you can. My gameboy came in handy, but nothing brought me more joy than the collected volumes of Calvin & Hobbes that I owned. My mom picked up one or two for me figuring it would be something I'd enjoy, and given my situation & fancy for the strips, over time I owned them all. Those comics were the only thing that really did the trick. They were funny, heartwarming, relatable (being a kid & all), wonderfully illustrated, frequently philosophical & they brought you into many different places as Calvin's imagination held no limits. Generally speaking, newspaper funnies don't have a time-line. You can read them in any order, and not miss anything as they were simple gags that played out between three to six panels. Though that was the case with C&H on occasion, usually there was a storyline to follow with each new day that sometimes spanned over several weeks. So reading them in collected volumes was much like reading a standard comic book, which to my knowledge is uncommon for strips (though not unheard of). Stories with pictures, gotta love 'em. I was a Calvin as a kid, so I felt right at home reading it. I latched on to my stuffed animals, giving them personalities & having imaginary adventures & conversations with them, the breadth of my imagination was unmatched, I was an only child terror with a big heart who drove his parents crazy, anything gross was right up my alley, & much like Calvin I didn't have many real friends. It felt like the book was made just for me. Being someone who didn't get out all too frequently and didn't get to enjoy the standard TV pilot childhood, it was wonderful to still feel on par with another kid, even if he was made of ink. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to look like orphan Annie or anything, but when you're a little kid it's much harder to deal with a crummy deck than it is as an adult. You feel like you're the only one in that position, you have the whole "why me" mentality 'cause you don't understand that "sh*t happens". Calvin & Hobbes always cheered me up. Anyways, who else loves this strip?! Things that stick out the most for me are Calvin's dinosaur daydreams (that have an uncanny resemblance to Jim Lawson's "Paleo", now that I think of it!), the time he made a "transmogrifier" & turned himself & Hobbes into various critters, when clones of Calvin were wreaking havoc in the neighborhood, & the many train-wreck vacations their family had.

09-20-2011, 02:22 PM	#2
oldmanwinters Overlord Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Between yesterday and tomorrow! Posts: 15,507	The Sunday strips were the ones I really anticipated every weekend. If I remember, the Sunday paper was the only one my family ever bought regularly (to get the coupons), so I didn't have much immediate exposure to the daily strips. However, since my dad owned just about all of the collected books back in the day, I did get to read the dailies sequentially in that format. Calvin really did have some great adventures with the Transmogrifier. All his plots to try and get out of doing his homework made me envious, although I also realized he could have saved himself a lot of worry by just doing it as early as possible and then enjoying the rest of his day. __________________ Experience the TMNT Fan Commentaries! Check out my TMNT fan comic, "Nothing to Fear"! View my sketch work! I'm selling some of my hard-to-find TMNT items!

09-23-2011, 08:45 PM	#3
Jo Dawn Inactive Moderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Authority On All Things Don Posts: 5,190	Love Calvin and Hobbes. I have all the compilation books, and while I haven't read them in a few years, I am sure there are comics in there that will still make me laugh out loud as they did then. Probably more, as I'm sure there are a few more I can appreciate now. My brother has a Hobbes tattoo. We're both big fans. __________________

09-23-2011, 09:16 PM	#7
Jester Rat-faced Dude-guy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 26,301	Enjoyed Calvin and Hobbs, but I really need to reread a lot of the strips to get a real feel for them again. __________________ "Clearly, you're Ninja Turtling incorrectly." - Leo656

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09-23-2011, 09:13 PM	#6
Machias Banshee Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 17,163	Loved Calvin and Hobbes growing up. I used to hang out at the library after school and look through the collected books..