There are few pleasures in life that compare to relaxing over the weekend by reading "Calvin and Hobbes." For the uninitiated, this comic strip enjoyed a relatively short run from the mid-80's to the mid-90's. The premise is laughably minimalistic: A six-year-old named Calvin who imagines that his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, is alive, fully capable of rational thought and speech.
Besides for this anomaly, the comic takes place in typical American suburbia, and the plot lines rarely deviate from a typical six-year-old's everyday encounters. Calvin gets into trouble with his parents, gets frustrated in school, pretends to hate a girl that he secretly likes, and builds snowmen in the winter. So why does this comic remain immensely popular, even legendary among adults more than twenty years after its final strip was published?
A major part of "Calvin and Hobbes'" appeal is the fact that a reader could enjoy it while at the same stage in life as Calvin, and enjoy on a totally separate level ten years later. As a kid, the comic's animation was an endless source of entertainment. Nothing was cooler than reading Sunday strips, which allowed author Bill Watterson to display his artistic talents in their full colorful glory. A child can also understand a good percentage of the dialogue and jokes in Calvin and Hobbes.
At the same time, some of the conversations between Calvin and his imaginary friend can be appreciated for their sheer depth. It isn't rare to find a strip that will combine both of these elements, so no reader is left behind in the dust. This quality is perfectly captured by a classic "Calvin and Hobbes" "wagon ride" strip:
Calvin and Hobbes is also remarkable for the way it looks at the world from the perspective of a six-year-old. Although Calvin has a vocabulary well beyond his years and a slightly twisted sense of humor, his pristine curiosity about the world seems not only accurate, but inspirational. So much of the comic's material comes from the rich landscape that is Calvin's imagination.
Watterson often hilariously utilizes animation to make Calvin's imagination come to life, whether Calvin is is exploring the outer reaches of the universe as Spaceman Spiff or fighting crime as Stupendous Man. Hobbes usually plays the role of the common-sensical foil to Calvin's unhinged creativity. In an age of unlimited apps and gadgets, both adults and kids could benefit from "Calvin and Hobbes"' celebration of imagination.
But most impressive is how the man behind the comic expresses his ethos through his creation. Known for his desire for privacy,Bill Watterson staunchly refused to license Calvin and Hobbes merchandise. As Watterson wryly put it, "Cartoonists who think they can be taken seriously as artists while using the strip's protagonists to sell boxer shorts are deluding themselves." This admirable trait is what led Watterson to surprisingly discontinue Calvin and Hobbes in 1995, feeling that he had reached the creative limits of the comics. These are the qualities of someone whose sole concern is producing creative works for the sake of art itself. Once again, a creative goal to aspire toward.
As a writer working on a weekly schedule, I thought it would be particularly fitting to end this piece with a relatable message from Calvin and Hobbes:
