As a child of the ‘90s with a bunch of siblings, being first to the kitchen table on a school morning was a delight, because that meant I’d be the first one to read the comics page. Some of these didn’t click with me (sorry, Sally Forth) but some, like Gary Larson’s The Far Side and Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, ended up influencing me well into my life as an adult. Delightfully, the full body of Calvin and Hobbes has been immortalized in a gorgeous hardcover set of books, and for Black Friday, Amazon is offering an astonishing 63% discount, making the entire library just $83.33.
Calvin and Hobbes stands alone, even without a pair of nostalgia goggles. The strip’s decade-long run from 1985 to 1995 follows an absolute menace of a child named Calvin, and his imaginary friend projected on a stuffed tiger, Hobbes. Calvin’s imagination is the star of the show; he and Hobbes travel to space, create terrifying snow monsters, have secret superhero identities, and made improbable inventions out of cardboard. Calvin’s parents, who are often overwhelmed with his antics, still love their son dearly — yet they can’t resist messing with him from time to time.
This strip is wholesome, yet honest in a way that many depictions of childhood and family life in media can’t quite capture. Calvin struggles with school, argues with his parents, and thinks girls are gross. Watterson’s art is perfect at capturing the carefree nature of childhood adventures. Even on languid, boring summer days, Calvin is never alone — his banter with Hobbes is often genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, or at least worth musing on.
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