The wonderful duo of Calvin & Hobbes which guided me through those innocent days of childhood is as vivid and lively as the moments that I have lived, here’s my list of best Calvin and Hobbes comics on issues ranging from the environment to death.
The innocent friendship between a little boy and his stuffed tiger(or was it so?), catapulted this comic strip to the stratosphere of cult followership. The creator, Bill Watterson’s, understanding of a kid’s growing up angst and struggles and his relationship with his best friend, a tiger, makes for a deeply profound and entertaining read. The innocence and wisdom of this little boy and his imaginary friend will always stay with us.
Mr Watterson, the creator of the iconic comic strip, is known for remaining away from public attention. Calvin and Hobbes wasn’t an overnight success – after being rejected many times, Watterson finally signed a contract with Universal Press Syndicate and November 1985 marked the launch of Calvin and Hobbes, appearing in about 35 newspapers. After a modest first year in newspapers, Calvin and Hobbes got published as a book and was a surprise hit. The book sales encouraged more newspapers to publish the same and the rest as they, is history.
It is always hard to pick up on rubies amidst gems yet here’s presenting
Best Calvin and Hobbes comics…
# Calvin and Hobbes on bullies
# The Raccoon incident
One of the most endearing C&H strips ever, this incident delved upon the manner in which a child’s innocence encounters death for the first time.
Look out for the end quote- “…But don’t YOU go anywhere.”
# Calvin and Hobbes – Man of few words!
# Calvin and Hobbes – Old photographs…
# The dead bird
What to say about this one…sheer poetry. Did anybody say philosophy?
#Calvin and Hobbes on hunting
Calvin’s take on the hunting industry’s rationalization of killing in the name of containment of overtly populated species. And as irony would have it while the likes of Dodo have been wiped off the face of Earth, humans have multiplied like there’s no tomorrow!
Also, see: The best of Snoopy
# Calvin & Hobbes on Environment
Calvin and Hobbes detested human activities that led to contamination of the environment, be it the pollution, the garbage, and litter thrown around, deforestation etc.
# Calvin and Hobbes on animals
The profound impact that Hobbes had on Calvin is depicted in many strips, Calvin often quoted that he loved being amidst furry friends over and above humans.
Here are our favorite comic strips highlighting the animal-loving influence that Hobbes has had on Calvin.
Hats off to Mr. Bill Watterson!
My childhood would never have been what it was or what it still is sans Calvin & Hobbes. Calvin’s rambunctious character and an intelligence quotient which is clearly superlative for a six-year-old along with Hobbes wisdom made for a great read.
Though frequently depicted in the strip as a selfish kid, Calvin does exhibit a deep caring for fauna and flora. He often remarks on the pettiness of humans and envies the quiet dignity of animal life.
Also see: Best comic strips featuring dogs
Quite like Calvin, my human sidekick Calvy (pompously named after the cult child) misses a filter between his brain and mouth 🙂
#Calvin and Hobbes – too cool for school!
Bill Watterson, the creator of the iconic comic strip, once quipped, “Hobbes has the patient dignity and common sense of most animals I’ve met. Like Calvin, I often prefer the company of animals to people, and Hobbes is my idea of an ideal friend”.
# Calvin and Hobbes on problem-solving
# Calvin and Hobbes philosophical take on all things mortal
# Calvin and Hobbes on watching nature
See also: Dogs who waited for their dead humans
Did we leave out your favorite Calvin and Hobbes comic? Please suggest the same in the comments below and we’ll add it to the list of best Calvin and Hobbes comics.
Looking for a forever friend like Hobbes? Adopt a dog!
love Calvin and Hobbes :). I have this 10th anniversary edition which shows the initial conception and development of the characters. Things like why Calvin’s parents don’t have a name and why their professions are never clarified, what happened when Bill tried to introduce a new character in the strip, Calvin and Susie chemistry, Hobbes personality, Calvin’s psychosis etc. It’s very interesting to see Bill’s struggle from the first comic strip onwards and his source of ideas. The strip is based on a very rich blend of inspirations, imagination and real life. Incidentally Calvin is named after a French theologian, John Calvin and Hobbes after Thomas Hobbes, an English Philosopher.
Thanks for the wonderful insight Antara,I have that edition too 🙂
Mr Waterson truly is a genius and the very fact that he was against commercializing/licensing the artwork shows the deep-rooted love that he shared for a feeling that Calvin & Hobbes depict in their mundane adventures! If only Calvin & Hobbes is resurrected in our lifetimes yet again 🙂
Keep visiting! 🙂
Hi Calvy, when I saw this name, I got an intuition that it’s inspiration has to be Calvin!! My favourite cartoon character as well! He is just soo cute and I love to read his strips. They always make me smile. His transmogrifier is amazing!! And all those reasons he can concoct for not going to bath! How creativity can be made to feel so innocent through a small kid’s blabbering mouth beats me.
Thank you very much! ~Punam
Anytime Punam!
A fan of Calvin & Hobbes is always a friend of mine:) My sister had named me Calvy after seeing my unwavering affection for Mr. Bill Waterson’s masterpiece after even a decade of the last published strip. To me, it is like a philosophy of life, half the things worth knowing that I’ve learned it has been through C&H!
Keep visiting! 🙂
Hey dude, my best friend died in a car wreck late last night. I got the word this morning before I went to work. I held it together pretty well all day, and just came unglued when I got home. I want you to know that I typed in ‘Calvin and Hobbes lessons on death’ into google and it led me here, the two strips I wanted to see where the raccon and bird ones. You hit the nail on the head. Thanks for making me feel a little better with some good ol fashioned Calvin and Hobbes therapy.
I am sorry for your loss John! I would like to express my heartfelt condolence to bereaved family and pray to almighty that your friend’s departed soul finds eternal peace. The way Calvin & Hobbes ‘death’ strips have dealt on such a emotional issue is beyond the scope of words to narrate. Here’s from one Calvin & Hobbes fan to another, keep the strength to go on!
Here’s offering you love, peace and an extended arm of friendship!
Calvy, I agree with your assessment of Watterson’s genius. For your and your readers’ possible interest (but in reality, for the fun I had doing it!), I’ve used what I consider to be the most relevant Calvin & Hobbes strips to illustrate a series of posts at my blog dealing with what I call “the God Lie”.
i liked The Raccoon incident…it truly shows a child’s innocence …reminded me of all my kittens that died…gosh i always hated that part when they use to take them to bury..:((