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mckinlay's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like Calvin definitely grew up to be an author. Love!
anna8ananas's review against another edition
5.0
Really needed something easy and with 5 star guaranty right now. So enjoyable.
kluvable23's review against another edition
4.0
I love the style of comics/illustration style this book has and the humor is absolutely delectable! I have had this since I was 10 and I still love to read it from time to time. I love the way he imagines Hobbes to be real and it creates such a great illusion as to how a kids mind works. I love it!
cute_monkey_girl's review against another edition
5.0
Even though it cost me about $20, I'm really glad that I bought this book. I didn't realize how much I needed a good laugh.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
5.0
I was always a Garfield kid growing up. The first things I actually remember reading as a child were Garfield books that you could get through the Scholastic newsletter -- named with obesity puns like [b:Garfield Goes to Waist|279218|Garfield Goes to Waist (Garfield #18)|Jim Davis|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320515489s/279218.jpg|270826]. I skipped right ahead to Zits as a teenager, and Dilbert as an adult office drone (as well as XKCD, Questionable Content, The Oatmeal, The Order of the Stick, and a number of other great web comics).
How exactly I missed Calvin and Hobbes I'm honestly not sure, but after seeing the excellent comics documentary Stripped, I remedied that more or less immediately.
And having done so, I understand all the praise for this comic. It isn't just about Watterson's beautiful and inimitable style of artwork, or the quality of the jokes -- not that either of those hurt the comic strip -- it is because Watterson understands the human condition, and was able to translate that into a few successive square boxes featuring drawings of a little boy and his stuffed tiger.
Unlike Dennis the Menace, a comic strip which bears a superficial likeness in that both boys are unapologetic troublemakers, this comic shows how imaginative and inquisitive the otherwise unruly boy can be, while simultaneously showing how trying being a parent can be, without villainizing or marginalizing any characters. A great example of this is Calvin's babysitter. While she is a villain to Calvin, she garners audience sympathy when she laments what she has to put up with to help pay for college.
The singular brilliance of Calvin and Hobbes is it's earnest and honest portrayal of family life, followed closely by the awesome animations of Calvin's wild imagination, featuring Spaceman Spiff, among others. Also, the comic strips themes are timeless -- you would have no idea it was published 25 years ago.
For evidence of Watterson's genius, just see the nine strips that make up The Racoon Story (scroll to the bottom of that page), which are not funny at all, but simply poignant.
How exactly I missed Calvin and Hobbes I'm honestly not sure, but after seeing the excellent comics documentary Stripped, I remedied that more or less immediately.
And having done so, I understand all the praise for this comic. It isn't just about Watterson's beautiful and inimitable style of artwork, or the quality of the jokes -- not that either of those hurt the comic strip -- it is because Watterson understands the human condition, and was able to translate that into a few successive square boxes featuring drawings of a little boy and his stuffed tiger.
Unlike Dennis the Menace, a comic strip which bears a superficial likeness in that both boys are unapologetic troublemakers, this comic shows how imaginative and inquisitive the otherwise unruly boy can be, while simultaneously showing how trying being a parent can be, without villainizing or marginalizing any characters. A great example of this is Calvin's babysitter. While she is a villain to Calvin, she garners audience sympathy when she laments what she has to put up with to help pay for college.
The singular brilliance of Calvin and Hobbes is it's earnest and honest portrayal of family life, followed closely by the awesome animations of Calvin's wild imagination, featuring Spaceman Spiff, among others. Also, the comic strips themes are timeless -- you would have no idea it was published 25 years ago.
For evidence of Watterson's genius, just see the nine strips that make up The Racoon Story (scroll to the bottom of that page), which are not funny at all, but simply poignant.
holtemon's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! I wish more were available to borrow from the library (on kindle at least)
tsharris's review against another edition
5.0
even better than remembered - and as a parent very much appreciate Calvin's poor parents.
henrytinker's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0