With all the shitty things that are going on in the world, I thought I'd inject something to make us all smile. Calvin And Hobbes. An all-time classic, and something that everyone who matters can relate to. (Except the poor... fuck them). FOCUS: Share your favourite C&H strip (post the attachment rather than hotlink, if you can). ALT-FOCUS: Discuss C&H, Bill Watterson, the strip, etc.
One of the things I love about C&H is how Bill Watterson stopped when he was on top. No merchandising, no movies or video games, no jumping of the shark; he just stopped, and then faded off into obscurity. The even cooler part of that whole thing is how the people in his home town totally respect that, and go out of their way to keep him hidden among themselves. Kudos to them.
A friend of mine has two kids and a third is on the way. The two of us have gone on epic fishing trips for almost 20 years, but because of the family life, he hasn't been able to for a couple of years now. His trips are now family oriented, and on his last two "family fishing trips" not a single fishing line got wet. I sent this to him the other day: His reply was "go fuck yourself". He was seriously pissed at me for a few days. I laughed my ass off, because it was true.
All the snowman ones are awesome but these are my favorite. They are just some gold old fashioned twisted off color comics that make me smile. The rest are here: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/zzaran/calvin.html
I've loved C&H since I was a kid. This one has always been my favorite because I read it in the paper while in 9th grade geography (teacher always had the comics) and being in MN it just so happened that I experienced the same thing that very morning. The art was great. I think the way he drew facial expressions was awesome, and the humor was such simple day to day stuff. Edit: What Nettdata said in his second post.
YES! The snowmen are the best. It makes me wish it snowed around here so that I could terrify the neighbors with my "art." This link has a pretty good compilation of them. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.angelfire.com/wa/zzaran/calvin.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.angelfire.com/wa/zzaran/calvin.html</a>
I love Calvin & Hobbes. This one is pretty classic: Also... scientific progress goes "boink." I own a lot of books and have gotten rid of some of them as I move from place to place... but I still have all my Calvin & Hobbes books. edit: Nett observed my hotlink failure. Fixed.
This one has always been my favorite. I only read it once when it first came out and I've looked through all my kids' (read: my) C&H books to try to find it, but I never saw it again until today. It's awesome to hear my kids burst out laughing while they're reading Calvin and Hobbes.
Alt-Focus - I'd like to say "Fuck You" to ANYONE who has ever bought one of those atrocious "Calvin pissing on Ford/Chevy/Team etc". Not because they are trashy and tacky mind you, but because they are unlicensed and Bill W. doesn't receive a dime in royalties for the unauthorized use of his intellectual property.
I have doubles of everything published: the original paperbacks and the hardcover edition. I plan to pass along the paperbacks to one of my younger cousins this year so that he and his siblings can enjoy them as well, but I scanned some of the full-page images for personal use first. I would be willing to drop serious coin on a framed and signed copy of this or this mounted on a wall at home. Instead, I printed this to put into my cubicle at work; I believe it sets the correct tone.
Pretty much every Calvin & Hobbes fan from Pittsburgh would say this is their favorite. I am among them.
I have all of the books of the cartoons from Calvin and Hobbes, and a bunch from Dilbert. I loved reading them when I was younger. I hated math growing up so my second favorite (behind the snowmen ones) were always the math ones.
I always looked forward to the inevitable poetry week during English class, because that meant I would get to use "A Nauseous Nocturne". Spoiler Another night deprived of slumber, Hours passing without number, My eye trace 'round the room. I lay Dripping sweat and now quite certain That tonight the final curtain Drops upon my life's short precious play. From the darkness, by the closet Comes a noise, much like a faucet Makes: a madd'ning drip-drip-dripping sound. It seems some ill-proportioned beast, Anticipating me deceased, Is drooling poison puddles on the ground.. A can of mace, a forty-five, Is all I'd need to stay alive, But no weapon lies within my sight. Oh my gosh! A shadow's creeping, Ominous ans black, it's seeping Slowly 'cross a moonlit square of light! Suddenly a floorboard creak Anounces the bloodsucking freak Is here to steal my future years away! A sulf'rous smell now fills the room Heralding my imm'nent doom! A fang gleams in the dark and murky gray! Oh, blood-red eyes a tentacles! Throbbing, pulsing ventricles! Mucus-oozing porses and frightful claws! Worse, in terms of outright scariness, Are the suckers multifarious That grab and force you in its mighty jaws! This disgusting aberration Of nature needs no motivation To devour helpless children in their beds. Relishing despairing moans, It chews kids up and sucks their bones, And disolves inside its mouth their li'l heads! I know this 'cause I read it not Two hours ago and then I got The heebie-jeebies and these awful shakes. My parents swore upon their honor That I was safe, and not a goner. I guess tomorrow they'll see their sad mistakes. In the morning, they'll come in And say, "What was that awful din We heard last night? You kept us both from sleep!" Only then will they surmise The gruesomeness of my demise And see that my remains are in a heap. Dad will look at Mom and say, "Too bad he had to go that way." And Mom will look at Dad and nod assent. Mom will add, "Still, it's fitting, That as he was this world quiting, He should leave another mess before he went." They may not miss me first, I know. They will miss me later, though, And perhaps admit that they were wrong. As memories of me grow dim, They'll say, "We were too strict with him. We should have listened to him all along." As speedily my end approaches, I bid a final "buenas noches" To my best friend in the world. Gently snoring, whiskers seeming To sniff at smells (he must be dreaming), He lies snuggled in the blackets curled. HEY! WAKE UP, YOU STUPID CRETIN! YOU GONNA SLEEP WHILE I GET EATEN?! Suddenly the monster knows I'm not alone! There's an animal in bed with me! an awful beast he did not see! The monster never would've come if he had know! The monster, in his confernation, Demonstrates defenestration, And runs and runs and runs and runs away. Rid of the pest, I now can rest, Thanks to my best friend, who saved the day. ©1989 Bill Watterson
<- Avatar and signature. I wish there was an online repository somewhere so I could find this one again. The book is in storage, and frankly I don't feel like going to get it. Basically Calvin wants to cheat off of Susie on a test, and devolves into this Film Noire Detective Caper fantasy. The line in the signature is Calvin talking about Susie.
I have read the Anniversary edition of Calvin and Hobbes at least 20 times through. I love the commentary Watterson puts in, and it is extremely interesting to get his perspective on each of the comics he included in the book. This is my favorite Sunday strip from C+H. Perfect. Poor Frank.
Has anyone else read this awesome analyzation of Calvin and Hobbes, comparing it to Fight Club? It's uncannily accurate. My favorite C&H strip/story-line was Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Snow Goons. When I was a kid I hoped and prayed for snow in south Texas so I could do something similar, but it never happened until Christmas Eve of 2004. Then I realized how much snow sucks. Spoilered for size: Spoiler
The wife and I used to curl up on the living room rug and read C&H. I cut this out of the newspaper and have had it hanging in my office for years: