Top 10 'Calvin and Hobbes' Comics

There have been countless newspaper comic strips throughout the years. Some of culture's most influential properties have come from the morning comics, such as Garfield, The Far Side, and, the most famous of all, Peanuts. However, even Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all of his friends pale in comparison to the greatest of all of these, Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes. Released between November 18, 1985, and December 31, 1995, the comic strip about a boy and his stuffed tiger had great characters, hilarious humor, thought-provoking messages, and an analysis of society that is still applicable today. Over twenty-six years since the last strip came out, it still holds up just as well now as it ever did. It holds up well enough that it is worth looking into the top ten Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. 

10. Pouncing

Hobbes pounced on Calvin a lot throughout the series any time he felt like it. Whether he thought Calvin had food, an odd way to show affection, or even just irritation of something Calvin said or did, Hobbes rarely passed up an opportunity for the more predatory side of his feline personality to come out. Hobbes's favorite time to pounce on his best friend was when Calvin came home from school every day, and this is the best example of that. Not only is the slow-motion, frame-by-frame style of the strip hilarious, but it also showcased Watterson's talent for facial expressions, especially when it comes to Calvin. Hobbes's wistful reminiscence of the pounce is a perfect finisher. 

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9. Snow Chicken

Few people who have ever existed both in reality and fiction have had a mastery of snow art like Calvin. His parents might be exasperated and occasionally disturbed by his sculptures, but they are objectively creative and skillful, regardless of their macabre nature. This strip encapsulates Calvin's dark sense of humor, his skill, and his parents' exasperation of his creations. Does Calvin need professional help? Oh, maybe. Or he is just a loquacious, creative, intelligent six-year-old with a dark sense of humor. This strip is also a good example of Watterson's understanding that less is more. We do not need to know what his mom said. Calvin's question fills that all in for us. The fact that the chicken looks so happy is what always makes me laugh. 

8. Overpopulation

A big part of Calvin's character is that he is a big animal lover. It comes with having a tiger for a best friend. Combine that with his dark sense of humor and his general disdain for school assignments, and you get this. Calvin is not the type of person to accept the general hunter argument that their hunting is good, because it thins the herd a bit to prevent starvation. He takes that argument and turns it on its head, forcing us to see it from the animal's perspective, which he feels we do not do enough in society. Neither his parents nor his teacher quite approves of his method of getting his point across though. 

7. "We're Here To Devour Each Other Alive."

Easily one of Hobbes's best lines, it is funny how this strip was created in a world before the internet, Twitter, Facebook, and the 24-hour news cycle that is full of hit pieces and focuses on making you afraid of the "other" that is always out to get you and destroy your way of life. This strip predates flame wars and internet trolls and other things that are a part of our lives, and yet... here is Hobbes, almost predicting it. Looking at our society, and especially our media, it is hard to argue with him. The strip is funny, but in a small way, it is also chilling. 

6. Cards

I first picked up a Calvin and Hobbes book when I was in kindergarten. It was over twenty years later that I picked up the joke. I have seen this joke done elsewhere after this, but Calvin and Hobbes did it best. 

5. Rosalyn Calvinball

Of all of the people in Calvin's life, few terrify him as much as his exasperated babysitter Rosalyn. She constantly extorts Calvin's parents, who are so desperate to get out of the house to spend some quality time as a couple that they will pay her ever-increasing rates just for a night out. There have been some great Calvin/Rosalyn stories, such as him threatening to flush her science notes, locking her out of the house, and another appearance from Calvin's superhero alter-ego Stupendous Man. This one is easily the best, not because of its humor, but because it is highly refreshing to see somebody approach Calvin at his level. She does not talk down to him. Instead of attempting to dominate him into submission, she tries to actually do something that, you know, he might actually enjoy. 

Calvin is a kid that will push back just as hard as you push him, so to see him reacting like this is telling. It makes you wonder what made her come up with this approach with him, but it worked like a charm. If more people treated Calvin like this, both sides would be much happier. The only person who really does is Hobbes. 

4. The Raccoon Incident

The strip starts with Calvin and Hobbes finding a heavily injured raccoon in the woods behind their house. Despite the best effort of Calvin's parents, the raccoon does not survive. This strip is the epitome of Calvin and Hobbes diving into deeper topics than merely the antics of a boy and his tiger. Death is a difficult concept for the best of us, and Watterson’s skill to believably portray it through the eyes of a six-year-old is astounding. Calvin obviously knows what death is, but has obviously never experienced it. At the end of the day, even as adults, the average person never truly wraps their head around death, much less a child. As the strip says, death is part of life, but that does not make it easier to understand. Watterson handles it with a deft touch, and does not come across as preachy, nor does it feel out of tune with the rest of the strip. It is brilliant writing.

3. "It’s a Magical World, Hobbes Ol' Buddy. Let's Go Exploring!"

Everything good has to end, and the truly great pieces of media know when to end. Watterson always had a high standard for himself, and did not want to be stuck in a rut churning out the bare minimum of quality five years after the strip should have ended. It is sad to see it end, of course, but it could not have ended on a more perfect note. It has a small feeling of sadness to it when you read it and know that the greatest comic strip of all time has ended, but at the same time, there is a feeling of optimism and excitement for what is to come with each new day. A fresh clean start. Like having a big white piece of paper to draw on. A day full of possibilities. It’s a magical world. Perfect.

2. "Calvin, Go Do Something You Hate!"

It is impossible to not read this one and get a big smile on your face, especially if you are a fan of the strip. Calvin's dad is constantly telling Calvin during all of his trials (shoveling the driveway in the cold, bug bites, horrible camping trips, etc.) that his experiences will "build character" whatever that even means. Seeing Calvin turn that against his dad is funny by itself. The thing that brings this strip to legendary status is his mom laughing so hard that she cannot even sit straight. No doubt she has heard her husband tall Calvin about a million things that will build his character, and he might have even said it to her once or twice. The expression on his dad's face is great too. Calvin wins this round by a mile, and he does not want to admit it. The only slight admission that he will give Calvin is that the voice is a little funny. The strip is funny by itself, but for fans of the series... it's perfection.

1. Build A Snowman With Me. 

Throughout most of my life, I would have placed the previous entry at the top spot. That all changed when I became a father, especially when my son grew old enough to ask me to play with him. I have been right where Calvin's dad is. A lesser artist would have added dialogue to this strip, but Watterson trusted his readers enough to know that we did not need to know what they were saying. That adds to the strip's power. Nothing needs to be explained, the body language and facial expressions say it all. Each frame of his dad wrestling with himself about whether to keep working speaks volumes just by itself. You can see the moment he decides what is really important.

This strip is also great because it is a rare moment when the two of them are happy together as father and son. Calvin is not the easiest kid to raise (Watterson himself said that Calvin's parents would probably do a better job than he would) and most of what we see between them is antagonistic. His dad is telling him to do something, getting frustrated or even angry at him, or ignoring how Calvin is feeling because of his own biases. This is the strip that really drives home that they love each other. Even if you cannot see Calvin's face in the third to the last strip, you can see his joy that his dad is coming out to build a snowman with him. Calvin does not hate the people around him (Moe aside, I guess) he just does not always know how to act around them, and vice versa. Nobody is on the wrong end of that more than his parents, so we often see their impatient side with him. 

Here, though, we see the best side of their relationship. Looking at his dad's expression in the last panel, you know that he has no regrets. Sure, he will probably be up until one in the morning finishing his work, but he has created a great memory with his son, which is something he does not get to do very often. He is going to be up for a long time and probably go to work the next day having gotten very little sleep, but it was all worth it. Every moment.

This was not the easiest list to make. It could have easily been top twenty, or even top thirty. Through the strip's run, we got some of the best comics ever, and this only scratched the surface at the brilliance that is Calvin and Hobbes. We probably will never see a strip like it ever again. It is easy to see why it has endured in the public consciousness, even if it wrongfully never reached the heights of Peanuts or Garfield. It only had a couple pieces of (legal) merchandise, and forget ever seeing any kind of movie or television adaptation. That might both be why it will never reach those heights, and why it will remain special. It is unique in its themes, intelligence, and overall place in the newspaper comic pantheon. I have sat down and read through the entire series more than once, and I cannot wait to share them with my children.

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Written By Tommy Durbin

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