Calvin and Hobbes Review
Visit the official Calvin and Hobbes web site and read the strip!
The two Calvin and Hobbes cartoons were scanned from my personal copy of Wierdos from Another Planet! (Watterson, 1990) Printed inside the cover I found this:
Calvin and Hobbes is syndicated internationally by Universal Press Syndicate.
Wierdos from Another Planet! copyright © 1990 by Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. For information write Andrews and McMeel, a Universal Press Syndicate Company, 4900 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112.
As required by law, here is my review. . .
Bill Waterson had several themes which showed up in Calvin and Hobbes from time to time. Spaceman Spiff, the Transmogrifier, and Rosalyn (the babysitter) were but a few. My personal favorites were the snowmen. This is perhaps the best of all the many wonderful snowman cartoons that Watterson produced. This cartoon was drawn for the Sunday funnies. Because of the format used by the newspapers on Sundays, the strip must be drawn in such a way that it can stand alone without the first two panels. For a more detailed explaination, read The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, pp. 14-16 (Watterson, 1995). The first two panels are "throw-aways" and are completely unrelated to the rest of the strip. In the first, we see Calvin writing a huge message in the snow and in the second his dad is inside reading it ("My.... dad... is... a... big.." ..HEY!) . It's cute, but it could be better. And now on to the SNOWMEN!! The main storyline of this strip is contained in 6 panels. The first 4 show Calvin in the process of building snowmen. The final "construction" panel shows a cluster of three snowmen. The fifth shows Calvin walking and smiling. We are to presume that he has finished building snowmen, and is happy with his work. The final panel is both climax and resolution. It is a panned back view of the three snowmen. They are expressing shock/horror at the fourth snowman, which is at their feet (do snowmen have feet?). It has been hit by a car. The victim is a three-snowball snowman, and is in pieces. His largest portion is on the hood of the car, the middle section is against the front bumper, and the head is further in front of the car, seperated from his body. We also see Calvin's parents, who are viewing this sculpture along with us. Their backs are to us, and Dad is saying, "I think we'd better get that kid to a psychologist." This overall view is highly effective. Some people may wish to read into the sculpture. . . the influences of violence in today's society, the evils of technology, or some other bunk. I really don't think there is anything to read into or analyse. It is very amusing and that's all there is to it. For more of Calvin's experiences with snowmen, I suggest reading ATTACK of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster SNOW GOONS. (Watterson, 1992)
This cartoon is the culmination in a series of cartoons relating Calvin returning home from school and being attacked by Hobbes. In this, the best of the series, Calvin remembers being attacked on other days and wishes to avoid it happening again. He sneaks in the back door to find Hobbes near the front door waiting to pounce. The climax has Calvin yelling "I'M HOME!" and scaring Hobbes. Bill Watterson has hit a high point in the evolution
of Hobbes in this cartoon. The image of Hobbes in mid-air with numerous front paws, eyes, and noses is highly effective in portraying his extreme surprise. It is, in my opinion, the best expression of emotion that Hobbes has ever shown. The final panel shows, conclusively, that it is not wise to scare tigers.
I hope that you enjoyed my review of these Calvin and Hobbes cartoons.
[Main Page]
[The Revised Bill of Rights]
[ The Jukebox]
[Photo Album]
[Calvin and Hobbes]
[Links]
[View Guestbook]
[EMAIL ME!]
[Visit MotorCity]
[Ask Stoney -- Stoney the Siberian Husky answers your questions about life, love, and chasing cats]
Copyright © 1997-2001. This site is authored and maintained by Richard. All rights reserved. Images used on this web site may not be copied or used except with the express written consent of the copyright owner. All copyrighted images used by permission of copyright owner or used within appropriate legal context.