The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) by Bill Watterson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes)
Book Review: reminds us of the power of humor, friendship, and daydreaming
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Watterson likely did not envision the impact and scope he would have through the 10-year run of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes", all 23 pounds of it, preserves this legacy without cheapening it (Mr. Watterson refused the lure to see his creation perpetuated through recycled mugs, t-shirts, calendars, mouse pads, and swimsuits!).
Though there are some previously unreleased drawings, I'm looking forward to rediscovering old favorites, still dimly remembered, and having this collection to peruse on winter afternoons or lazy summer days.
Mr. Watterson captured many of the fragile, fleeting emotions of childhood through the adventures of Calvin and his tiger Hobbes. Calvin's many adventures with girls, teachers, bullies, and, of course, his parents, chronicle that ephemeral stage of life when the world remains at bay and we live in the present. Best of all, the author kept Calvin frozen in time, so that we never had to confront the sad fate of Puff the Magic Dragon when Jackie Paper no longer believed.
In a sense, the memories conjured here are part of the collective consciousness of our culture, and their expression reminds us of the power of humor, friendship, and daydreaming.
Book Review: GREAT collection but....
Summary: 5 Stars
...I'm afraid the slipcase will become easily damaged, especially when I try to remove any of the 3 books. Those suckers are in there tight! I'll have to treat this with baby hands.
What can I say? This is a great collection for a great comic-strip. It was a sad day years ago when Bill called it quits on the strip, but it's nice to have all of them collected within this keepsake.
I have heard a rumor that a couple of the strips have been edited because they contained content of Calvin being adopted. See this link: http://faynights.blogspot.com/2005/09/stripped-out.html
I haven't gotten that far into my rereading of these strips to see if that is indeed true, but it's no big deal to me.
Book Review: Minor flaws don't take away from this--the ultimate collection.
Summary: 5 Stars
(I just received this today--The Complete Calvin and Hobbes! 10/4/05)
4.9 Stars
The collection consists of 3 books within one slipcase. Each page notes the date(s) of original publication of the strip(s) on that page. The strips have an appearance of being imposed on the page separately in respect to their original publication dates. This differs from other Calvin and Hobbes collections/treasuries; within those pages you find the strips laid out as a combined whole without distinction between each strip. There are also, of course, the wonderful watercolors by Watterson which appear occasionally, on pages respective of content and chronological order.
Book One starts with a 14-page introduction/forward written autobiographically by Watterson on his view of comics and his relationship with Calvin and Hobbes. Includes photo of Sprite and a few other comics/early works by Watterson, as well as an early version of Calvin and Hobbes. Book One includes all the comics of 1985-1988; Book Two 1988-1992; Book Three 1992-1995.
This is definitely an archival collection and not ideal for constant casual perusing, though the attractiveness makes it hard to resist. The printing, layout, paper, binding are beautiful but any wear and tear would be heart-breaking. This leads me to describe one drawback: these books aren't really hardbound books. They look so, because of their hard covers, but actually they are what's called "cardboard articles", meaning the pages are not stitched to the spine, and instead glued. Albiet, this is common book binding practice, but I'm sure most of us wouldn't have minded paying some more for real hardbound articles for the sake of longevity in preservation. So although this collection is best left for archival purposes, it's unfortunate they are not exactly archival quality.
Despite the books being cardboard articles, the pages are easy to open up without damaging the fabric covered spine due to the generous space and horizontal orientation. However the images of Calvin and Hobbes on the front and back faces of the slipcase are printed on separate squares of paper glued to the surface, rather than integrated, or printed directly on. This is something I realized as I slid the collection onto my bookshelf and found I had to be careful or the sides of those squares might catch and lift a bit.
The total collection weighs about 22.5 lbs, which makes it a bit awkward to handle. This wouldn't be such an issue except the books are snugly fit within the slipcase, meaning they're a bit difficult to extract without having to tilt the case forward a bit. It would be ideal if the slipcase had round cuts on the top and bottom corresponding to each book so one's fingertips could pry out the books with ease.
The bottom line is that for Calvin and Hobbes fans who want to own a nice comprehensive collection, imperfections are there, but not enough to deter. The beauty of the pages and the excitement of owning this make those issues mere minor annoyances. It is also the ideal purchase for those who are new to Calvin and Hobbes. At one concise and reasonable price you get the Complete Calvin and Hobbes. This collection is sure to please. Yes, I admit, I am a bit prejudiced by my absolute adoration for this boy and his tiger.
Book Review: Watterson deserves the Nobel Prize for literature
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" was and is a singular achievement in art, blending the distinctive fantastic integrity of George Herriman's "Krazy Kat," and Berke Breathed's "Bloom County," the simple exploration of humanity of George Schulz's enduring "Peanuts," and raising and perfecting the lesser talents of Hank Ketcham's circumscribed worldview of "Dennis the Menace," and Gary Larson's skewed humor in "Far Side." From this constellation of comparisons, Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" is by far the brightest star, a supernova against white dwarfs, for it also adds and reveals an interior narrative that is simultaneously whimsical, and profound and moving like the deepest texts of ancient culture. To say that Watterson has created a visual poetic achievement on the scale of The Odyssey or The Holy Bible is not overstated, for as the appearance of this volume attests, something very significant has been achieved here. And yet, like blowing the seeds of a dandelion, it also is fun.
It has been previously noted, but frankly too little has been said, of Watterson's refusal to license the Calvin and Hobbes characters for mass market merchandising. Such costly integrity is unknown in this day and age, and therefore a text such as this merits more critical attention, for Watterson has therefore said more loudly than he ever otherwise could have that he is saying something with his art that is beyond price. He could not sell it in that way, and as he allows in his few writings outside of the comic strip itself, Calvin and Hobbes is a deeply personal creation. Perhaps most of us will never be able to create something ourselves so deeply personal, and so we must pause and attention must be paid to the artist who has, particularly the artist who has at great cost.
Fandom has explored the philosophical dimensions of "Calvin" versus "Hobbes" in the strip, and this again points to the inexhaustible nature of this classic text, for new dimensions are emerging in online discussions even now. Apart from the artistic integrity of the illustrations, Watterson's narrative is proving to be enduring beyond generations, combining the summit of achievement in two fields. Watterson is, therefore, an American artist simultaneously equal to both Mark Twain and John James Audubon, and from his merits deserves the Nobel Prize for literature. Would that the committee had the vision, this volume would certainly be among the finest ever to be recognized.
As I live in France, I currently am among the few in the world to enjoy "Calvin and Hobbes" daily re-runs in "The International Herald Tribune." This is always a delight, yet Watterson would weep at the compressed space in which his creation appears. This volume, therefore, corrects what many of us suffered under during "Calvin and Hobbes" print run and displays the strips in their proper originally intended size, with the Sunday features fully colored and breathtaking. For that alone this volume deserves five stars, and the additional collected material on Watterson's battle with comic space editors is always a welcome re-read.
Watterson's deceptively simple use of line has influenced a new generation of artists, among notable ones are Aaron McGruder and his current strip "Boondocks" and children's illustrator Jeff (Jef) Kaminsky in his "Poppy and Ella" and other works. For this legacy, Watterson is to be thanked. But for this complete collection and the excellent material assembled here as a permanent library worthy edition, Watterson deserves the highest distinctions both this nation and the world can offer. Let us hope that with the appearance of "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" this recognition is hastened.
Book Review: Decent Comic, but overrated and tiresome after a while
Summary: 3 Stars
I used to look forward to Calvin and hobbes every morning when I grew up until, at age 11, it ended. I have many fond memeories of this Comic, but going back to them is somewhat disappointing. While some are funny others are often boring. For every work of genius there is a sad retread of an older joke. These were meant to be read once a day, and reading a large group really wears you out. I always thought the comic was a bit overrated, and it seems that Watterson may have been a one-trick pony since so many of his comics are basically the same gag over and over. After the Greatness that was the Far Side collection, I think my hopes may have been too high, but that Collection is definetly a better value.