Book Review: The Calvin and Hobbes 10th Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Watterson's commentaries and essays at the beginning

Cons: Fans do already have these strips

The Bottom Line:

Comic strip best of

But added commentaries

Make it worth the price

Yes, Even Die-Hard Fans Need to Buy This Book

As a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, I put off getting the 10th Anniversary book because I thought it was merely a best of collection I didn't need since I had all the others. Boy was I wrong! This book is a wonderful insight into the mind behind my favorite strip of all time.

Bill Watterson spends the first part of the book talking about everything from character names and personalities to his fights to keep his characters from being over commercialized. While I wish there were more products available, I do respect him for sticking to his principles on this. He also talks about the format of the Sunday strips.

The rest of the book is a collection of strips, starting with the very first. What is interesting here is Mr. Watterson's commentary. Whether it's the idea behind or an amusing story that happened because of a strip, it's all very entertaining. It also brings out some of the themes talked about it the strip. He also discusses the ideas behind such staples as the wagon, Calvin's box, and Spaceman Spiff.

I truly miss this wonderful strip because of its creativity and insights into our American culture. The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book shows the behinds the scene story in an entertaining and informative way.