Book Review: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: This is a seriously funny comic strip.

Cons: Size and price

The Bottom Line: 

Calvin, Hobbes, and laughs

Collected in this one set

Large and expensive

"I Like Morals That Don't Apply to the Rest of Life."

Anyone who read comics strips in the 80's and 90's has one strip that always brings a smile to their face - Calvin and Hobbes. Now, the entire too short run of this classic is included in this classy set called, you guess it, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.

For those not familiar, Calvin is a six year old boy growing up in a house with his parents. His best friend is his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who happens to be real, but only to Calvin. Together, the two get into all kinds of scraps, mainly because Calvin is the poster child for obnoxious kids. The fact that his parents haven't strangled him is a major miracle.

For the reader, this is a wonderful treat, because it means we get to watch Calvin in one adventure after another refusing to learn anything. And his imagination makes those adventures far out. He might be Spaceman Spiff, battling the evil Zorg who want to torture him by sending him to school. He might create a duplicator and create duplicates of himself to ease his homework load. He might don his Stupendous Man costume to fight his nemesis Babysitter Fiend. Or he might use his time machine to travel forward in time to get his completed homework from his future self. And don't forget a nice round of Calvinball. Or a meeting of the top secret club GROSS (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS).

This strip was full of creativity and fun. Part of its charm was its ability to give a nostalgic look back at childhood through realist's glasses.

As the series progressed, its creator began to include some social satire in his strips. This became seriously hysterical. I just loved Calvin's gum magazine "Chewing."

This set is designed for collectors. It includes everything done for the strip over the years in three hardbound books collected in a slip case. This includes an all new introduction as well as covers and extra illustrations done for the collections over the years. The biggest draw back is the size. These are heavy books, and it's really hard to curl up with them and read for a few hours.

This set is for the serious Calvin and Hobbes fan. If you aren't already in love with these characters, find a collection today so you can meet them. Either way, you'll want the paperback collections for your everyday Calvin and Hobbes reading.

And maybe, someday, we can convince Bill Watterson to come out of retirement and give us further adventures of this wonderful duo.  Until then, we can enjoy the strips that are included in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.