The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I was not lucky enough to be able to read Calvin and Hobbes growing up. Here and there, I might see one or two strips linked to on the Internet, but Calvin and Hobbes had until recently, remained a curiosity to me. Having taken the plunge on this collection, I ended up spending many wonderful evenings working my way through every strip. When I have the time, I look forward to being able to do so again.

For those who don't know much about Calvin and Hobbes, the strip revolves around six year old Calvin and his faithful stuffed tiger companion, Hobbes. Their adventures, both fictional and imaginary, provide a quirky insight into the suburban American life of the eighties and nineties. Don't be put off by the childish setting: Calvin and Hobbes are both capable of some fairly penetrating philosophical insights that will make you sit back and reconsider your life and the world even as you chuckle. I recommend you look up a strip or two to get a feel for Watterson's delightful brand of humour. Some that stood out in my memory are the one where Calvin wears his Dad's glasses and sarcastically mimics him, as well as the one where his dad puts off work to go and play with Calvin in the snow. Watterson uses some recurring jokes that are very evident if you are reading the collection in one go (snowballs/Susie and summer camping holiday spring to mind) but their effect is not diminished. One other thing to be mentioned is the introduction by Bill Watterson at the start of the collection, which helps provide some context for the situation in which Calvin and Hobbes was created and written. The result was that as I approached the end of the third volume, I found many of the panels extremely poignant in the knowledge that they were coming to an end. Dose feels....

In terms of the books themselves: they come as a large three volume box set, reassuringly weighty. The comics are printed in thick, quality paper, vibrant colour where applicable, and with dates attached to each one. The editors have also taken the liberty of rearranging the order of some sets of comics such that a single storyline is always put together, even if you end up with a few Sunday strips in a row - very helpful for the whole reading experience. The set exudes value - it comes strongly recommended.

What to say? I bought this collection in NY, the first time I traveled abroad, baggage excess be damned, just because I loved Calvin and Hobbes so much. And there's nothing much that can bring me close to tears than that last comic strip when Calvin is too busy and Hobbes turns back to being a stuffed animal. Gives me goosebumps.