Calvin
and Hobbes is, without a doubt, one of the greatest
comic strips of all-time.
It was drawn by
Bill Watterson from 1985 until he got really bitter and disappeared
out of the
public eye in 1996 (at which time the strip was carried by over 2,400 newspapers). You can go read old C&H strips at
http://www.calvinandhobbes.com.
The Characters (just short bios, see the individual character nodes for more information)
Calvin
Calvin is a six-year-old boy, and is the main character of the comic
strip. He lives at home with his parents,
Calvin's Mom and
Calvin's
Dad. He has a stuffed tiger named
Hobbes, who he believes is real
and with which he converses and interacts. He has an overactive imagination,
and just about every comic strip has some element of fantasy in it. Calvin
is rambunctious, getting into trouble frequently and often breaking everything
remotely breakable in his parents' house. He is extremely smart, but
his imagination and immaturity make success in school impossible. He
represents the piece in all of us that wants to stay a kid forever--and who
can blame him?
Hobbes
Hobbes is a stuffed tiger that comes to life whenever only Calvin is
around. Hobbes is the voice of reason (Calvin's
dramatic foil), usually
trying to talk Calvin out of harebrained ideas that usually culminate in
something blowing up or sending the two of them hurtling off a large
cliff.
Loves
tuna fish. Although they fight often, Hobbes is a perfect
best friend and companion. He is usually
lying in wait for Calvin
when he returns from school, to pounce on him with a giant hug as his own
peculiar show of affection.
Bill Watterson says:
"I don't think of Hobbes as a doll that miraculously comes to life when Calvin's around. Neither do I think of Hobbes as the product of Calvin's imagination...Calvin sees Hobbes one way, and everyone else sees Hobbes another way."
Calvin's Mom
Always around, trying to make sure Calvin doesn't blow up the house or do something equally catastrophic.
Calvin's Dad
Works as a
patent lawyer. Most often seen sitting at home, trying
to get Calvin to
build character or giving him ridiculous
and completely wrong explanations of how something in the world works. (
The
world was black and white)
Susie Derkins
A girl in Calvin's class. Calvin is constantly trying to gross her
out at lunch or throw
snowballs at her (because he has a crush on her,
of course).
Miss Wormwood
Calvin's
first grade teacher.
Rosalyn
The
Babysitter. The strips in which Rosalyn came to babysit are some of the best in the series,
IMHO.
Moe
The
Bully. Not very bright. Always after Calvin's
lunch money.
Spaceman Spiff/Stupendous Man/Tracer Bullet
Three of Calvin's alter egos. Spaceman Spiff is Calvin's daydream-self,
off fighting frightening aliens on strange planets. Stupendous Man
is Calvin's disguise outfit when he needs to do something
incognito, such as thwarting
Babysitter Girl's evil plans.
Other Calvin and Hobbes nodes:
On
a personal note...I grew up with
Calvin and Hobbes--I was 5 in 1985 when
the strip began and 16 in 1996 when it concluded--and I think for a lot of
people in my generation it represents our
innocence lost more powerfully
than any serious medium ever could. Calvin was what we all wanted to
be, wasn't it? The perfect kid. Evil plots to escape our teachers
and babysitters, transporting ourselves back in time to hang out with
dinosaurs
for an afternoon, with a
best friend that
never betrayed us,
never told on
us,
never was too busy for us.
As I find myself becoming more
Calvin's Dad than
Calvin nowadays, I take
solace in knowing that
Calvin is always somewhere inside me no matter how
deeply buried it might seem. All I need do is open up the pages of
any
Calvin and Hobbes anthology--or just look at any of the walls in my bedroom, where I have dog-eared and yellowed old strips taped up almost everywhere--and peer into his wide, innocent, rambunctious
six year old eyes.
And maybe into my own.