Calvin and Hobbes

[Qapla]

Before I start, this is a but long, but there is a point, so, if you bear with me you may just smile when all is said and shown.

Have you ever read the Comic Strip Calvin and Hobbes? The strip was published from 1985 trough 1995. At the end of 1995 Bill Watterson, the writer and creator of the strip discontinued the strip and it is no longer being produced. Here is a description of the strip and some of the characters:

Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious, mischievous, and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his sardonic stuffed tiger. The pair are named after John Calvin, a 16th-century French Reformation theologian, and Thomas Hobbes, a 17th-century English political philosopher. At the height of its popularity, Calvin and Hobbes was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide; as of January 2010, reruns of the strip still appear in more than 50 countries. Nearly 45 million copies of the 18 Calvin and Hobbes books have been sold.

Calvin:

Calvin, named after the 16th-century theologian John Calvin, is a six-year-old, whose last name is never mentioned in the strip. Despite his poor grades in school, Calvin demonstrates his intelligence through his sophisticated vocabulary and a philosophical mind.

He commonly wears his distinctive red-and-black striped shirt, black pants, and white-and-magenta sneakers. He also wears a jacket when going to school or when playing in the snow. He is an enthusiastic reader of comic books and has a tendency to order items marketed in comic books or on boxes of his favorite cereal, Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs.

Calvin also has a sensitive side as well. This is displayed, for example, when he finds a dying raccoon and tries to save it but fails. The scene is made even more poignant by Calvin asking Hobbes not to "go anywhere" whilst Hobbes hugs him and promises him he won't.

 

Hobbes:

From the other characters' perspectives, Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed tiger. From Calvin's point of view, Hobbes is an anthropomorphic tiger, much larger than Calvin and full of independent attitudes and ideas. When the perspective shifts to any other character, readers again see merely a stuffed animal, usually seated at an off-kilter angle and blankly staring into space.

n more than one strip, Hobbes is shown being washed in a washing machine, a fact Hobbes takes in stride and which Watterson has referred to as "one of the stranger blurrings of what Hobbes is."

Hobbes is named after the 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who held what Watterson describes as "a dim view of human nature." Hobbes (the tiger) is much more rational and aware of consequences than Calvin, but seldom interferes with Calvin's troublemaking beyond a few oblique warnings. Hobbes is sarcastic when Calvin is being hypocritical about things he dislikes

In addition to Calvin’s parents, there were several “Secondary Characters” … one of these was Moe:

 

Moe is, according to Calvin, a "six-year-old who shaves" and a stereotypical bully who picks on Calvin (both physically and emotionally) and calls him names. Moe is the only regular character whose speech is shown in an unusual font as his frequently monosyllabic dialogue is shown in crude, lower-case letters. Watterson describes Moe as "every jerk I've ever known.

 

 

Another question: Have you read a comic strip called Pearls before Swine?

 

Pearls' style and humor are inspired by several comic strips, chief among them being Peanuts, Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County and The Far Side. Pastis regularly puts tributes to them in his strip.

 

OK, here is the point: For several days the Pearls’ strip has done a segment on Calvin and Hobbes.

 

Enjoy:

Edited December 21, 2013 by Qapla

[Shawnster]

A brother at our Hall was showing that last strip Thursday night.

[Miss Bea]

John, a person of my heart! I have a card signed from Bill Waterson. Calvin and Hobbes have been a favorite of mine for many years. I have most all the books they put out. Got to pay more attention to Pearls Before Swine. The one Sunday I did not get the news paper. Last Sunday. I will chase it down. Thanks for sharing!