Introduction to Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995 (2001)
Calvin and Hobbes is remembered here as a formative work of childhood and adolescence, praised for its wit, emotional depth, and ability to resonate differently with readers as they age. Commenters reflect on Bill Watterson’s artistic choices—especially his refusal to license merchandise and his retreat from public life—debating whether this preserved the strip’s integrity or hastened its slide into obscurity compared with heavily commercialized icons like Spider-Man. The thread also touches on his recent, darker book *The Mysteries*, the literary merit of comics, and even whether Watterson’s work merits recognition on the level of a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Technical / site notes
- One commenter’s security software complained about an “expired certificate,” but others noted the linked site is plain HTTP and the HTTPS endpoint serves a generic hosting certificate, so the warning is misleading.
Later work: “The Mysteries”
- Several readers recommend the creator’s new book, describing it as short, visually striking, somber, and philosophically rich, with themes of curiosity, control, and technological danger.
- A minority felt disappointed, calling it overrated and saying it would not have sold without the famous name; one even called it a “cash grab” but later softened that wording.
- Others strongly reject the “cash grab” label, pointing out the niche, noncommercial nature of the project and the creator’s long history of refusing lucrative licensing.
Merchandising, legacy, and relevance
- Some lament the lack of official merchandise and argue that licensing helps keep works culturally alive, contrasting the strip’s fading visibility among younger people with heavily merchandised superhero franchises.
- Others contend merchandising would cheapen the work, turning it into slogans and logos, and value a smaller audience that “gets it” over maximal reach.
- There’s debate over whether the strip’s relative obscurity is an unintended consequence of “not selling out” or an outcome the creator anticipated and accepted.
Awards and literary value
- One thread proposes nominating the strip’s creator for the Nobel Prize in Literature, claiming comparable worth to a musician laureate.
- Replies dissect Nobel criteria (“idealistic direction,” “benefit to mankind”), argue that overt politics or activism are not required, and debate the literary versus political value of both the strip and protest music.
- Some highlight the strip’s influence on everyday values (consumerism, adulthood, environment) as a form of “quiet” political or ethical commentary.
Personal impact and nostalgia
- Many recall the strip as a formative childhood joy: cutting comics from newspapers, buying collections on road trips, or devouring anthologies repeatedly.
- Several describe it as a crucial source of happiness during difficult adolescences, even shaping how they see imagination, adulthood, and virtue.
- Parents now reread it with their children, noting that kids love the visuals early, then grow into the vocabulary and themes; adults increasingly identify with the parents in the strip.
Access, learning, and age
- Commenters share links to official archives, an Internet Archive scan, a text transcription, and a search engine for locating specific strips.
- The strip is widely used for language learning: some learned English (or German) from it; others say it taught them vocabulary and even mild “swear” words.
- Several suggest 9–10 as a particularly good age, while emphasizing that its themes deepen across a lifetime.
Comparisons, craft, and influences
- The strip is compared favorably to other comics (e.g., Peanuts, Bloom County, The Far Side, Cul de Sac, Sam & Max, XKCD); many feel it ages better than most, maintaining both humor and emotional resonance.
- Some note that certain gag comics are best consumed “one a day,” whereas this strip supports binge reading without losing impact.
- Readers praise the creator’s prose in the linked essay: clear structure, tight paragraphs, and an ability to open and close ideas cleanly.
- There’s curiosity about how the strip might have evolved without newspaper/syndicate constraints and what the creator now does in relative privacy, beyond one-off guest strips and the new book.