3 Review(s)

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury is, as the name suggests, a treasure trove of comic genius and unforgettable Calvin-isms. Bill Watterson’s Calvin is an energetic and imaginative young kid with boundless energy, and a lovable stuffed tiger Hobbes for company. Together they form a dynamic and entertaining duo as they go through the humdrum daily life in the American suburbs and present their own sardonic and satirical take on all things American – from environmental issues, to elections, and opinion polls. In his own funny and somewhat philosophical way, Calvin throws light on the important issues that affect all our daily lives, albeit with a heavy dose of humor and fantasy. This issue contains all strips from the books Calvin and Hobbes (1987) and Something Under the Bed is Drooling (1988), along with over 12 pages of completely original content. The book also has a foreword by Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the comic strip Peanuts, an illustration of Calvin in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, on the back cover, and an illustrated poem, ‘A Nauseous Nocturne’ which describes Calvin’s nightmare regarding a monster stalking him at night. First published in 1985 as a syndicated comic series, the cartoon strip has been published in over 2,400 newspapers all across the world, and reruns still appear in over 50 publications worldwide. Over 45 million copies of the eighteen Calvin and Hobbes books have been sold so far. Cartoonist William "Bill" Boyd Watterson II is the creator of the famous comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Born in 1958 in Washington D.C., Watterson used to draw comic strips as a kid, and all throughout his college years at Kenyon College where he completed his B.A. in Political Science. Prior to achieving fame with the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, Watterson worked as a political cartoonist with The Cincinnati Post for a brief period. He also contributed cartoons to Target: The Political Cartoon Quarterly, and drew grocery advertisements for four years.