I don't know if I would call myself a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes, but everytime I pop open one of their collections I am captivated by the sheer sweetness and cleverness of Watterson's work.

This is a nice collection because we get to see a little bit into the mind of Watterson. I like seeing how he designed the characters, which comics he liked, didn't like, changes over time, etc.

Necessary for the true avid fan.

My 18-year-old daughter said, "This guy is a philosopher! As a kid I thought these were just funny."

I'll keep this short - this is one of the best collections you can own for Calvin and Hobbes. As there is a gigantic compilation that includes all of the strips ever made, you might think there is little reason to own anything else. However, this book contains insight directly from Watterson himself. It includes his own personal takes on some of his strips, how he evolved his artwork, his battle with syndication and layout restrictions, and overall a great look into the mind of a rather reclusive man.

His work is magical in every possible sense.

Don't get me wrong, I love C&H. But Watterson is a bit preachy in this book. He tries to explain his rationale behind some of these comics and that's generally cool. But he has comments where he bashes other comics for being pretentions jerks while he comes across like basically a pretentious jerk. /shrug, it's still a good book with good comics. For me, it was a mix of eye-rolling at Watterson's comments vs. laughing at the comics.

"I've always loved cartoons. With 'Calvin and Hobbes', I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. It's been immensely satisfying to draw 'Calvin and Hobbes', and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to work in this wonderful art form." (p. 208)



This book allows us to see the man behind the pen. This collection is a selection of what Watterson thought was important, interesting or profound about various strips he drew. It is the equivalent of a director's commentary on a DVD.



I relished the introductory essay, which is far superior to the one found in the Monster Box Set. It covers more of the in and outs of drawing, Watterson's battle for control of Calvin, his no-marketing stance, and his push for those wonderful Sunday comics. We have yet to see his artistic superior, much less an equal.



If we read between the lines, Watterson's retirement was not a surprise. The battles he fought for his integrity really damaged a part of his soul. This book provides a better explanation than his terse press release, and I feel for him. The Far Side, Bloom County, and now Foxtrot have run their course, and like these other comics, we can use this book to stoke memories--the roses of the soul that charm us in winter.



From Watterson's point of view, this book is the best of the best. After reading it, I see what he meant. The reason why C&H was so popular was that he touched the soul's taproot. You have the two sides of the man, with the animal being human, and the human an animal, then the shifting frame of reference between the imaginary and real world. As a chronic daydreamer, I understand this perfectly. In fact, I find myself in many situations that Calvin does, with the same results.



This is art--we se ourselves, and are better for it.

"I've always loved cartoons. With 'Calvin and Hobbes', I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. It's been immensely satisfying to draw 'Calvin and Hobbes', and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to work in this wonderful art form." (p. 208)

This book allows us to see the man behind the pen. This collection is a selection of what Watterson thought was important, interesting or profound about various strips he drew. It is the equivalent of a director's commentary on a DVD.

I relished the introductory essay, which is far superior to the one found in the Monster Box Set. It covers more of the in and outs of drawing, Watterson's battle for control of Calvin, his no-marketing stance, and his push for those wonderful Sunday comics. We have yet to see his artistic superior, much less an equal.

If we read between the lines, Watterson's retirement was not a surprise. The battles he fought for his integrity really damaged a part of his soul. This book provides a better explanation than his terse press release, and I feel for him. The Far Side, Bloom County, and now Foxtrot have run their course, and like these other comics, we can use this book to stoke memories--the roses of the soul that charm us in winter.

From Watterson's point of view, this book is the best of the best. After reading it, I see what he meant. The reason why C&H was so popular was that he touched the soul's taproot. You have the two sides of the man, with the animal being human, and the human an animal, then the shifting frame of reference between the imaginary and real world. As a chronic daydreamer, I understand this perfectly. In fact, I find myself in many situations that Calvin does, with the same results.

This is art--we se ourselves, and are better for it.

Best cartoon series that I can remember. Use it as a coffee table book for guests to flip through and enjoy. Very satisfied with condition when received.

Best cartoon series that I can remember. Use it as a coffee table book for guests to flip through and enjoy. Very satisfied with condition when received.

Calvin And Hobbes...What A CLASSIC! It's hillarious, its clever, it's got everytihin! I bought this book as my first Calvin and Hobbes book years ago and I loved it immediatly! If im sad or upset, I just read this book and i'm happy again! IT's incredible! Watterson's commentary is an extra for this book and it's informative too. Also, this book has more strips than some of the other ones so buy this one! I hope this helped!

Having already owned every conceivable collection and reprint of Calvin and Hobbes material, I hardly needed a recap of the previous decade up to the point when this book was published. The attraction, then, had less to do with the smattering of strips that filled these pages and more to do with the bonus essays and commentaries that Watterson provides, shining some significant amount of insight onto the world of Calvin and Hobbes.

The first twenty pages or so are filled with Watterson's ruminations on the transformation (or devolution) of comics from their inception to the present day, licensing issues regarding his own strip, sabatticals, influences, the writing process, and his hard-won superior Sunday strip format. A lot of readers regard these essays (particularly the one dealing with licensing) as the verbal equivalent of Watterson patting himself on the back, but I firmly assert that any such interpretation can only result from entirely misreading Watterson's words. I can only conclude that Watterson's natural eloquence is confusing to those readers who are only capable of understanding illustrated stories, or else that they don't finish the essay before jumping to conclusions. A careful, complete read will guarantee clarity, as Watterson is extremely succint and therefore precise in the ideas he is communicating.

I only have two minor complaints regarding this edition, the first being that I would have appreciated a bit more analysis of the characters and their origins. I have read in interviews that an earlier strip of Watterson's contained an imaginative, tiger-toting younger brother of the protagonist, and it was only at an editor's suggestion that Watterson considered making these characters the focal point of the strip--which, needless to say, became by degrees the Calvin and Hobbes we know and love today. This information, along with a few of those old strips containing the "prototype" Calvin and Hobbes, would have made an excellent addition to the book.

My other complaint is that too much space is given to entire stories--weeks of strips--that are preceded by only one or two lines of commentary. I wish only a few strips from the entire story had been included, so as to free room for more material and resulting commentary.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is the fact that Watterson retired shortly after publishing this compilation. I suppose I should feel grateful for the wonderful ten years that were given to us, and I certainly do, but another part of me wonders at all the possibilities that the next decade might have held for the two intrepid explorers as they discover a universe of humor, whimsy, imagination, tragedy, and friendship. The Tenth Anniversary Book highlights the brilliance of Calvin and Hobbes, and makes us realize how short ten years can really be.

My ex-girlfriend bought this book for me for Christmas and I was very pleased. Bill Watterson is one of the most intelligent comedy writers of all time. This collection gives descriptions of all the characters and explains their basic origins, as well as giving you hundreds of comics to read. Black and white as well as sunday comic strips. 5 stars!

My ex-girlfriend bought this book for me for Christmas and I was very pleased. Bill Watterson is one of the most intelligent comedy writers of all time. This collection gives descriptions of all the characters and explains their basic origins, as well as giving you hundreds of comics to read. Black and white as well as sunday comic strips. 5 stars!

To explain all the reasons why reading Calvin and Hobbes has always been a pleasure to me would take far too long to explain here. Suffice to say they are all gloriously on show in this tenth anniversary edition. This edition is an absolute necessity for anyone who enjoys Calvin and Hobbes' antics.

The normally reclusive Bill Watterson gives his thoughts on his strips, the world in which Calvin and Hobbes live and cartooning in general. He talks about the joy that cartooning as a career has given him and the reasons why he has refused to sell out and cash in on merchandising the Calvin and Hobbes brand.

Needless to say there is also a long parade of many of the most popular and memorable of the strips which means that it is fantastic and hilarious even for newcomers. Definitely worth the purchase.

This is a triple-dip Calvin and Hobbes collection. There are cartoons. Of course there are cartoons. Besides those, the two bonuses in this book are an extensive (and perhaps a bit ponderous) introduction by cartoonist Bill Watterson and Watterson's commentary on many of the individual strips.

This anniversary edition includes a sampling of classic story lines and the great cast of characters of the C and H universe. They're all here: Calvin and Hobbes, the acerbic Mom and the bike-riding Dad, Susie and Moe, Rosalyn the evil babysitter and the long-suffering Miss Wormwood. All of these have their day along with plenty of dinosaurs, aliens, and snowmen. Even the phantom Stupendous Man zips through a story line or two.

Watterson's introduction is a somewhat lengthy analysis of his work, including influences, methods, and problems encountered in the production of a daily comic strip. Although it's interesting, I recommend that you save it for later and skip right to the cartoons. That's why you bought the book in the first place, isn't it?

More fascinating are the "side bar" notes by Watterson that accompany quite a few of the strips. These remind me of director's commentary track on a DVD; they give insights into the author's mind and his creative process. Some of his laconic observations are as funny as the strips themselves.

I was one of those truly disappointed several years ago when I heard that the daily strip would be cancelled. Time and mortgage payments being what they are, I eventually set aside my grief and got on with my life. Calvin and Hobbes were pretty much forgotten. I pulled this collection off of a dusty bottom shelf a few nights ago when I was looking for something light and entertaining. It's just that: a perfect diversion that I highly recommend.

A book full of 'Calvin and Hobbes' comic strips and the wit, wisdom and insight of Bill Watterson...who could ask for more? Not me. I loved C&H during its' run on the comics page. Now, with C&H (sadly) gone, I can always revisit the humor by reading any page at random.

I adore C&H and I agree with many others in placing it as one of the finest examples of the genre ever written. This book is as good as you're ever going to get to learning about the man behind the strip. I gave the book 5 stars purely on the book's merits. Beautiful cross-section of strips and you get Watterson's commentary warts and all.
I totally respect the man's integrity and his desire to create something truly memorable. He more than succeeded. But in this book, for all his noble principles, he doesn't really seem like a fun person to be around. His commentary reveals him to be aloof, disdainful of anyone who doesn't follow his standards, rather lacking in humour(he saves that for the strip itself) and a bit of an obsessive-compulsive martyr.
Yes, Bill, we KNOW you drew, inked and painted every bit of it yourself, you're not the only one who does. Not ALL syndicated cartoonists are Jim Davis. It's a shame that such a wonderful strip had to come out of someone with so much anger and bitterness about the industry he chose to join, but that's life, I guess.
I notice that although he lists Peanuts and Pogo as two of his biggest influences, he totally disregards the fact that both were *extensively* merchandised and franchised, a concept he loathes.
Merchandising did not stop these comics from being classics in their own right. I have my battered and loved Snoopy doll sitting on a shelf in my bedroom, and I'm afraid I fail to see how a bit of ASTUTE merchandising could possibly have degraded C&H.
That said, it's Bill's strip, and none of us can tell him what to do with it. Despite all the fighting and conflicts with his syndicate, he left us with something truly magical. Enjoy the strips and play a game of Calvinball for Bill.

When I think of the five top cartoonists in the history of cartoons, the names and the variety always intrigue me. Names like Walt Disney, Matt Groening, and even Charles Schultz are still on the tip of tongues all over the world, and each of them had a different style that they popularized. Each of them has been very influential to the cartooning business as well. The two other names aren't Hanna-Barbera (though they are right on the cusp of making the top five), but two cartoonists who both are retired, but made their names known with the comic strip format in the newspapers: Gary Larson and Bill Watterson. This book is a reflection by Bill Watterson, the genius of the hit comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes." C & H has been out of newspapers now for almost 10 years, but this book is a confession by Watterson on the first 10 years of creating "Calvin and Hobbes," a strip he ultimately retired after 11 years of creating.

The topics that are discussed by Watterson are taken very seriously and are talked about almost in a bitter, negative tone. His rants on the comic strip industry become tedious after a while, and he seems to be a cynical person on this topic. However, his arguments of artistic control and freedom vs. the demands and limitations set by syndicates make a good point/counterpoint argument to augment the balance of philosophy and prose vs. plain ol' whining. What you sense with Watterson while reading these passages is his evolution from a straight up cartoonist to more of an artist who wanted no limitations on getting his artistic message across (especially while creating his Sunday strips). You can sense a perfectionist inside of Watterson, and looking at the early strips cartoony look and simple gags to the later strips sophistication in storylines and art, it is easy to agree with Watterson that the early strips look "weird". It is also easy to see that Watterson fell more and more in love with the Sunday strip format. Looking at later daily strips, you sense he rushed through these to spend time on the Sunday strips, which are lush, lavish, and very colorful in their new format. Wattersons views of the cartoon business can come across as preachy and overbearing, but he provides enough evidence to balance out any bias on his part.

The book also takes on the issues of licensing, sabbaticals, and the process of creating a strip. I agree 100% with Wattersons stance on licensing, and his stance concludes to me that he is a man of integrity. I have grown so sick of strips like "Garfield" and "Dilbert" because of how overexposed they are, and these strips show the cartoon as more of a marketing tool than a piece of artistic pride by the cartoonist themself. Watterson put up a fight to stop the licensing of his product, and while burning some bridges and passing up millions of dollars, he came out successful. These fights, however, exhausted Watterson, which is why he took a sabbatical to recover. He makes mention of how syndicates now give 4 months off every year to the cartoonist, and he thinks these are more logical than his nine month vacation.

The part of the book I enjoyed the most was his description of characters and how he chose to write certain strips. The descriptions are pretty hilarious (especially Moe and Miss Wormwood) and even complimentary(Susie as a reflection of the type of girl he is attracted to, aka his wife). I thought that his descriptions are right on target, and is probably what people think when they read the strips. The background in his creation of certain strips show Watterson as humorous, cynical, honest, random, caring, thoughtful, and very creative. You will not only be laughing at the strips he chose, but by the descriptions he gives about the creation of the strip as well.

"Calvin and Hobbes" is thoroughly a missing part of the newspaper today. The comics page has not been the same since Watterson hung up the paintbrush about 10 years ago. While standard, pedestrian strips keep churning along ("Garfield", "Dennis the Menace", etc.), strips that pushed the envelope like this, "Peanuts", and "Far Side" are few and far between today. Thank God for book collections. If you are a fan of "Calvin and Hobbes", or interested in what they are all about, read this book today to see the genius of the man behind it all, Mr. Bill Watterson.

Have you ever wondered what Watterson was thinking when he penned his Calvin and Hobbes cartoons? This book offers his insights about his work, and various other things.

Fascinating.

Amazing and Hilarious and The Best!!!! No words to parise this Bill W creation. Calvin, as usual, entertains us, as our indispensible and fav 6 year old with an awesome vocabulary and superlatively creative mind. The book oversimplifies our daily tribulations into a comic strip featuring a gr8 kid with his pet tiger,

I honestly have never heard of anyone who doesnt like Calvin and Hobbes. Bill Watterson is a brillaint man. I really dont know what else to say about this book but if you like Calvin and Hobbes you already know the deal.

How can you not love Calvin and Hobbes? This mischievous little boy with his ever present stuffed tiger and best friend Hobbes is one of the funniest and most engaging comic strips ever. His naughty little tricks belie a good heart. Some of the best strips are where he is philosophizing about human nature. But of course picking on Susie is always a fun time too. And don't you just love how he drives his parents crazy? Calvin and Hobbes is truly a unique comic and unique characters.

This is a comic strip collection you can read again and again and still find reasons to laugh each time.

Bill Watterson hasn't drawn Calvin and Hobbes in almost 10 years, but fortunately, every strip in the series' run can be found in numerous compilations. The most impressive of these is the 10-year anniversary volume which contains some of his favorites. Watterson was a recluse and rarely gave an interview, but in this book, he is very generous in his insights into many of the comics he had drawn over the years and is particularly not bashful at taking shots at the trends of reducing the modern comic strip to almost illegible size and particularly the licensing of Calvin and Hobbes, which he very successfully opposed. It's not a surprise that he called it quits soon after this book came out.

Watterson comes off in his rants on the art of cartooning as a very bitter man, but a bitter man of unquestionable integrity. I totally agree with him that licensing characters and sticking them on "overpriced knick-knacks nobody needs" does cheapen the strip. As an example, "Dilbert" never affected me like it did after you couldn't turn around without seeing another Dilbert coffee mug, Dilbert stress ball, Dilbert burrito (I'm not making that up, folks), Dilbert hygiene product (OK, I made that up), etc. I got sick of looking at Dilbert and my interest in the strip waned.

But I love going back and looking at old Calvin and Hobbes strips. Sometimes I wish that Watterson would pick up his ink pen again and draw C&H againon his terms, but maybe he's just better off letting his creation stand on its own accord.

Watterson is one of the greatest cartoonists of our time. Calvin and Hobbes sometimes share their deep insights on the values of life. Sometimes their personal outlooks on life are reflected off Watterson's views, which is a great skill to have. Along with the comics, the book is filled with accounts the author wrote, explaining his feelings about the comics and what they mean to him. The book is funny and adventurous, and when you're through reading it, you might have learned a lesson.