Calvin & Hobbes (Still Under Construction since January 2011, Updated on Jan 2012)
Prelude
I used to think that it’s supposed to be pronounced as ’Hobbers’ back when I was a kid, actually I secretly still call him that as I feel it sounds cute, I guess I subconsciously miss being a kid.
Below we observe the genesis of a masterpiece.
The origins of Hobbes has never been clarified by Watterson, it is a mystery just like his existence. Judging from the syndicate one can only assume that Calvin either had Hobbes as gift or he indeed trapped him with a can of tuna.
As the comic progresses we see the world of Calvin and Hobbes on a canvas styled in different platform of ideas. The scenes are usually the places where one would find Calvin but despite staying strict to a particular landscape readers can thank Watterson for denying us boring repetition like Jon Davies’s Garfield (I lost count seeing pictures of Garfield sleep in a box, watching TV or having coffee)
The many scenes that’s portrayed in the comic consists of ;
- Calvin being asked to wake up for school – We all can relate to this one. How I dread waking up for school as a kid.
- Calvin in the bathtub – Being forced to take a bath by his mom
- Calvin waiting for the school bus – I’m sure we all can relate to that too, with a lesser language proficiency that is
- Calvin eating in the cafeteria – Usually has something to do about grossing out Susie Derkins, or being mauled by his own lunch)
- Calvin eating at home – There’s seems to some issues with the mom’s cooking’s, this was even validated by ‘Dad’ in a later episode.
- Calvin being his dad’s so called Political Analyst/Secretary advising him on his polls – This polls on popularity of holding office as ‘Dad’
- Calvin getting bullied by the school bully Moe – The less entertaining segment of the comic but the lettering fonts and monosyllabic of Moe in the dialog bubble indicates his level of intelligence (Jock)
- Calvin and Hobbes playing sport (e.g. American Football, Baseball, Tag, etc. ) -
- Calvin and Hobbes on a sled or sometimes on a wagon – This has to be Bill Waterson’s favourite edition of his skills. Though the humor is not physical despite moving in high momentum, Watterson manages to slow down time and explain to us the story in a frame by frame conversation between Calvin and his tiger. Personally I would say a 50% of the sled and wagon editions are serious and does not involve comedy. It emphasizes more on nature and spiritual thoughts.
- Calvin in class (Usually involves his teacher Mrs Wormwood or Susie Derkins, usually ends up having to meet the Principal)
- Calvin getting back home after school and getting pounced by Hobbes
- Calvin and Hobbes forced to be under the supervision of Rosalyn the babysitter when his parent are away.
The name Calvin was chosen by Watterson from a French Theologist/Humanist named Jean Calvin and Hobbes is named after an English Philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Now we know why did the strip often signals anti-capitalist and socialist values trough the dialogue bubble.
As a kid growing up I failed to realise that children Calvin’s age did not know some of the words that he often used. I was always under the assumption that my knowledge in English wasn’t enough to digest this comic. Now that I am older I realise that Calvin and Hobbes is also aimed for adult reading. If you were an adult in mid 80′s and you never got even slightly attracted to Calvin and Hobbes, you probably need a ‘lobotomy’, ha another word I learned in the comic corner !
The morphing of Calvin
The kid had an imagination as wild as a tiger. Often we see Calvin imagining himself as a certain entity or one of his alter egos. Some of this are ;
- Spaceman Spiff
- Stupendous Man
- Tracey Bullet
- Calvinosaurus
- Calvin (60′s Magazine Art Adult)
Strip Mystery
So is Hobbes real ? or is he Calvin’s imaginary friend ? He is surely not real in the eyes of the mom, dad, Mrs Wormwood, Susie Derkins and the rest of the cast of Calvin and Hobbes, however Calvin interacts with this life-size tiger that is able to reason, humour and no to mention pounce !
The only people who are capable to see Hobbes as a real tiger and not a stuffed toy is only Calvin and the readers of the strip.
It’s definitely not important to know whether that cat was figment of a child’s imagination as the whole comic was fiction anyway but my concern is what was in the mind of Bill Watterson as he created Calvin and Hobbes ?
Extro
I was friends with a lawyer who knew a little about palmistry during my 1st year in college, he read my palm and suggested that I was too imaginative for own good, I’m guessing that Calvin too falls under the same class.
