It's a catalog of my childhood, too. There isn't another comic so filled with unbridled energy as Calvin and Hobbes.
It Just Bugs Me
I have no less than five Calvin and Hobbes anthologies. Every one is battered, but plenty readable.
I actually attempted a few of Calvin's ideas back in the day. There were...mixed results. The series is one of the centerpieces of my childhood, really; and you aren't the first to agree.
"The only way to truly waste an idea is to shove it where it doesn't belong."
I second all the comments above. Calvin and Hobbes made a very big impact in my life, and without it, I wouldn't be the person I am today. The comic gave me many different opinions on things in life, and I quote it very often as well.
In short, it's one of the most brilliant, influential things I've ever read.
I have every single book of Calvin and Hobbes. The funny thing is that when I first started liking it, I was too young to understand half of it.
The great thing about Calvin and Hobbes is that it's natural. When I looked at the comic, I never felt that it was trying to tell a joke, I just saw a story unfold in each strip of four little boxes.
Fight. Struggle. Endure. Suffer. LIVE.
I will happily second the sentiments expressed in this review.
Rhymes with "Protracted."
It was the first book I ever read by myself, so yeah, it's kinda near and dear.
"Whoa" Keanu Reeves
Seconded. Calvin and Hobbes entertained me for hours as a kid, transported me to another world. It's definitely one of the best comic strips ever.
My earliest Calvin and Hobbes books are also battered, with the covers and pages tearing. Which got me a stern telling off by my dad since the books were his in the first place. That's been years ago, but I remember happily reading those stories.
I've got about six different C&H books. They are all near mint.
I was not Calvin growing up.
Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Dude, you described this comic strip perfectly, and I applaud you. I tried hard not to repeat everything you said in my own review, I have very similar thoughts/experiences.
This made me smile. Calvin and Hobbes was probably the first book I ever enjoyed, and I still pull the books down to this day (sadly, I was born in 95, the year the strip ended, so I didn't get a chance to enjoy while it was being printed in the paper). Some have yellowing pages, worn corners, crumpled covers, grease stains from food, one's even lost the first couple pages. But I would never think about getting rid of them, for they are, quite simply, my favorite books of all time
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Calvin and Hobbes
Prominently displayed on my book shelf is a battered copy of a Calvin and Hobbes book. I don't know which one, its cover has long since been torn off. The pages are ratty, dog-eared, and a few are missing entirely. Many of the pages are stained and smeared with grease from long-ago meals. The book, for all intents and purposes, is a piece of garbage. There's no way I could even give it away. It's filthy and worn, yet I still pull it out to read it.
Calvin and Hobbes stands as a testament to my childhood. This particular book has been with me since I was three, as have the antics of Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes. I was much like Calvin. Imaginative, active, and a spitfire, preferring the company of imaginary friends to neighborhood children. Calvin was my friend, a kindred spirit. Hobbes watched over the both of us, providing endearing wisdom and guidance.
In the many years since I first met the boy and his tiger, I have grown. I was always curious about my childhood, what I was like as a small child, how I thought, and the places I went within my own mind. I've come to realize that Calvin and Hobbes is a perfect record of my life. Though I did not do all the things Calvin did, though I was not as intelligent as Calvin, reading that same careworn book brings me back to myself, 3 feet tall and full of opinions. And for that, I will ever be indebted to it. If you haven't all ready, pick up a Calvin and Hobbes anthology from your local library. You'll be glad you did.