31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 27

Another Calvin character is Tracer Bullet. I think I like him more than Spaceman Spiff, though he makes far fewer appearances. It's Calvin imagining himself in a film noir setting as a private eye. I love his line when he first introduces the character: "I keep two magnums in my desk. One's a gun, and I keep it loaded. The other's a bottle and it keeps me loaded." Just fantastic.

I like this strip because usually when Calvin jumps back to reality, he's still just standing around, "investigating". This is a rare action shot for Tracer Bullet, though I'm sure it's not going to end well for Calvin.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 24

It's interesting to see what foods kids are drawn to, especially in retrospect. As a child, I was a huge fan of things like Cocoa Pebbles, and would put ketchup on litchrally anything, whether it was spaghetti or pancakes. Nowadays, I enjoy things like brussels sprouts, broccoli and plums, whereas back then you couldn't have made me try those even by force-feeding them to me through a tube.

Thus, as a parent, I'm sure a last resort is to say you're eating something gross. Kids might be grossed out by rice soup, but if that rice is maggots instead? They're all for it.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 20

Anyone who currently has a kid probably will hate this, but having only been one myself, I love it. I'm sure I woke my mom up a number of times with silly questions like this. In my (and Calvin's) defense, we didn't have easily accessible internet--Googling something was just a pipe dream.

I especially like how Calvin isn't deterred by his mother getting angry at him. That's the real sign of a persistent kid.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 16

Many a Calvin and Hobbes strip finds Calvin asking his dad a number of questions. Ones I remember off the top of my head are Calvin asking why pictures used to be in black and white (and Calvin's dad responding that the world was in black and white back then) and where the sun goes when it sets (Calvin's dad says it lands near Flagstaff, AZ). 

Essentially, he's just pulling Calvin's leg, but as a six-year-old, Calvin doesn't know any better. I'm sure I'd do the same thing--I don't know the answer to Calvin's question, and while I know what his dad says is wrong, it's a humorous thing to picture. I also love that Calvin accepts the response, though his mom is a bit wiser to his dad's shenanigans.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 15

Once again, Calvin strikes with his words of wisdom. People tend to listen to loudmouths, if only to shake their heads in disgust at what they have to say. Gotta love that get 'er done attitude.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 10

I remember reading that Bill Watterson wasn't a fan of the Sunday comics layout. He always wanted to create vibrant, everreaching landscapes, and he found the boxes he was required to stay in to be cumbersome, at best. Nevertheless, I think he does a pretty fantastic job with it.

This one's last panel cracks me up (I'm laughing as I type this), but the whole imagery is wonderful. Calvin often imagines himself as other creatures, and the fly in particular is disgusting. It's actually a perfect analogy for a six-year-old: filthy, annoying, and in the way. Well done.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 9

While plenty of comics have all sorts of wacky shenanigans going on, one of the things I've always admired about Calvin and Hobbes is how rooted in reality it is. The above three strips are part of a set where the family goes on vacation, and when they return, the house is ransacked.

It's certainly a possibility, and something people have had to deal with in the past. I know I've had that fear before (did I remember to lock the door??). Just the thought of someone in your house that shouldn't be there is enough to give anybody the heebie jeebies.

The bottom strip in particular is one I appreciate a lot more now that I'm older. You really do think that parents and grownups know everything when you're young. I'm still waiting for my handbook on how to be an adult.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 8

It's not explicitly stated where Calvin and Hobbes live. Clearly it's a place that has snow, although in one strip Hobbes says their house is by the "E" in "UNITED STATES" when you look at a map. I'm just going to assume this map is the one he's talking about, and oh my goodness, Calvin and Hobbes is set in Chicago. I'm just going to decide that's true.

In any case, Calvin often builds snowmen during the winter. Usually they're pretty morbid, and none capture the ridiculousness of his creations better than this strip above. I would love to just one day have the amount of snow that Calvin has to pull some of his masterpieces off. I mean, he builds roughly five snowmen in this strip. That's pretty impressive!

There's a fantastic gallery of most of Calvin's snowmen creations here. They truly are a thing of beauty.