Ben Affleck Is Sad About Batman v Superman

The reviews are in for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and...well, they're not pretty. In fact, you could say they make Ben Affleck, who plays Batman, pretty sad. Or at least, someone took an interview of Affleck and Henry Cavill (Superman) and added a few extra effects, including a slow, somber zoom and one of the saddest songs you can think of – "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. One can only imagine what was going through Affleck's mind as he may be picturing another Jersey Girl situation.

Simpsons and Futurama Have Crossover Episode, Apparently Every Single Show Is Doing The Same This Week

It's the week of crossovers, I guess. The Simpsons and Futurama kicked things off with a little mashup--here, Homer "saves" Leela's pet Nibbler by breaking the heads of a number of Bart-esque monsters. The "why you little" exclamations just sound phoned in at this point, Homer's done it so many times.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 31

I can't think of a more fitting way to wrap up this Calvin and Hobbes retrospective than with the final strip ever published. This appeared in newspapers on December 31, 1995, and while it has that "new year" vibe, as the finale, it's a great "looking ahead" ending. It's certainly not the funniest strip in the series, but Calvin and Hobbes doesn't always need to be funny to be on top of its game. This one captures the essence of childhood really well, and I think the spirit of the strip as a whole, too.

And again, I always marvel at how much snow Calvin's neighborhood gets. Just absolutely perfect for exploring. Let's keep life magical.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 30

I feel like this all the time. I can rattle off all kinds of nonsense, but rarely is it actually what someone is looking for. Oh well. Calvin will make a great architect someday.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 29

There are a number of great conversations Calvin has on the phone. Usually it involves him trying to buy things from a hardware store (often with limited success). I like this because it's so ridiculous, and yet slightly genius. Calvin knows exactly what he's doing, and he's just messing with whoever is on the other line. He figures the call isn't for him, so why not have a little fun? I like that way of living.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 28

I don't know why I think this is so funny. It's actually kind of sad--the world is so polluted that the scariest thing a child can think of is a barrel of toxic waste. Maybe I just like the face Hobbes make when he's being fierce.

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 26

In addition to his transporting/transmogrifying adventures, Calvin has also created a number of aliases for himself. One of these is Spaceman Spiff. Usually, the intergalactic narrative has Calvin navigating the perilous skies, with lots of vivid backgrounds on the strip. The color of the Sunday strips really help in these instances.

Often, Spaceman Spiff is about to crash land when Calvin snaps back to reality. Usually he's about to get into trouble, but occasionally he ends up answering his teacher's or parent's question correctly. I like those more than when he's goofing off, mainly because I enjoy when Calvin celebrates, as in the final panel.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 25

Some people get haircuts every couple of weeks, while others might go a year in between appointments. Whatever the frequency, it's something we have to do, and oftentimes the look isn't perfect, but it's good enough. I forget exactly why Calvin gets this idea that he needs to cut his hair, but there's a series of panels where Hobbes tries to help him out.

Predictably, things go wrong, and Calvin is left with a pretty wacky haircut. He also attempts to just cut it all off, then uses a yellow marker to try and make up for his lack of hair. Of course, that washes out during his next bath, and he's forced to just wait for his hair to grow back. At least his new 'do makes for good banter at recess.

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 23

Before other kids started providing smart answers on tests, Calvin was finding his own loopholes. I always enjoyed using the "Guess and Check" strategy on math exams, and would do what I could to game the system if I didn't know the answer outright. Sadly, though, as I'm sure Calvin will soon realize, this will not result in a correct answer. Unless your teacher is awesome.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 22

This is so true it's almost scary. I think it's only human to be in a bad mood every once in a while (those people who are too cheery may actually be robots). In this example, Calvin is mad because he has to go to school. I believe it's the start of another year, and he's absolutely not pumped about it.

Luckily, little Susie Derkins lives on his block and takes his bus. He can imprint his bad mood onto her. His evil face in the last panel is perfect. If you're feeling crummy, nothing beats bringing someone else down with you.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 21

People rarely use cameras that require film nowadays, but I think this concept still applies. Anytime I'm trying to take a selfie with ma girls, it seems like at least one of us makes a face or isn't looking. Or is making a face WHILE not looking. There's all kinds of nonsensical glory going around.

Calvin is being a typical disobedient child here, while simultaneously trying to find a loophole in taking a nice picture for the family. I also really just like Calvin's face in the third panel. If I can ever figure out how to make my mouth look like that...well, watch out, world.

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 19

I've always been envious of the people who can so easily adopt the "ignorance is bliss" mindset so easily. Contrary to what Hobbes says, I think that can be a wonderful way to live.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 18

As someone who gets caught up in telling stories (often with lots of tangents and whatnot) as well as someone who seems to be on the receiving end of a lot of snoozefests, I sympathize with both Calvin and his dad here. Also, escalators were so much cooler as a kid.

31 Days of Calvin and Hobbes: Day 17

Comic strips rarely deal with death. Let's face it: there are more humorous topics out there. But Calvin and Hobbes doesn't need to be funny to work.

This strip is part of a series that happened pretty early on in the lifespan of the comic. Calvin finds a raccoon that's already pretty badly injured, and rushes to get his mom and dad to try and save its life. Of course, as neither one of them are veterinarians with emergency life-saving skills, the raccoon dies during the night. Calvin doesn't take it very well, and this is the strip that wraps things up. I don't think it could be said more eloquently.

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 14

I always considered myself a math whiz throughout elementary and junior high school. When we played games of Around the World, I dominated everyone and everything.

Then algebra came along, and things weren't as easy as they once seemed. Actually, I think I still did aight in algebra and geometry, but it was calculus that really screwed me. I'm glad that sort of stuff isn't actually applicable in real life. Calvin struggles with math more often than not, but fortunately, he's got Hobbes to set things straight. His solution for "Y" is one of the greatest things ever.