Calvin and Hobbes

I find myself missing Calvin and Hobbes. I have not found a comic that spoke so directly to me and my friends like that comic did on such a consistent basis.

While ostensibly about a child and his imaginary friend, Bill Watterson managed to actually speak to all levels on a variety of subjects. Calvin was smart, sassy, crude at times, sly, creative, and surprisingly emotional. Hobbes was just as intelligent, but also more conscientious and equally as emotional. The parents were always smart and seemed warm and caring, even when Calvin was at his worst.

The comic strip managed to hit the right balance between funny for funny's sake and having a message that only the best comics (of any type) can do. The strip touched on religion, war, economics, bigotry and a host of other adult topics as seen through the innocence of this one child's eyes. Many strips since (as well as before) have tried to hit the right balance between message and humor, but few really get it right.

I understand why Watterson stopped when he did; he felt that he had taken it as far as he could and that he needed a break. He did not want to compromise the integrity of the strip or the stories being told. It is also special to note that, even during the 10 years that Calvin and Hobbes reigned supreme, Watterson did not commercialize his strip beyond the book collections; nearly any Calvin and Hobbes related item, decal, poster or any other item that is not a collection of the strips is a knockoff product.

Watterson wrote the following to the newspapers that carried the strip:

I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue. That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I'll long be proud of, and I've greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.

So few people go out on top and even fewer stick with the decision. I think it says something about Watterson that he went out at the height of the strip's popularity and left us with a finite amount of high-quality product to look back on fondly.

But this doesn't stop me from missing it.