I have used all of the Calvin & Hobbes books as bed-time stories for my two young sons for years. The artwork is engaging and holds their interest, while the writing clearly explains and handles complex issues that all people run in to in their everyday life. From the seeming stupidity of adults to the death of a baby raccoon, Calvin navigates the often dangerous pathways of childhood and learns life's lessons with a gentle humor that gets the point across with an innocent clarity that all ages can understand and appreciate. With Hobbes as his sidekick keeping Calvin's megalomaniacal ravings in perspective and providing a voice of reason in a six year old's quest for the meaning of life, both my sons and I learn a valuable lesson with each page turned. Spaceman Spiff and the ever-destructive T-Rex are favorites for my sons, as well as the special and beautifully done extended stories in the front of each book created just for these collections. I can start at the beginning of one book, work my way through to the end of the last, and start back at the beginning of the first one again, and the same strips appear fresh and new to all who read them. Bill Waterson's genius for showing complex issues in a clear light will be missed, but the world, and my son's bedtime stories, are richer for his labors. Highly recommended, to fans of the strip and to anyone who thinks that the best humor is the truth.

Bill Watterson's first Calvin and Hobbes treasury "the Essential calvin and hobbes" includes cartoons from Calvin and Hobbes and Something Under the Bed is drooling.

This treasury includes great poems written by Watterson at the beginning of the book. In this treasury you'll know how Calvin found Hobbes, when he first met Susie, etc. This is one of Watterson's best books! After "Homicidal psycho jungle cat" and "it's a magical World" I like this the most.

If you love sarcasm, humour, and great colourful drawings you'll love to have this treasury. Some of the reasons why I love this book are the sarcastic jokes, normal jokes, the characters' expressions, and fiction stories and poems like Spaceman Spiff stories. Nightmares like monsters under the bed at night also lead to excellent jokes.

You'll love Hobbes, Calvin, Calvin's parents, Rosalyn, Miss Wormwood, and Susie. I don't really like "Moe" but I like the thiongs Calvin does to avoid Moe.

Bill's works on Calvin and Hobbes is fun to look at and read. The hilarious pictures help add more humour to the stories.

This great treasury would be suitable for people of all ages. It might not be suitable for children under the age of "eight" cause they might not understand the humour!

Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

I love Calvin and Hobbes, but I believe that this collection is exceptionally impressive. I'm 11 years old, so I'm the perfect age for this type of thing. Even my grandmother likes it. The way Watterson portrays the characters is really amazing. I don't think of Calvin and Hobbes as simply a comic strip but a world. This book contains some of Watterson's earliest works, and most original. The boy and the tiger. Not so interesting, eh? Wrong.This is one of the best collections of one of the best comic strips on the planet. Well, I highly recommend all of Bill Watterson's C&H books, but this one I recommend highest.

Something Under the Bed is Drooling is a funny cartoon book. Calvin and Hobbes get in so much trouble and are hilarious. They're one of my favorite cartoons. Bill Watterson is a GREAT cartoonist. I like the way he draws Calvin and Hobbes's expressions. They are really cool. This is one of my favorite cartoon books, because Calvin and Hobbes get into so many funny adventures like Captain Spiff. Calvin is the funniest because he usually says most of the jokes. I guarantee your laughs will be numerous reading this book.

This was the book that first hooked my on "Calvin and Hobbes" back when I was in college and the strip did not yet appear in our local paper. The artistry of the drawing and the quality of the comic writing is immediately apparent. Bill Watterson is a comic genius whose presence has been sorely missed on the funny pages since his retirement. What is really remarkable is the consistency of his work. Any Calvin and Hobbes collection is a treasure, and this one is no exception.

The title of the book represents a truly classic series of strips in which Calvin first uses his cardboard box as a space ship to travel to Mars. What he finds is that the "Weirdos from Another Planet" are him and Hobbes! This is another first rate collection from the strip that was THE highlight of the comics page during its newspaper run. Bill Waterson's genius has been sorely missed ever since he decided to retire. This is another fine collection in an outstanding series of books.

I'm an 8 year old Canadian living in Beijing, China, and I love to read. I really like to read funny books. One of my favourites of all time is Calvin & Hobbes, "Weirdos from Another Planet". I find this book really funny because Calvin's imagination in this one is the wildest ever! The illustrations are a perfect match for the hilarious stories. I enjoyed the main part of this book, the space adventures of Calvin & Hobbes the best. I found them so funny that I couldn't put the book down in bed, and stayed awake very late. This book made me a real fan of Calvin and Hobbes, and now I can't wait to get more! Elise Hoffmann 8 years old, Beijing, China

This is a great book! There are lots of things in this story I love like when Calvin becomes a tiger, when he ruins the bathroom trying to fix a faucet,getting lost at a zoo, and going to Mars just to get away from all the pollution on Earth. This was one of the best books I've read. If you love Calvin and Hobbes, BUY THIS BOOK!!

On December 31, 1995, Time severed another strand linking our real world to the magical worlds of our youth. In creator Bill Watterson's final comic, Calvin and Hobbes parted with our hearts on a high note as the eternally youthful 6-year-old and his loyal sidekick tiger sled over the fresh morning snow, expressing the poignant optimism that made this comic one of the most beloved comic strips in history.

Buy Watterson's "The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes : A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury." The world of a child's imagination is awakened on every page. Reading the vibrantly-colored strips, one cannot help but believe that, at some long forgotten time and place, we were all like Calvin: ever optimistic, always believing, constantly exploring the fresh world around us. We miss those days. We need them back. This book allows Calvin and Hobbes to come back to life and reawaken the memories of your youth.

For most of us there remain too few strands linking our remaining todays to our yesterdays. But there is a way to suspend time and step back. Relive the imaginative days of your youth through the pranks, discoveries and character-building lessons of a 6-year-old boy and his tiger.

Calvin nas Hobbes is DEFINITELY the best of all comics i have read so far. All the stroies are great! You wont find even one which is boring, while some are simply all-time Classics.

'The Indespensable Calvin and Hobbes' certainly lives up to its name, featuring some of Bil Wattersons best works about a 6-year old hyperactive Calvin, and his 'Imaginary' stuffed tiger, Hobbes.

Definitely a MUST BUY ( if u dont have it already). A book for all ages. I only wish i was able to give it MORE than 5 Stars!!!

"Indespensable" is rendered rhetorical when it comes to Calvin and Hobbes, but a collection such as this should be required reading for, well, everyone. Calvin is the child we all were and continues to be the child we wish could still be. Of course any child who regularly uses words like "malpractice insurance" and "besmirching" asks you to suspend disbelief, but these phrases come from the same young boy possessing an unbelievably hyperactive imagination and a penchant for walking around the house in his birthday suit. And Hobbes, Calvin's best friend (who just happens to be a stuffed tiger - or is he alive?) represents everything we so crave and desire. Someone who will listen to you and give you unconditional love (not to mention a furry belly to lie on). Calvin's musings on life, school, and parents are nothing short of sophisticated philosophy. Take this book with your family and read it aloud for all to hear. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll imagine you're a tyrannosaurus rex. Indispensable.

Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

bill watterson is an amazing cartoonist. When I opened this book I was immeadiatly sucked in. His drawings are amazing and the water color he uses is great. once again he has created a comic book that anyone can enjoy. calvin and hobbes is not the ordinary slapstick humor you find in most funnies, it has a refreshing touch of witty charm. I love these comics and i would recommend them to anybody.

This is the best Calvin and Hobbes book! Bill Waterson sure makes lots of funny comics. My favorite parts of this comic is when Calvin's family goes camping and it rains so hard they cant even make a fire, Also this comic has Calvin's Uncle Max. I didn't really like that part. After that they never showed Max again. Some more parts I love are when Calvin and Susie both have to do a report together and Calvin does terrible, and I love the part where Calvin creates a transmogrifier pistol and he gets stuck being an owl when it breaks. Oh and don't forget about Rosalyn, that was funny too when the police came and Calvin got in really big trouble. I think this book is a must-buy for everyone who loves Calvin and Hobbes

"Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink'" is a collection of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips by Bill Watterson. The strips document the misadventures of Calvin, a small boy, and his stuffed toy tiger, Hobbes (who comes to life in Calvin's vivid imagination). In this volume we see Calvin's alter egos (daring interplanetary adventurer Spaceman Spiff, private eye Tracer Bullet), get a lesson in Calvinball ("No sport is less organized than Calvinball!), witness the rampage of the Calvinosaurus, and attend meetings of the G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) club.

Many of the storylines in this book have a strong science fiction element: in Calvin's imagination, his "personal gravity polarity" is reversed; he turns into a giant; etc. But the most fun comes when Calvin decides to clone himself. Much of the humor springs from the discontinuity between Calvin's rich fantasy world and the perspective of his often frustrated parents. Through it all, Hobbes remains a witty and philosophical pal to the mischievous Calvin.

C&H is a comic strip that is both consistently funny and consistently intelligent. The art is great, especially in the fantasy sequences (check out the noirish milieu of Tracer Bullet, for example). Calvin himself is a nonconformist, a terror to authorities of all types, a dreamer and a schemer -- he's one of the all-time great comic strip characters, and "Scientific Progress" is a great showcase for him and Hobbes.

The title of this book refers to the classic sequence of strips in which Calvin first uses his (cardboard box) duplicator to make a copy of himself that he hopes will do all the unpleasant things he has to do (like go to school). However, because the duplicate IS Calvin, he has his own ideas. This is another classic collection in the Calvin and Hobbes series. Bill Watterson is a comic genius whose presence in the funny pages has been sorely missed since his retirement.

I really enjoyed Scientific Progress Goes Boink mainly because it featured strips that were new and exciting, and it repeated strips I really loved.

If you are a Calvin and Hobbes fan, or you just want a great laugh, read Scientific Progress Goes Boink

The title of this book refers to the classic sequence of strips in which Calvin plots revenge on his "demonic" babysitter by kidnapping her homework and threatening to flush it down the toilet. Hobbes, wisely, tries to opt out of the operation. This is another outstanding collection in the Calvin and Hobbes series. Bill Watterson is a comic genius whose presence in the funny pages has been sorely missed since his retirement.

Bill Waterson has done it again. And what I mean by that is made up another wounderfly funny Calvin and Hobbes collection book from his famous cartoon strip. This book has all the basics that has made all Calvin and Hobbes fans laugh for years- Calvin getting in trouble with his mom, teacher, princibal, dad; Calvin having "fun" in the snow with his sled, and with his red wagon inthe summer; Calvin and Hobbes running away from home constantly; Calvin dening love to Susie; Calvin making rude comments and asking the tough questions; and the untimely philosophy of Calvin. This also has the favorite , the on going battle between Calvin and the wicked baby-sitter Merylin. This is a great book and also a great edition to the millions of Calvin and Hobbes fans collections. This is a must buy even if you a first time C&H's reader, it would be a good way to start your collection.

It is my feeling that Bill Watterson had enough integrity and ethics to prevent the syndicate from cranking out endless meaninglessly repetitive compilations. Of course, he did quit partly because he was becoming disgusted with many of the commercial aspects of his work. With most comics, even good ones, the collections get stale after a few. Watterson's collections don't. There are a dozen or so C&H compilations/collections, but you won't be dissapointed with owning the whole shebang, especially since Watterson frequently did a lot of extra work to ensure that each collection had something new to offer. Even without this extra stuff, Watterson's body of work is extensive enought to warrant owning all these collections. He was steadily cranking out great material for a decade or so, and if you are like me you will be reading some C&H weekly for as long as you are on this earth, so tons of books is not a bad thing. Basically, I wholeheartedly reccomend all the books. If you like one you will like them all. They only get better as you get to know the characters. Watterson never goes for the cheap laugh by having any of the comic's principals act out of character. As you progress through the years with C&H, and I do reccomend reading them in order, you will see how art progresses and grows when the artist is committed to excellent work. So, go get the first one, titled simply Calvin & Hobbes, and then start down the enjoyable road to making Calvin and his tiger a pleasant little chunk of your life. (Yes, i have repeated this review for every C&H book I own, wich is all of them, so get used to seeing all this anytime you look one of them up)

It's been 5 long years since the last Calvin and Hobbes book hit store shelves (and, subsequently, every Calvin and Hobbes fan's bookshelf). In "It's a Magical World," the last group of previously unprinted Calvin and Hobbes strips was published, about a year after the strip's end. For any other comic strip, that would be it. Every strip could be found in one of the printed collections, and the author was done creating, so there would be little to fill a new book with. Luckily for us (or, perhaps, because of us), Calvin and Hobbes wasn't done through yet. Let's get one thing out of the way right now: there are no new strips to be found in this collection. There are no new pieces of art, like those found in the Calvin and Hobbes Treasury collections. There are no new poems, like those found in some Calvin and Hobbes books such as "Yukon Ho!". There isn't anything new, save for some new thoughts and insights from author Bill Watterson and, for the first time ever, the original, uncolored versions of the Sunday strips shown (eraser, white out, pencil marks and all). With so little new content offered, you may be asking why they bothered putting this set out. The answer lies with an Ohio State Professor and museum curator named Lucy Shelton Caswell.Caswell, who also writes the forward to this book, put together the first Calvin and Hobbes art exhibit at The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library (the exhibit runs from September 10, 2001 to January 15, 2002, for those of you who will be in the area). This collection's release coincides with the festival and is meant for people who can't make it to the show. In this book, every strip on display in the festival (including, once again, the original, uncolored versions of the Sunday strips) is printed. The book (although sporting a bland cover) is very nice to hold, read, and look at. It is the same long shape as the later Calvin and Hobbes books, so the entire comic can be shown in full format, without being shrunk down or hacked up. This format is far superior to the old, square-ish collections even though, as Watterson humorously points out, it will stick off the end of your bookshelf. Unlike the other Calvin and Hobbes books, "Calvin and Hobbes Sunday Pages..." is printed on a very nice glossy paper, and below each strip is original publish date is listed. Everything about this book, aside from its boring cover, screams quality. So how about the strips? Spectacular, of course (we are talking Calvin and Hobbes here). Even though this book is meant to focus on the artistic aspect of the comic, you'll be happy to know that Watterson didn't only select his best looking comics for the collection (i.e., this isn't a collection of 36 "dinosaur strips." In fact, the book contains only one dinosaur strip and only one Spaceman Spiff strip. This is surprising because, as Calvin and Hobbes fans know, strips of these two breeds were the most artistically advanced). Instead, the edition showcases Watterson's evolution as an artist, exhibiting, as the title of the book would suggest, a few strips from each year of Calvin and Hobbes' 10 year run. Of course, the early strips are crude compared to the later works, but the reader will perhaps be surprised to see that Watterson was testing some pretty original ideas even in the early days (such as nearly wordless strips of Calvin and Hobbes dancing, or strips containing only a single panel of Calvin and Hobbes riding in their wagon). One of the things that surprised me while reading through "Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages..." was that, despite Calvin and Hobbes' amazing artwork, Watterson seems most proud of his achievement in panel formatting. He, of course, is famous for getting his strip a full half page in the Sunday papers (a format my paper, The Boston Globe, still adheres too even after Calvin and Hobbes' demise). Watterson talks about the pains of creating Sunday strips before his victory, where newspaper editors would go as far as to simply hack off the top set of panels for a strip. With this knowledge, the reader of "Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages..." will no doubt begin to notice that the set of panels in every strip contains "throw away" jokes, meaning gags that aren't necessary for the rest of the strip to work (i.e. the strips really begin in the 3rd panel). But panel formatting isn't the only great feature of these Sunday strips. But the book is not perfect. First and foremost: we've seen it all before. The sad truth is, every strip is available in some other collection. Sure, the sketches are new, but trust me, they'll have you salivating for more rather than quenching your thirst. Secondly, this book is short. You could go through it in half an hour, and even if you take time to really compare each non-colored strip to it's colored version, you'll be done in about an hour. Will you be going back for a second viewing? You bet. But some more strips would have been nice (I must say though, many of the strips used are great choices, both well drawn and hilarious). The final problem is that you'll encounter a lot of repeat information. Many of the strips in this collection also appear in the "10th Anniversary Book," and Watterson says pretty much the exact same thing in this book as he did there...This book is worth every penny, and I can whole-heatedly state that every Calvin and Hobbes fan should have one. I think this collection would make a great and unusual coffee table book, for there are very few books celebrating the art of comic strips. How about he big question: is "Calvin and Hobbes Sunday Pages..." better than the "10th Anniversary Book?" No way. "The 10th Anniversary Book" beats "Sunday Pages" in every category imaginable, except for the quality of the paper it's printed on. Looks like we'll have to wait for "Calvin and Hobbes: The Complete Collection" in 2003 to see the "10th Anniversary Book" dethroned. This book is, however, a true pleasure to read. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

It's hard to comment on this book without a bit of nostalgia for the good old days when Calvin and Hobbes was a daily strip. It was, and remains to this day, simply the funniest, and best comic ever written. This new book doesn't offer any new cartoons, but offers a refreshing look at some old favorites. This book is a delight because it provides new insight into the brilliance of the best of Calvin and Hobbes.

Calvin & Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995 compares the original pencil sketches Watterson drew with the final strip that ran in the Sunday paper. Included are comments Watterson added on his creative process, shining a light on the genius behind the boy and his tiger. They are at times witty and wistful, and the comics are, as always, laugh-till-it-hurts funny.

This beautifully printed and put together collection is the companion to an exhibition of Calvin & Hobbes strips at Ohio State University. While it doesn't comprise any new material, it is a must have for every Calvin & Hobbes fan for a variety of reasons.

First, each cartoon is presented with the original, black and white sketch on the left, and the final, colored version on the right. It is genuinely fascinating to see what color can do for a strip, and it was likewise interesting to observe the number of revisions that Watterson made.

Secondly, Watterson's introduction and his notes, which accompany many of the strips, offer wonderful insight into what the strips were meant to portray, and the artistic challenges he faced. While this is similar to what he did in the Tenth Anniversary book, it is obvious that he has gained some perspective over the last six years, and his thoughts are rather more contemplative as a result.

Finally, this book is a much needed burst of nostalgia for the trying times we live in. While it has only been six years since the last strip, it feels like much longer. There's something about Calvin & Hobbes that just exudes innocence and a simpler life. It was genuinely refreshing to revisit Calvin's world, and I am now greatly looking forward to rereading all of the collections. If you likewise long for the days when you could open up your newspaper and read this strip, you won't be disappointed by this collection.

Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes Collection

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes Collection is not only a real good book, but it also had me rolling on my sides with laughter. One reason it is my favorite book is because it is REAL funny. Calvin and his stuffed tiger get into so many adventures, all having a humorous twist at the end. Another reason that I liked the book is because it interests me. Every comic strip I read, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The last reason I favor The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes Collection is because it inspired me to start animating cartoons and comic strips. In this book I saw different types of cartooning that I liked. I am glad that I had chance to read The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes Collection I can't wait to read more!

I am a Calvin & Hobbes fan, and I find Calvin a most amusing and imaginative boy. He imagines a lot especially the fact that Hobbes is a real tiger. In fact, I never knew that Hobbes was just a toy, until I read a few more Calvin & Hobbes comics. Thanx, www.amazon.com. and also to B.W. I loved reading this book!

The announcement last November that Bill Watterson would be retiring his comic strip Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year should not have surprised anyone--at least, anyone who has read the recently released The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book. Like Gary Larsen's Pre-History of The Far Side, this volume provides a retrospective collection selected by the author, with notes on the origin and evolution of his creation. Both cartoonists annotated the books themselves, explaining the writing process and the business of cartooning. Larsen, though, as happy with his medium--his retirement was a factor of creative burnout rather than frustration with the limitations of the comics page of today's newspaper. That frustration with the four panel strip was the reason for Berke Breathed's early retirement, and is quite likely the reason for Watterson's as well. Watterson believes in the comic as a real art form--and in his hands it often was--but the dynamics of the business, both the physical limitations on the drawing and the way the economics is split between artist and newspaper with a syndicate go-between, restricted the full expression of his art.

The Tenth Anniversary Book is not a depressing collection, although it is quite serious in its examination of the ten years of the strip. Watterson reveled in his creation, and the work that he produced was always of the utmost quality. This collection has some of the most joyful moments of the past--Spaceman Spiff is there, as well as Stupendous Man, the Replicator, and the dreaded Babysitter. The amazing thing isn't that Watterson is retiring, but that he could spend ten years producing such work as fresh and imaginative as his debut.

While I am sad to see Waterson and Calvin and Hobbes retire, I have hope that we have not seen the last of either. The rise of the "graphic novel" and its acceptance in the United States (the form has always been popular in Europe [Tintin, Asterix] and Japan [magna too numerous to list]) offers Watterson the format that he deserves, where he can be enjoyed and appreciated as one of the most innovative sequential artists of the later 20th century.

Bill Watterson picks out some of his finest cartoons for this book, which would be reason enough to buy it. The additional commentary, though, makes it by far the best Calvin and Hobbes book. It was interesting to see what Mr. Watterson thought of his various characters, how he came up with different ideas and what he found interesting in certain stories. This book just confirmed to me that Calvin and Hobbes is one of the funniest, most original and most meaningful comics in recent years. It was interesting to hear about what Mr. Watterson is like as a person, as he reveals some of his personal interests and opinions through the commentary. Finally, finding out the background for Spaceman Spiff, Tracer Bullet, Miss Wormwood and the other Watterson inventions was interesting. Definitely worthwhile to buy, read and then read again and again.

Meet Calvin, a smooth talking six-year-old with a wild imagination and his pal, a stuffed tiger he believes is real named Hobbes. They play together and have some wild adventures that range from making snowmen and snowforts, running around the house, watching television, bothering a girl Calvin has a mild crush on, named Susie Derkins, and, occaisionally fighting each other. Calvin and Hobbes have a great chemistry. They always run and play outside together. This is the first ever Calvin and Hobbes book and it has the very first comic ever done by Bill Watterson, too. Calvin hates his school and his teacher who drives him crazy, Ms. Wormwood. Calvin's parents also get on his nerves because they are very average and boring people. Calvin spends most of his school time daydreaming about his imaginary superhero he has made up, Spaceman Spiff, or other things that entertain him for the moment. He also hates the kids in his school. Calvin and Hobbes also like to ride sleds in the winter and wagons in the summer. Then there is someone they meet who they really don't like, their babysitter, Rosalyn. They terrorize her and drive her up a wall, but she gets lots of money from the parents who are so desperate to get away from him. There also is a bully named Moe who beats up on Calvin and takes his lunch money. Other incidents are when Hobbes "helps" Calvin get his homework done, and when Calvin and Hobbes look for monsters under the bed, which scare them so much that they carry dart guns, bats, and their cleverness to deal with the stupid monsters. These cartoons are not like most comics, they have a very special magic about them that only Bill Watterson can bring. Calvin and Hobbes has a true friendship and chemistry, very funny incidents, and, Bill Watterson reminds us all that childhood is not just a bunch of fun and games, but can be very hard. Buy this book, and you'll see what I mean.