 "Love the comics, love the comments" | 2008-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By scoutcraftpiratess |
I don't know if I would call myself a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes, but everytime I pop open one of their collections I am captivated by the sheer sweetness and cleverness of Watterson's work.
This is a nice collection because we get to see a little bit into the mind of Watterson. I like seeing how he designed the characters, which comics he liked, didn't like, changes over time, etc.
Necessary for the true avid fan. |
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| "This guy is a philosopher!" | 2008-05-27 |
| - Reviewed By books_et_beyond |
| My 18-year-old daughter said, "This guy is a philosopher! As a kid I thought these were just funny." |
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| "An essential addition to the essential comic strip" | 2008-03-09 |
| - Reviewed By zeiganstrell |
I'll keep this short - this is one of the best collections you can own for Calvin and Hobbes. As there is a gigantic compilation that includes all of the strips ever made, you might think there is little reason to own anything else. However, this book contains insight directly from Watterson himself. It includes his own personal takes on some of his strips, how he evolved his artwork, his battle with syndication and layout restrictions, and overall a great look into the mind of a rather reclusive man.
His work is magical in every possible sense. |
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 "He's a little preachy" | 2007-09-12 |
| - Reviewed By deionychus |
| Don't get me wrong, I love C&H. But Watterson is a bit preachy in this book. He tries to explain his rationale behind some of these comics and that's generally cool. But he has comments where he bashes other comics for being pretentions jerks while he comes across like basically a pretentious jerk. /shrug, it's still a good book with good comics. For me, it was a mix of eye-rolling at Watterson's comments vs. laughing at the comics. |
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| ""I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. "" | 2007-01-31 |
| - Reviewed By bionicscribbler |
"I've always loved cartoons. With 'Calvin and Hobbes', I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. It's been immensely satisfying to draw 'Calvin and Hobbes', and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to work in this wonderful art form." (p. 208)
This book allows us to see the man behind the pen. This collection is a selection of what Watterson thought was important, interesting or profound about various strips he drew. It is the equivalent of a director's commentary on a DVD.
I relished the introductory essay, which is far superior to the one found in the Monster Box Set. It covers more of the in and outs of drawing, Watterson's battle for control of Calvin, his no-marketing stance, and his push for those wonderful Sunday comics. We have yet to see his artistic superior, much less an equal.
If we read between the lines, Watterson's retirement was not a surprise. The battles he fought for his integrity really damaged a part of his soul. This book provides a better explanation than his terse press release, and I feel for him. The Far Side, Bloom County, and now Foxtrot have run their course, and like these other comics, we can use this book to stoke memories--the roses of the soul that charm us in winter.
From Watterson's point of view, this book is the best of the best. After reading it, I see what he meant. The reason why C&H was so popular was that he touched the soul's taproot. You have the two sides of the man, with the animal being human, and the human an animal, then the shifting frame of reference between the imaginary and real world. As a chronic daydreamer, I understand this perfectly. In fact, I find myself in many situations that Calvin does, with the same results.
This is art--we se ourselves, and are better for it. |
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| "Love this book" | 2006-11-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: ANPZP0VEHYAAI |
| Best cartoon series that I can remember. Use it as a coffee table book for guests to flip through and enjoy. Very satisfied with condition when received. |
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| "LUV'D IT!!!!!" | 2006-09-17 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| Calvin And Hobbes...What A CLASSIC! It's hillarious, its clever, it's got everytihin! I bought this book as my first Calvin and Hobbes book years ago and I loved it immediatly! If im sad or upset, I just read this book and i'm happy again! IT's incredible! Watterson's commentary is an extra for this book and it's informative too. Also, this book has more strips than some of the other ones so buy this one! I hope this helped! |
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| "Fantastic" | 2006-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By maarow |
Having already owned every conceivable collection and reprint of Calvin and Hobbes material, I hardly needed a recap of the previous decade up to the point when this book was published. The attraction, then, had less to do with the smattering of strips that filled these pages and more to do with the bonus essays and commentaries that Watterson provides, shining some significant amount of insight onto the world of Calvin and Hobbes.
The first twenty pages or so are filled with Watterson's ruminations on the transformation (or devolution) of comics from their inception to the present day, licensing issues regarding his own strip, sabatticals, influences, the writing process, and his hard-won superior Sunday strip format. A lot of readers regard these essays (particularly the one dealing with licensing) as the verbal equivalent of Watterson patting himself on the back, but I firmly assert that any such interpretation can only result from entirely misreading Watterson's words. I can only conclude that Watterson's natural eloquence is confusing to those readers who are only capable of understanding illustrated stories, or else that they don't finish the essay before jumping to conclusions. A careful, complete read will guarantee clarity, as Watterson is extremely succint and therefore precise in the ideas he is communicating.
I only have two minor complaints regarding this edition, the first being that I would have appreciated a bit more analysis of the characters and their origins. I have read in interviews that an earlier strip of Watterson's contained an imaginative, tiger-toting younger brother of the protagonist, and it was only at an editor's suggestion that Watterson considered making these characters the focal point of the strip--which, needless to say, became by degrees the Calvin and Hobbes we know and love today. This information, along with a few of those old strips containing the "prototype" Calvin and Hobbes, would have made an excellent addition to the book.
My other complaint is that too much space is given to entire stories--weeks of strips--that are preceded by only one or two lines of commentary. I wish only a few strips from the entire story had been included, so as to free room for more material and resulting commentary.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is the fact that Watterson retired shortly after publishing this compilation. I suppose I should feel grateful for the wonderful ten years that were given to us, and I certainly do, but another part of me wonders at all the possibilities that the next decade might have held for the two intrepid explorers as they discover a universe of humor, whimsy, imagination, tragedy, and friendship. The Tenth Anniversary Book highlights the brilliance of Calvin and Hobbes, and makes us realize how short ten years can really be. |
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| "One of the best comic strip collection books ever!" | 2006-06-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A30RHQAYRG1SS4 |
| My ex-girlfriend bought this book for me for Christmas and I was very pleased. Bill Watterson is one of the most intelligent comedy writers of all time. This collection gives descriptions of all the characters and explains their basic origins, as well as giving you hundreds of comics to read. Black and white as well as sunday comic strips. 5 stars! |
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| "Calvin and Hobbes are unmissable" | 2006-06-15 |
| - Reviewed By eddeedde |
To explain all the reasons why reading Calvin and Hobbes has always been a pleasure to me would take far too long to explain here. Suffice to say they are all gloriously on show in this tenth anniversary edition. This edition is an absolute necessity for anyone who enjoys Calvin and Hobbes' antics.
The normally reclusive Bill Watterson gives his thoughts on his strips, the world in which Calvin and Hobbes live and cartooning in general. He talks about the joy that cartooning as a career has given him and the reasons why he has refused to sell out and cash in on merchandising the Calvin and Hobbes brand.
Needless to say there is also a long parade of many of the most popular and memorable of the strips which means that it is fantastic and hilarious even for newcomers. Definitely worth the purchase. |
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