In my opinion, Calvin and Hobbes was the greatest daily comic strip in history. The strip had a melancholy feel similar to Peanuts and it's well-developed cast of kids, but focused on two characters, a six-year-old boy, Calvin, and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, and their interactions with the mundane world around them. It spoke to many things I experienced growing up and was filled with humor, wisdom, and an astute, philosophical view on the world around us. The genius, creativity and integrity of Bill Watterson is clearly evident throughout.
It's been years since I read them, so the stories almost seemed new. What I enjoyed this time was seeing how the comic was fully realized from the first strip. The side-characters are there from the beginning and consistent with their portrayals throughout the ten years of stories -- Mom and Dad (never named), Moe the bully, Susie Derkins, Calvin's smarter, kinder classmate and neighbor, his teacher, Miss Wormwood, Rosalyn, his long-suffering babysitter, and more. Stories involving Calvin's imagination, like Spaceman Spiff, frequent dinosaur attacks, armies of snowmen, the Transmogrifier, time-travel, Calvin Ball, Stupendous Man and other alter-egos, were all brilliantly realized.
And of course, there's Hobbes, Calvin's wiser and kinder stuffed tiger, only alive in Calvin's imagination, his best friend, sometimes competitor, and constant companion. Calvin and Hobbes was also remarkably consistent, never seeing any drop in quality over its 10 year long existence. And when Watterson had had enough, he stopped. No merchandising, no animated specials, no reboot. For 30 years now, he's let his work speak for itself.
Calvin and Hobbes was the best. I don't expect any pushback on this.
