My Gateway to comics!! ( )

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I was not lucky enough to be able to read Calvin and Hobbes growing up. Here and there, I might see one or two strips linked to on the Internet, but Calvin and Hobbes had until recently, remained a curiosity to me. Having taken the plunge on this collection, I ended up spending many wonderful evenings working my way through every strip. When I have the time, I look forward to being able to do so again.

For those who don't know much about Calvin and Hobbes, the strip revolves around six year old Calvin and his faithful stuffed tiger companion, Hobbes. Their adventures, both fictional and imaginary, provide a quirky insight into the suburban American life of the eighties and nineties. Don't be put off by the childish setting: Calvin and Hobbes are both capable of some fairly penetrating philosophical insights that will make you sit back and reconsider your life and the world even as you chuckle. I recommend you look up a strip or two to get a feel for Watterson's delightful brand of humour. Some that stood out in my memory are the one where Calvin wears his Dad's glasses and sarcastically mimics him, as well as the one where his dad puts off work to go and play with Calvin in the snow. Watterson uses some recurring jokes that are very evident if you are reading the collection in one go (snowballs/Susie and summer camping holiday spring to mind) but their effect is not diminished. One other thing to be mentioned is the introduction by Bill Watterson at the start of the collection, which helps provide some context for the situation in which Calvin and Hobbes was created and written. The result was that as I approached the end of the third volume, I found many of the panels extremely poignant in the knowledge that they were coming to an end. Dose feels....

In terms of the books themselves: they come as a large three volume box set, reassuringly weighty. The comics are printed in thick, quality paper, vibrant colour where applicable, and with dates attached to each one. The editors have also taken the liberty of rearranging the order of some sets of comics such that a single storyline is always put together, even if you end up with a few Sunday strips in a row - very helpful for the whole reading experience. The set exudes value - it comes strongly recommended. ( )

How cool a present is this? I was completely surprised when my wife dropped this on my lap on Christmas morning. Almost instantly I was back in my teenage years reaching for the paper every day to see what Calvin and his best friend Hobbes were up to. Goofing around, social commentary, subversiveness, this strip had it all and I absolutely love it to this day. ( )

Ok, the only reason I took off half a star is because of two reasons. Number one, the comics are split between three volumes. I'm an industrial mechanic who works in a factory lifting cast-iron pumps and wrenching on twelve inch flanges, and even I think these books are too heavy. They should've been split into five or six volumes. Secondly, I feel that some of Bill Watterson's "commentary track" should've been included. I'm not sure what the legality of this is, or maybe Bill didn't want it put in, but I suggest you get the C&H 10th Anniversary Book as an accompaniment to this box set. THAT ASIDE this is the end-all-be-all in terms of Calvin & Hobbes collections, so if you're a fan, you cannot do better than this. ( )

This is pure AWESOME ( )