The couragous Spaceman Spiff finally conquered those evil editors

It was certainly a sad day in the world of Sunday comics at the end of 1995 when Bill Watterson threw in the towell on his 10 year long adventures of a 6 year old boy wise beyond his years but who does horribly in school and his stuffed tiger friend.  Yes the strips were starting to feel old hat and you could see his energy running out so maybe it was for the best.

Calvin and Hobbes started in 1985 with the premise of Calvin the perpetually 6 year old blonde haired boy with a mom a dad and his stuffed tiger Hobbes who in Calvin's mind comes to life and interacts with Calvin.  They play games, ride in the little red wagon and annoy the girl next door Susie Derkins.  While at school, Calvin would put up with Moe the Bully, and his teacher Miss Wormwood who probably wishes she could retire every time she saw Calvin.  No matter where Calvin is, he'll put his imagination to the test.  Stuck at school?  He's not really Calvin and this isn't a school, this is a hideous space dungeon and he's Spaceman Spiff, trapped by the evil Zorgs!  His babysitter Rosalyn?  Shes nothing that Stupendous Man! can't handle!  Whether it was putting together a model airplane or cleaning his room, Calvin always let his imagination run wild.

Even if the strip was unfunny or delved into philosophical talk which happened much more later on, the comics were illustrated beautifully with backgrounds getting attention and even labels on packages getting lettering.  The comic was certainly above a lot of the pack in terms of the artwork.  That does bring me to why I have to dock this.

Bill Watterson the creator takes his work a little TOO seriously.  He would often have clashes with editors over panel space in the Sunday papers largely cause he saw his work as "art" above other comics that he shared paper space with, criticized many of his contemporaries (especially Jim Davis) on how lazy they're comcs would look and didn't merchandize a thing from the strip and refusing to do Saturday morning cartoons thinking it would cheapen the work into kiddie drivel.  I can see that point but since Calvin and Hobbes was a strip that meant more then just a cheap joke but theres a little too much haughty in there for me to ignore.

Yeah it is lame to bust down the strip cause of the creator but I honestly didn't have as much fun reading Calvin and Hobbes as much as I did after learning this.  Seeing Calvin's mom and dad talk about raising Calvin, seeing the landscapes that Calvin and Hobbes racing down a cliffside in that indestructable red wagon and G.R.O.S.s, Calvin and Hobbes secret club is still fun, but it did make me feel that any moment I wouldn't be good enough to read the comic or that if I didn't get the joke, I would get lectured.  At least that feeling comes from a quality piece and not from Heathcliff or Marmaduke.