There's Treasure Everywhere

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes #7

by Bill Watterson

In the world that Calvin and Hobbes share, treasures can be found in the most unlikely places - from the outer regions where Spaceman Spiff travels to the rocks in the backyard.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Strips, Comic Book

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Bill Watterson (born William Boyd Watterson II) is an American cartoonist, and the author of the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes". His career as a syndicated cartoonist ran from 1985 to 1995; he stopped drawing "Calvin and Hobbes" at the end of 1995 with a short statement to newspaper editors and his fans that he felt he had achieved all he could in the comic strip medium. During the early years of his career he produced several drawings and additional contributions for "Target: The Political Cartoon Quarterly". Watterson is known for his views on licensing and comic syndication, as well as for his reclusive nature.

Reviews

[Parthiban Sekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another masterpiece from Sir Bill Watterson. I always wonder how Calvin can think of such insanely intense stuffs sometimes. Or Bill wanted him to think that way... I can't say! If I compare my childhood with Calvin’s, I think I had an awfully boring childhood accepting what I was told, doing what I was asked, and asking what was expected of me. Calvin does none of that… for which he had his own ways, ways which are peculiarly interesting and amusing. You might even call them idiosyncratic or individualistic! Well, You may not be always correct! He might be goofy, sometimes. What do you expect? He is a six-year old, after all!



Sometimes, all the psychobabble Calvin utters, when he complains of the society for killing the creativity in the name of mass production or school education, might seem way too matured for a child of his age, but not always can they be ignored.



You are never too old to read this amazing comic of all ages!

Grab this coffee-table comic and a coffee mug… Way to kick off the morning blues!

Warning: It might leave you pondering or mulling over something for a whole day.

Disclaimer: I don't claim any right to any of the above images. All belongs to Sir Bill Watterson.

[Fátima Linhares · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Nos dias cinzentos, quando está a nevar ou a chover, acho que se devia poder chamar um juiz e declarar sob juramento que se passava o dia a ler um bom livro, para ele nos deixar ficar em casa."


Calvin é o líder que nós queremos! 😂

Conhecia as tirinhas de Calvin & Hobbes, mas nunca tinha lido. Achei piada ao Calvin e, sobretudo, à sua obsessão com neve e bonecos de neve.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Calvin & Hobbes collection has more emphasis on overarching questions than the others: a) is delayed gratification better than instant gratification? b) Should we let the perfect become the enemy of the good? c) How many close calls do you need before you change your behavior?

Calvin being Calvin, the answers are a) no, b) yes, and c) all of them. Watterson respects his audience, even the youngest among them, to grasp the message even if the protagonist can't (or won't).

This volume also showcases Watterson's critiques of public schools at their most scathing.



Calvin's dad has some hilarious yet insightful complaints about the crassness of the modern world.



And Susie remains Calvin's perfect foil. I aspire to have her calm and pleasant attitude in the face of relentless insanity.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully funny, Calvin is just naughty enough.

Every Bill Watterson book that I own has such freshness, you'd think it was the only book he ever published. And wrote. And ILLUSTRATED.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was planing on reading just few pages to improve my foul mood but I ended reading 2 volumes in one sitting.

Moral of the story: You can't have "just a little" of Calvin and Hobbes.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm slowly collecting the Calvin and Hobbes volumes I didn't have (and replacing the ones I incautiously let my kids handle as small children). I find them deeply satisfying, whether the comics are goofy, philosophical, or all too knowing about life with children.

[Seb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not in a very good place right now, with my father being sick and all... Reading Calvin and Hobbes is a way to calm things down a bit. Nostalgia. Plus I found an OV edition at my library so 👍

And I just discovered you guys have access to colored strips I've never seen in French

[Katya]

Para mim, os livros de Watterson só têm um defeito: acabam depressa!

[Rosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the top three books in the Calvin & Hobbes series, if not the best. Almost every strip was worth its weight in gold. This one seems to have more strips related to Calvin's antics in school. Poor, poor Ms. Wormwood!
To read this book after going behind the scenes with The Tenth Anniversary book is such a different experience. I can feel Watterson’s thoughts behind every strip differently now.

[Prashant · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL !

[Katie Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

These comics, guys. You gotta read them.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that strip was very apropos for a goodreads review. And, being that it is a goodreads review I thought it wise to both thank Andrews and McMeel books as well as publish this photo from page 4 of the book:


Thank you, Andrews and McMeel for granting that permission. I'll try my best to honor the integrity laid forth by Watterson.

I should start by saying I was banned from reading Calvin and Hobbes for a number of months when I was in 8th grade. Looking back on this, I'm not sure if the ban was enforced - or if my dad said something like, "If you keep this up, I'm going to have to ban those books." You see, he was a big fan as well, but I was emulating a few too many of Calvins behaviors.

My dad taught at the junior high school I attended, so when the Science teacher walked down to his room and informed him I had marked that it was, "against my religion" to explain Ohm's Law on the unit test my dad wasn't too pleased. Especially since he was also in charge of the technology club. I had entered an event called, "electricity/electronics" that year. ...I think I made a battery tester.

My test answers came about because of comics like this:



or this one:



or this one:



You get the point... Needless to say, my dad and I had a little talk. He never told me exactly how the chat with my Science teacher went down, but I bet there was a lot of forehead slapping on my dad's part. "Congratulations guys, I'm one of you life's greatest accomplishments" is a paraphrase of a quote Calvin told his parents.

There's no denying that Watterson is a genius. I mean, he has this vast collection of works that is simply incredible from both an artistic and philosophical standpoint. It's both poignant and critical at the same time. He knows his audience, but remained true to himself. (Granted, I never met the guy, so maybe he was pandering to the masses the whole time by claiming - or at least implying that he wouldn't pander to the masses.) The biggest proof of his genius though is that he's fallen off the face of the planet. There was a lot of Thoreau in Watterson's work, but it now appears that Watterson was even more Thoreau than Thoreau.

As another example of his genius though, I'd like to offer the multiple punch line:


In an era of one liners (more appropriately, in an era of one liners that aren't funny) Watterson gave us depth with his humor. The strip could have ended with Calvin not having time to turn in the paper - that would have been funny on it's own. But Watterson took us beyond that, with the revelation that Calvin was taking an ethics test. Brilliant.

And you know, I think Watterson knows he's a genius. He knows we're the happy ignoramuses waiting to be fed by more of his bursts of brilliance. I take this comment to be introspective on his part:



Well, we're waiting Thoreau. Come out of your cabin made with stolen nails and give us some more. The town's not far away. We're ready to embrace you again when you're ready. It's just difficult not to be over-eager.

[Katherinne Medina (unafandeghibli) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estoy sorprendida de las preguntas y situaciones tan esenciales que contiene esta historieta, a uno ni se le pasan por la mente.
Me encantó.

[Exina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of snowmen! Not exactly snowmen of course, but suicidal snowman with hot-water bottle, snow monster, snow UFO, snow shark, and incomputable snowballs... Poor Susie...

There is also lots of philosophizing about life and the world, and lots of battles with the parents, the dinner and the homework.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best snowman builder ever....

[Sudhir Pai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must have read this book a few times, but it continues to surprise me. Because every time I pick up this compilation, I discover some new hidden gems this one,

" A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do."

There couldn't have been a better title to this compilation, and arguably, there couldn't have been a better way to start a new year.

[Hannah Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I relate to Calvin far more than any 21 year old female educator should. rip.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a few Calvin and Hobbes books as a lad and, outside of the The Essential Calvin and Hobbes Treasury (which I, well, treasured), this book probably had the next most reads. It's always nice revisiting these.

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prescription for finding calm in times of stress. There is something about Calvin & Hobbes right now. It was always an enlightened cynical / eruditely accessible comic strip, but something about these pandemic times makes it work on a deeper level. Perhaps it's because the strip touches upon themes like the importance of free-thinking over herd mentality, the downsides of bathing our brains in endless marketing, the dangers of selling our souls for instant pleasures, and, especially, what really matters in our tiny, short lives. To that last point, this book is called “There’s Treasure Everywhere!” with Calvin holding a worm after digging a hole. Sound like a good quarantine activity? It was followed up by the last collection (tear emoji) called “It’s a Magical World!” with the cover showing Calvin and Hobbes going tobogganing. Beautiful and soul satisfying.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mentioned before that I love Calvin's imagination and it reminds me of my own childhood (though I never had an imaginary friend IE stuffed friend who occasionally threatened to eat me..)

Also, just an aside, I love Calvin's snowmen/snow sculptures.

[Soumya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a category called 'huggable books'? If yes, this book deserves to be one.

[Amirtha Shri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't see Calvin growing up. And if I have to, I can only imagine him to be a comic writer or snow sculptor.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

kui ma aastakümneid tagasi esimest korda välismaal raamatupoes käisin (Akateeminen Kirjakauppa, kui te juba küsisite), siis mõtlesin, et kui ükskord oleks hästi palju raha, siis tahaks endale osta raamatutäite kaupa Calvini ja Hobbesi koomikseid. peab tunnistama, et nii palju raha ei ole siiani tekkinud, et see mõistlik tunduks. aga suutsin ära oodata hetke, kus elu mulle ühe neist tasuta kätte kandis.

ja ongi kõik väga tore, mulle see paar meeldib, eriti muidugi tiiger. polnud endale varem teadvustanud, et vanemate jaoks on Hobbes lihtsalt... mänguasi! ja ma ei tüdine iial Calvini filosoofilistest sõnavõttudest mille puänt on alati see, et ta on ikkagi kuueaastane poisike.

samas ikkagi hea, et ei ole raha kulutanud nende koomiksite koju ostmise peale, sest vaevalt, et ma sedasama kogumikku enam uuesti üle loeks. saadan aga uuele ringile edasi ja jään ootama, kas juhtun kunagi veel mõnele raamatutäiele peale.

[manuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Después de mucho tiempo descatalogado, poder conseguir un ejemplar nuevo de esta maravilla ha sido un gran regalo de los Reyes Magos. Esta edición ahora a cargo de Penguin Random House Mondadori (vaya tela) como resultado de heredar la editorial Bruguera se ha hecho esperar.
El formato apaisado de los 4 primeros tomos hace que las viñetas sean grandes y se aprecie los dibujos más complejos (sobre todo cuando hay dinosaurios implicados) pero muchas otras es un desperdicio de papel y espacio.
En cualquier caso he disfrutado de nuevo de estas tiras cómicas que leí a trozos en el País Semanal y que ahora he podido empezar al completo y en orden.
Una delicia de 5 estrellas ***** que un adulto disfruta por la ironía y sutileza de los diálogos profundos y un niño con las historias más inocentes y la prodigiosa imaginación de Calvin.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watterson crafts a volume that has plenty of both strips that make you chuckle and strips that make you think, sometimes within the same story arc. The occasional references to the 1990s are goated. I think 3/4 of the book takes place in winter, but there are sufficient story arcs on that backdrop.

[Ritika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot emphasize enough, how much I love both of them. Calvin's interactions with Mrs Wormwood were as hilarious as ever. Oh! the trials kindergarten teachers have to go through.😭😂

[PurplyCookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the world that Calvin and his tiger Hobbes share, treasures can be found in the most unlikely places, from the outer regions where Spaceman spiff travels to the rocks in the backyard--this curious duo roams their world in search of fortunes (and misfortunes) to be experienced.

The way this strip is most obviously different then all others is the way Watterson uses his comic strip to express, and criticize, moral issues and human nature while still retaining an impeccable sense of raw comedy, with several strips that are just plain silly.

Whether Calvin and Hobbes are blasting off on another interplanetary adventure or approaching warp speed on a downhill wagon ride, their capers are repartee consistently charm the readers. On his own, Calvin is prey to the insidious killer bicycle, is the arbiter of the dad poll, is the creator of a legion of snowmen who provide an incisive social commentary, and Hobbes is always there as the perfect companion.


Book Details:

Title There's Treasure Everywhere (Calvin and Hobbes)
Author Bill Watterson
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[The other John · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a number of shticks I associate with Calvin and Hobbes--Spaceman Spiff, meetings of G.R.O.S.S., conflicts with Roslyn the babysitter--but it wasn't until I started rereading the strips in order did I appreciate how the strip developed and changed over the years. One thing that surprised me was that the shtick of Calvin's unique snowman creations developed rather late in the series. There have been a few strips here and there in the past collections, but in There's Treasure Everywhere, Calvin's unique snow artistry really bursts out in all it's glory. Anyway, to me that's the most memorable aspect of this particular collection. Of course, there are plenty of other strips as well. At this stage in the strip, Watterson had starting writing more philosophical gags rather than the hysterical Calvinesque capers, but it's still funny. And that's what counts, doesn't it?

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

'anymore, simply acknowledging the issue is a moral victory.' 'well, it just seemed wrong to cheat on an ethics test.' there are /so/ many comic strips with 'older' humor in them that i definitely did not understand when i was about ten years old and first reading them. it's always fun going back and finding little...easter eggs, you could say, when reading things from your past. c&h ilu forever. ♥

[Benjamin R · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT'S THE BEST CALVIN AND HOBBES COMIC BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!