The Complete Calvin and Hobbes - Book One

Cofanetto completo di Calvin & Hobbes #1

by Bill Watterson

[ Box Set | Book One | Book Two | Book Three ]

Calvin and Hobbes is unquestionably one of the most popular comic strips of all time. The imaginative world of a boy and his real-only-to-him tiger was first syndicated in 1985 and appeared in more than 2,400 newspapers when Bill Watterson retired on January 1, 1996. The entire body of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons published in a truly noteworthy tribute to this singular cartoon in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Composed of three hardcover, four-color volumes in a sturdy slipcase, this New York Times best-selling edition includes all Calvin and Hobbes cartoons that ever appeared in syndication. This is the treasure that all Calvin and Hobbes fans seek.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Classics, Graphic Novels Comics, Childrens

Paperback

First published September 6, 2005

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

[Eliza]

Simply wonderful!

[Logan]

What can I say? Amusing, amazing, and delightful as always.

Re-read again with the kids and we had some good belly-laughs together :)

[S.Ach]

You need to read reviews for this one? Seriously?

[Rebecca Russavage]

If humanity was eradicated and we had to leave one scrap of information behind for the next civilization to find, this would be a solid start.

[Caleb M. Powers]

So breathtakingly good.

[Chad Loveland]

The all time best comic!

I love this collection and just finished this book with my 6 year old and she loves it too. I read these every day in the paper growing up and so much as a kid/teenager. There's a lot of really interesting things when you read them as an adult but it's all so good. If I ever win a lottery I'm for sure gonna buy a Watterson painting.

[Drew Canole]

This has been sitting on my coffee table for well over a year. But I finally decided to give it some attention each morning. It's been a fantastic journey. I have to say the latter strips appealed to me a lot more. Whether there's a big quality shift or I just got more into the flow and characters is anyone's guess. But overall just superbly high quality. The relationship with Calvin and Hobbes is great. The artwork is fantastic, Watterson has a beautiful ink line. A lot of the strips are funny and heartfelt.

[Myhang]

LOL what a trouble maker

[Hanneke]

Delightful. I laughed so hard at this little joke:
Calvin: "I need help on my homework. What's a pronoun?"
Hobbes: "A noun that lost its amateur status."

:'D

[connrcola]

Yes I’m counting the individual volumes. Why shouldn’t I??

[David Rugge]

I read this book with my daughter and we had a blast following the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes. This volume covers the early strips which were less ambitious both artistically and thematically than the later strips, but they are still classics. Along with "The Far Side" this was one of the best comics of the 1980's and early 1990's.

[Chimamanda]

The rating isn't even up for discussion.

[Coffee_Booze_and_Books]

I mean, it's Calvin and Hobbes! What else needs to be said?!?!? ❤️

[Micah]

It is great to get to reread every Calvin & Hobbes in the order of their original release. I was not born when they began and too young to read most of the series on its original newsprint run, so most of my experience is with the previous collections. It’s hard to get a true sense of the evolution of the characters and themes of the relationships when you aren’t completely sure which order the books were printed in. This complete collection lets you get to know the characters as you would if they were being introduced on their original run.

Plus this first book as a long reflection by Bill Watterson covering his experiences before, during, and after Calvin & Hobbes. He is a pretty humble and aggressively authentic person, so the recollections if not really knowing what he was doing and how much he could get away with are deeply insightful and fascinating biographical materials. If you can’t get the collection, at least try to find the foreword somewhere and read it.

[فرهاد ذکاوت]

It is Ten stars out of 5! 5 is not enough...And definitely a nostalgic memories for many people who had many of Calvin's actions and fictional life he imagines. Now I remember many of forgotten imaginary games and characters and games I did till almost 9 or 10. The words Calvin uses are not really easy to understand for children if they have this comics. Actually this an adult (mature) comics not children. Fortunately it was the 1st volume and I have 3 others which have not added here in the set profile. In 2012 it reprinted in 4 soft cover Volumes set box.

[Abián Torres]

Oye pues más gracioso de lo que me esperaba la verdad. Al fin y al cabo son tiras de los 80. Me gusta como enfoca el tema de la hiperactividad desde el humor pero al mismo tiempo reflejando los grandes problemas que eso puede suponer para los padres y para el propio niño.

El dibujo es sin duda lo mejor. La línea parece descuidada pero cada grosor es intencionado, igual que los elementos que aparecen en las viñetas: los imprescindibles para que se entienda el chiste. Las expresiones son también algo para aprender, la verdad.

[Jos]

Nostalgic and nice collection that lets you follow a series of comics. the only downside is how large the book is. It's not easy to read in a cramped space or in bed and a little awkward to take around.

[Terri]

After all these years, Calvin and Hobbs still evoke laugh-out-louds.

[Ryan Acosta-Fox]

Masterpiece.

[Isabel DuBose]

I love Calvin & Hobbes so much. I got this collection for Christmas for my family but mostly me. This has been my comfort read during the days between Christmas and New Years. I finished book one and now I'm onto book two. I like having these easier reads in between longer novels.

I also really enjoy Bill Watterson's introduction discussing the process of making Calvin & Hobbes.

[Caleb Emmons]

Peak Fiction

[Ella]

nostalgia :") and have surprisingly aged fairly well?

[Peter Giles]

Amazing book. So clever + a classic I’ll read over and over again

[Ben Zimmerman]

This was a formative work for me. As a child I remember deciding that I wanted to be funny and reading this with that in mind. Any time I came to a joke I didn't understand I would go ask my mom what it was. I'm glad this was the study material I had in the house and not Family Circus.

[Trent]

How can you not absolutely love Calvin and Hobbes. This collection is wonderful. I’ve enjoyed starting from the very beginning and reading a few comic strips each day. It brings joy to my daily routine.
And I’m looking forward to doing the same with the rest of the volumes.

[Lynne]

Fun!!!

[Joe Ballschneider]

Favorite strip: Calvin answering the phone and ordering a large anchovy pizza

[The Half-blood Reader]

I have been slowly reading Volume 1 (out of 4) of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson since last year.

It's such a classic comic strip, and I appreciate how the author stopped when he felt it was time, that he had said & done all he could with these characters. So many times, people can't let go of a good thing, of the golden egg goose, and ruin it with repetitive jokes.

Bill Watterson also never sold out his rights for merch rights, cartoons or whatever to corporations, so that he could retain control of their images, of their meat & bones.

If you know anything about Garfield, for example, you know exactly what Bill and I mean with that. There's some characteristics the orange cat retains through all adaptations, like his love for lasagne and hate for Mondays. Yet, if you've read his strips from the very first, you'll know merch and cartoon or film or game Garfield have had many iterations and lost much of the original essence. This is what Watterson wanted to prevent 👏👏

I love his candor when it comes to his initial lack of skills, I love that he's doing oil paintings now.

So far, my least favourite strips are usually the Spaceman Spiff ones, though some of those dissolve into amusing moments in Calvin's real life.

I love how some strips leave us wondering if certain things aren't just Calvin's imagination after all. If Hobbes really talks and moves, and if the monsters are really there, waiting to eat them.

[London Baker]

Calvin and Hobbes was a HUGE part of my childhood. These books were so entertaining. The art. The stories. They captivated my young mind. However, reading them as I’ve grown up has shown me another level to these beloved classics. A deeper level.

The philosophy and commentary on the human condition within Calvin and Hobbes is stunning. With topics ranging from the education system, pollution, materialism and much more Watterson packed quite a punch and made me examine myself more deeply.

If you haven’t already done so go and buy a Calvin and Hobbes collection. Then sit down and enjoy it.

[High Plains Library District]

I was given the Complete Calvin and Hobbes four-book set, recently. While we don't have that specific set in the library, we do have all the individual books it contains.

Calvin and Hobbes was and is my absolute favorite comic strip of all time. Sometimes it's not great to revisit the things of your youth. You risk wondering what you ever saw in things you remember loving and spoiling childhood memories that will never feel as nostalgic again. But I am happy to report Calvin and Hobbes is as wonderful as it has ever been, and I have been enjoying it even more sharing it with my own children.

It's clever, wildly creative and funny enough that anyone who can read from cover to cover without cracking a smile is probably someone I'd be scared to meet in a dark alley. From deranged snow sculptures, to facing off with a sadistic babysitter, to the continuing adventures of Spaceman Spiff, what's not to love?