My Life as a Major Inconvenience: Calvin and Hobbes: Quite Possibly the Greatest Comic Strip Ever

If you've never had the opportunity to read Calvin and Hobbes, then I feel for you. I truly do. Calvin and Hobbes has been my favorite comic strip since as long as I can remember having a favorite comic strip. It's author, Bill Watterson, is, honestly, a creative genius. What's more, is that as I read it as an adult, the depth of the comic's ability to generate laughs through deep discussion of contemporary issues amazes me. I think he even addressed the whole purpose of his strip, too, in the following print:

Is this not one of the most profound observations ever?

Unfortunately, Watterson retired in 1995. In 2005, Chris Sullentrop of Slate very accurately opined: "Ten years ago Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, left newspaper cartooning for painting. Since then, no new comic strip has matched the quality, longevity, or cultural dominance of Watterson's daily drawings about a boy and his tiger." Fortunately all of the strip's 10 years of syndication are available either online or in books. Watterson named the two principle characters after John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes, both 16th and 17th Century influential thinkers. The strip addresses several common themes, from the childhood imagination of a 6-year old boy to modern commercial culture. So, let's take a look at some of them:

Parenting. Yep, parenting. And specifically, my favorite form of parenting, sarcastic parenting. Because sometimes the only way to emotionally deal with your children is through a healthy dose of sarcasm (most of which is completely lost on them...).

If you were curious, yes, this is how Mandy and I often address our children. Personally, I think it's healthy. :)

Childhood. Specifically my childhood. More specifically, my childhood imagination (though in growing up I've simply learned how to strategically apply it, but it hasn't changed all that much).