Review # 149: "The Days Are Just Packed" and "Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat"

"The Days Are Just Packed" is a landmark book for "Calvin in Hobbes" as it's the first to be printed in a wide format to accommodate Bill Watterson's new, uncompromising Sunday style. Watterson pushed hard for years to be able to break away from the traditional panel numbering and format which allows for the removal of the top two frames. He disliked it, saying the method stifled creativity. When Watterson won the war, he made the most out of it and created the best Sunday strip of the latter half of the 20th Century.

Review # 120: "Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink!'" and "Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons"

"Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink!'" was the first Calvin and Hobbes collection I ever owned. I got it through a Scholastic book order (remember those?) at the age of 10 and read the hell out of it. It shows in the condition of some of the pages, which look very much like they were handled by a kid. As I go through these collections in order as an adult, I can't help but think I made a great pick. This is the best of the bunch so far and will be hard to top.

Review # 111: "Calvin and Hobbes - 'Weirdos from Another Planet!' and 'The Revenge of the Baby-Sat'"

It's unfair to call Bill Watterson's work on Calvin and Hobbes complacent in "Weirdos From Another Planet!" and "The Revenge of the Baby-Sat" because the quality of work is still very high. However, the strip is clearly in a holding pattern. The family goes camping... again; Rosalyn babysits Calvin... again; Calvin decides to be a tiger... again. Don't get me wrong: these stories are still funny, but a recurring premise only has so much mileage before it starts to go stale.

Review # 78: "Yukon Ho!"

"Yukon Ho!" is the turning point for Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" for three reasons: volume, sarcasm and cruelty. Calvin yells more, his parents have drier reactions and everyone is much better at getting under the skin of someone else. It makes the strip much, much funnier.

Review # 71: "Something Under the Bed is Drooling"

The second "Calvin and Hobbes" book is more of the same, though Bill Watterson is stepping up his game to a small degree. He's still a far climb from the peak.

Review # 70: "Calvin and Hobbes"

I know this blog is mainly dedicated to superhero books (and Marvel ones at that,) but I figured with the recent release of a Kickstarter-funded documentary... what the hell? The subject is fresh in a lot of people's minds, and I wanted to dive back in.