Bill Watterson launched Calvin and Hobbes in November 1985, which makes the 80s run less definitive, though it laid the foundation for the more celebrated strips that followed. Every strip from the start had unquestionable charm. Still, most of the moments people associate with Calvin and Hobbes actually come from the 90s, not the 80s: Calvinball, the transmogrifier and duplicator experiments, most of the famous snowman sculptures. Fans of the 80s strips are more likely to recall the baby raccoon storyline that proved the strip could break your heart, the dog that makes off with Hobbes, and the early appearances of Susie Derkins and Spaceman Spiff that would become more pronounced in Watterson’s later run.
For me, Watterson’s work has always sat alongside titles like The Far Side and the phenomenal Bloom County, not because they shared a comparable style, but because all three creators made the most of their run and chose to step down at what they saw as a high point, changing what the comic strip could be along the way. Calvin and Hobbes gets that fanfare of Watterson leaving at the top of his game, but I adored every year I got with the strip until its end in 1995. So, going through my collections, I handpicked some from the 80s that show why it was one of the best strips of the era, even though it is more fondly remembered for the decade that followed.
Why You Should Trust Me: Comic strips were integral to my childhood, and I’ve spent time digging through collections from different artists and eras. I have been curating these lists as a writer at MovieWeb for a while.
Humble Beginnings
The very first Calvin and Hobbes strip certainly deserves a mention. It is far from the best the series produced. Still, it is such a lovely beginning, encapsulating the friendship the two would go on to have, spending a decade together making memories, pondering life, and making readers laugh along the way. Calvin’s rougher look, not fully established yet, is charming in its own right, given how wildly expressive he would become as Watterson developed the character.
Spiff Reporting For Duty
Calvin’s imagination would take over many of the pages of Calvin and Hobbes, whether it be trips into dinosaur-filled lands, superheroes, or the fan favorite: Spaceman Spiff. This is one of Spiff’s earliest appearances and one of the strip’s most reliable formats; Calvin’s imagination goes wild, only to be snapped back into the real world. That usually lands him in trouble, but this one ends more happily for our hero, who manages to steer his spacecraft to safety and answer the math question.
A Child of Many Expressions
You know those crude Calvin stickers you see, mostly on trucks? Watterson famously refused to license his characters, wanting Calvin and Hobbes to exist on the page and nowhere else, which means every one of those decals is an unauthorized bootleg he never approved of. Still, the design borrows from a real trait: Calvin was always deeply expressive and something of a rebel. Here, his mugging for the camera on what I assume is school photo day is relatable to anyone who sat through that process, while also portraying the free-spirited, rabble-rousing streak that made him so endearing.
Calvin and Hobbes Made Winter Memories
Everyone has their own strips they gravitate toward, but where I come from, winter is an integral part of the culture and full of fun memories. Watterson captured that merriment like no other, and I always find myself drawn to the snow-themed strips. This one also appeals to my more macabre sense of humor, with Calvin staging a car crash with a snowman purely for his own amusement. I know I am not alone in that sentiment, especially since his snowman gags would gain far more ground in the 90s (this strip ran at the end of 1989).
Watterson Flexing His Talent
Watterson was one of several creators who saw the medium’s unlimited potential. Alongside other standouts of the 80s, he helped define it and shape it into what it is today. Case in point: he was a hugely talented artist who could have easily gone the comic book route, but instead developed his own style for the strip. I adore the few times he reaches for something more traditional, and here the childlike role-playing, rendered as a soap opera, has a great setup and even better execution.
Favoring Creativity Rather than Complacency
Calvin and Hobbes was always about embracing childhood in all its messiness and creativity. TV is kind of the opposite of that, and in a modern context, tablets and video games have further widened the divide between thinking creatively and just consuming: I have witnessed the horrors of brain rot from my nieces’ and nephews’ algorithms. I may sound negative, but this strip is a cheeky, mild reminder not to get lost in a screen and to go out and experience life, or “touch grass,” as they say.
The Importance of Family
When going through any collection of Calvin and Hobbes, it is easy to get stuck on the strips that focus solely on the titular duo. Yet plenty of endearing family moments are scattered throughout the run, even when Calvin is causing chaos at home. This is one example, and a personal favorite of mine, that puts the focus on Calvin’s mom and dad. Here they share a moment that shows how much their son means to them, along with the roles they play and their devotion to being the best they can be for the little rabble-rouser.
Sometimes Calvin and Hobbes Hits You With a Meaningful Word
What I, and many readers, have consistently found endearing about Calvin and Hobbes is how it delivers these flourishes of wisdom which convey both a passing childhood and the charm of the moment (enjoy it for what it is until you become that grumpy old man yelling at kids to stay off the lawn). Here, the two lament the passage of time and how things never seem to improve, with Hobbes closing on the line, “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.” It is a melancholic thought and a profoundly touching one; you want that moment to simply exist and stay for the two of them, best friends always, out there together.
The Comforting Friendship of Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes could certainly be energetic and funny, but Watterson didn’t always need to lean on that, and sometimes he overloaded readers with childhood wholesomeness instead. That range gave the strip its resonance and earned it so much praise, creating sincere, touching moments between the two without leaning on downhill adventures or Calvin’s daydreams of heroism and danger. Saying goodnight and vowing to meet up in their dreams is utterly adorable, with that closing panel being pure comfort food for the eyes.
The Two Always Had Each Other
One would not use pessimism to describe Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, but he certainly understood how it can creep into life at any stage. These negative rants from Calvin were rare, yet the turnaround here, with Hobbes offering the insight to enjoy the world with others and the two reaffirming their friendship, is the ideal way to close out this list of the best Calvin and Hobbes strips of the 80s.
