«The drawing in a comic strip is infinitely more important than one might think, because our medium has to compete with other forms of entertainment, and if a cartoonist can only illustrate a joke, then they have lost from the start. "Calvin and Hobbes", in any case, contains comedic images that cannot be reproduced in other media. In short, it's fun to look at, and that's what has made Bill's work a great success.»
Bill by last name is Watterson, and he is the author of the Calvin and Hobbes» strips, while the opening quote is penned by Charles Schultz, bearing witness to the fact that Calvin and Hobbes are the worthy heirs who embody the original, immortal spirit of the Peanuts.
For those who still don't know the two, Calvin is a mischievous six-year-old who spends his days in the company of Hobbes, his stuffed tiger: but beware, Hobbes is a plush toy for everyone else, because when the two are alone, in Calvin's imagination, the plush takes on life, soul, and speech, becoming the most faithful companion of their daily adventures; and he is also a social philosopher who, sometimes with a smile, sometimes seriously, dispenses the wisdom needed to compensate for his little friend's inexperience and restlessness.
In fact, the message of Calvin and Hobbes is profoundly philosophical, which makes it a classic adult-oriented comic strip, one that children like because the drawings are beautiful, teenagers like because it's hilarious, but adults like even more because it makes you reflect in a carefree way.
It may seem paradoxical, but reflecting carefreely might be the way to find the best answers to the big questions about life and death (- Hobbes, what do you think happens to us when we die? - I think we go play the sax in a New Orleans cabaret. - So you believe in Heaven? - Call it what you like.), about the relationship between genders (- Suzie, you can’t climb this tree. It's prohibited for girls. - And what on earth makes you think I want to sit in a stupid tree like you do? - Gosh, that's letting a girl get all the delights of gender discrimination.), about family relationships (- Dad, when does your term end? - Sorry Calvin, I've been appointed dad for a lifetime. - For life? No escape clause? No dismissal? Did you write the Constitution or something? - Well, mom helped me.), about institutional relationships (-Good morning kids, I'm the substitute. The teacher left me some instructions, so we shouldn't have any issues. Wait, there's an additional note here ... who is Calvin? - Not me!), about how the world goes in general (- Somewhere in communist Russia, I bet there's a kid who's only known censorship and oppression. But maybe he's heard of America and dreams of living in this land of freedom. One day I'd like to meet that kid ... and tell him the terrible truth about this place. - Calvin, stop it and eat the stupid chickpeas.).
And then, there are the magnificent characters alongside Calvin and Hobbes, starting with mom and dad who, with patience and resignation behind which they hide endless love, are the daily victims of their little son; at least until he goes to school, where it's up to Mrs. Vermoni and Principal Spittle to deal with Calvin; and after school, Calvin's focus shifts to Suzie, the sweet peer "hated" because of her gender (come on, Calvin is still the founder and sole member of the club G.R.O.S.S. - Get Rid Of Slimy girlS), and the tyrannical babysitter Rosalyn.
And then, if that's still not enough, you can admire Calvin in his many, imaginative interpretations, from Stupendous Man (practically, Superman as a child) to the astronaut Spiff on a permanent mission to the unlikely planets Zok and Gloob, and many other creations of the imagination that help him (us) live better, in a real but not entirely ideal world.
Perhaps little Calvin is right, if from time to time even mom and dad, and little Suzie end up confiding their innermost thoughts to the plush Hobbes.
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