It has been over 4 decades since the child philosopher and his tiger made a debut on the black & white pages of newspapers. Calvin & Hobbes continues to be a piece that speaks to every generation.

Every generation feels that they have it particularly difficult. Life for them seems to run faster, work seems harder, there are lesser family and friends around. And in general, the world seems to be ending.

It then provides great relief to the reader to discover this complete collection of Calvin & Hobbes. Through the journey of his two endearing characters, Bill Watterson shares his insights on the importance of the small things in life. – hunting snow goons, harassing baby sitters and attempting to change one’s home into a UFO landing site. 

Despite a meagre set of characters, the world of Calvin & Hobbes comes alive with wit, warmth and humour. Even the mundane is turned into the extraordinary via the power of a child’s bored mind.

Dangerous jungle cats lurk behind unopened doors. A cardboard box awaits its role as a Duplicator, Transmogrifier or a Time Machine. On dull and grey evenings the humble rug becomes Calvin’s flying carpet. There are no Enid Blyton like feasts and travels in the world created by Watterson. There are simple sandwiches and Hamster Huey books to be consumed. 

The details of this world are not wondrous because they are objectively things of beauty, grandeur or interest. They are made wonderous for the reader because Calvin chooses to pay attention to them. Calvin warps everything he sees around him and compels us to see the world in his way. 

We all feel like Calvin on some days – neglected, misunderstood and bored. We all can only wish that we had a Hobbes to plan an adventure with, to have a rival in. And to occasionally punch.

I do not use the word art lightly. The Sunday comics that fill an entire page are splattered with colour and spread over uneven comic panels. The Panels merge or split depending on the story. The meagre weekday comics provide a punch worthy joke in a sparse white setting. The essential on weekdays, the exploratory on weekends.

This hardbound collection is also a statement by Bill Watterson. He has resisted, for decades, the pressure to create merchandise, movies and other spin offs. The only way to be part of the Calvin & Hobbes Universe is to buy a book. Put it down on fuzzy rug or a cool veranda and begin to read. Ideally with your favourite beverage. Mine is Filter Coffee or Hot Chocolate. Not with marshmallows as Calvin likes them.

If you have been brought up on the latest hustle porn or are thinking about growing things from 0 to 1 or about 10xing everything. Then I recommend this collection as an antidote. To make a dent in the universe you must first notice it. With its quirks and oddities, contradictions and compromises. Bill Watterson could have 10xed his income by continuing his comic indefinitely. But by bowing out early and at the top of his game he left us a neat little world to explore.

So pick up this collection and read a few panels a day. I cannot guarantee you will be wiser. But for a few moments you will consider undertaking some mischief that your grown up mind would not have considered until then. Or at least you will notice a few more things about the world that day.