37 Years Later, The Last Calvin and Hobbes Comic Strip Of The ’80s Is Still A Masterpiece

Published Sep 8, 2026, 7:45 PM EDT TJ Mills is an editor on ScreenRant's Comic team, where she combines her lifelong passion for DC with her analytical background as a former Intelligence Analyst. Since joining ScreenRant in 2023, she has specialized in covering major DC storylines, character evolutions, and industry developments. Almost every Calvin and Hobbes fan knows the final comic strip of Bill Watterson’s iconic work, which remains one of the most legendary endings in comic strip history. However, the last Calvin and Hobbes strip of the 1980s also deserves its due, closing out an entire decade with a 10/10 masterpiece. Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes had a relatively short but iconic run, from 1985 to 1995. During that ten-year period, he created a comic strip legacy known and beloved for its often philosophical and satirical humor, uniquely conveyed through the perspective of six-year-old Calvin as he and his imaginary tiger go on fantastical adventures. When we think of the milestones and installments that define a franchise’s legacy, we typically look at its first and last publications. In the case of Calvin and Hobbes, that legacy is sandwiched between its first strip in 1985 and its last in 1995. However, fans often overlook another important milestone: the strip that closed out the Calvin and Hobbes 1980s era. Since Calvin and Hobbes was a daily newspaper strip, published seven days a week with a typically larger, full-color Sunday strip, its last comic strip of the ’80s appeared on the final day of the decade, December 31, 1989. And like many of Watterson’s strips, it stayed relevant to the current season, closing out the decade with some welcome New Year’s Eve humor. The Last Calvin and Hobbes Comic of the 1980s Is a 10/10 Masterpiece Published December 31, 1989 Published on New Year’s Eve in 1989, this seven-panel, fully colored strip follows Calvin and Hobbes as the duo traipses through a forest after a fresh snowfall. During their walk, Calvin brings up the topic of New Year’s resolutions, with the young boy saying, “I asked Dad if he wanted to see some New Year's resolutions I wrote. He said he'd be glad to, and he was pleased to see I was taking an interest in self-improvement. I told him the resolutions weren't for me, they were for him.” With this opener, Watterson wastes no time jumping right into the humor. However, he soon transitions into the humor-infused philosophical musings that defined his strip, with Calvin continuing his largely one-sided conversation with Hobbes. He says, “I'm getting disillusioned with these New Years. They don't seem very new at all! Each New Year is just like the old year! Here another year has gone by and everything's still the same! There's still pollution and war and stupidity and greed! Things haven't changed!” This perfectly executes one of the core defining elements of Calvin and Hobbes: satirical commentary on adults and society filtered through Calvin’s childhood perspective. Here, Calvin’s frustration criticizes how people often claim they'll change, yet rarely follow through. However, the brilliance of this strip doesn’t end there. Calvin continues his rant, saying, “I say what kind of future is this? I thought things were supposed to improve. I thought the future was supposed to be better!” Then, Hobbes delivers the final, and perhaps most profound, line of the strip: “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.” This is an exceptional Calvin and Hobbes strip among the thousands that helped define the franchise, and Watterson closing the decade with such a profound strip truly makes it stand out as a masterpiece. Writer Bill Watterson Colorist Bill Watterson