5 Timeless 'Calvin and Hobbes' Comics That Prove Bill Watterson Is In a League of his Own

Published Oct 3, 2026, 8:36 AM EDT Philosophical progress goes Boink 5 standout strips from rereading Calvin and Hobbes Image: Bill Watterson/Andrews McMeel Publishing You wouldn't think there was much left to discuss about Calvin and Hobbes. The strip ended 30 years ago last December and there have been no serious attempts at an official revival, or even major follow-up projects from its creator Bill Watterson. Since C&H ended, Watterson's only other published project is 2023's The Mysteries, an illustrated "fable for grown-ups" made as a collaboration with John Kascht. The rumor for years has been that Watterson spends most of his time painting landscapes and burning the result. Enthusiasm for Calvin and Hobbes seems like it should've faded this far after the fact, especially since Watterson has never been interested in keeping that flame alive. C&H has still remained a popular subject for online discussion for decades, propelled by new fans, various treasury editions, and its influence on the medium as a whole. Calvin and Hobbes for May 2, 1995Source: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate It's easy and relatively fast to reread C&H in its entirety, and there's almost always something new to take away from the experience when you do. The older you get, for example, the easier it is to empathize with Calvin's dad and his anti-consumerist stance. On our latest archive binge, here are five more C&H strips that jumped out at us as being particularly timeless. 1 August 31, 1995 Calvin and Hobbes for August 31, 1995Source: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate The strip for Aug. 31, 1995 is one of the C&H one-shots that feels like it could've been written yesterday, which in turn suggests that it's tapped into something that's just part of the modern human condition. If there's a single C&H strip that could be used to summarize the 21st century to date, it might be this one. "There aren't many heroes these days," Calvin says, preparing to change into his Stupendous Man costume. "Who can we look up to? Business leaders? Sports figures? Politicians? Celebrities? Heck, we're lucky if they don't end up in prison!" "Fortunately," Hobbes replies, "if we can't get inspiration, we'll accept entertainment." 2 June 15, 1995 Calvin and Hobbes for June 15, 1995Source: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate The big Sunday strips in the second half of Calvin and Hobbes' run get most of the attention from fans, as an example of how Watterson experimented with the form and format of the newspaper comic strip. Watterson was and is an extraordinarily flexible artist, capable of switching up his style on the fly from science-fiction tableaus to pseudo-realistic sequential art to giant dinosaurs. Sometimes, however, less is more, and this strip is a good example of Watterson in a more minimalist mode. "If people could put rainbows in zoos, they'd do it," Hobbes says, in reaction to Calvin catching a butterfly in a jar. Without a word, Calvin proceeds to release the butterfly. It's a delicate strip that gets a lot of impact out of a dot of ink and just a few lines. 3 October 21, 1988 Calvin and Hobbes for October 21, 1988Source: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate One of the things that put Watterson on the comics map upon his introduction was his skill at drawing details. Charles Schulz commented on this in his introduction to the first C&H collection: Watterson's art is excellent at depicting splashes of water, flying shoes, weird facial expressions, and a hundred other small things. The Oct. 21, 1988 strip is an excellent example, as Watterson smudges the fine details to create an excellent impression of pouring rain. It's a portrait of simple drudgery, made with minimal words and still legible on a printed newspaper page. Imagine someone reproducing a Claude Monet painting in ballpoint pen. "Why in the world am I waiting in the pouring rain for the school bus to take me somewhere I don't even want to go?" Calvin asks aloud, alone at the bus stop. "I go to school, but I never learn what I want to know." 4 February 20, 1990 Calvin and Hobbes for February 20, 1990Source: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate If Calvin and Hobbes' publisher ever gets into the same habit of Peanuts, of releasing themed collections of specific strips, the first one they hit should be Calvin's snowmen. Calvin's ability to create small armies of elaborate snow goons borders on a superpower, and it's the source of some of the best sight gags in the entire strip. This time out, however, it's Watterson doing a spin on Shelley's "Ozymandias." "One look at the tortured countenance of this figure confirms that the artist has drunk deeply from the cup of life!" Calvin yells, gesturing at a fairly mundane snowman. "This work shall endure and inspire future generations!" In the few moments he looked away from the snowman, however, it's already melted. Look upon his snow goons, ye mighty, and despair. 5 January 31, 1993 Calvin and Hobbes for January 31, 1993Source: Bill Watterson/Universal Press Syndicate This 33-year-old strip is largely about physical mail, so it hasn't aged as well as much of Calvin and Hobbes, but the overall thrust of Watterson's point is still there. If anything, it's gotten more intense and specific in the 21st century. Going through the family's mail, Calvin's dad asks aloud, "Why do I get the feeling that society is trying to make us discontented with everything we do and insecure about who we are?" "I suppose if people thought about real issues and needs instead of manufactured desires," Calvin's mom replies, "the economy would collapse and we'd have total anarchy." Decades later, and the culture's still hard at work here. Just remember, as Calvin and Hobbes also concludes: getting rid of all your junk mail without buying anything makes you a financial terrorist. Fight the system.