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Summary: The very first Calvin and Hobbes
Review: This is the first Calvin and Hobbes collection, which is clearly obvious when you flip through the first few cartoons and seen that our heros look a little less polished than they would later on. Nevertheless, Bill Watterson's genius was clearly evident from the start. He wastes little time introducing his characters, and merely assumes that we understand that Hobbes will only appear as a real tiger while Calvin is alone. Watterson is a comic genius whose reclusive presence has been sorely missed on the funny pages since his retirement. All we have left are his books. And this is the first of a fantastic series.
Rating:
Summary: A great collection
Review: While I had seen most of the comics from other books, Watterson's comments to his own strips makes it all the more enjoyable re-visiting old moments. A definite keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: I'd rate this higher except for two important factors:
Review: 1. First, the book is less than 130 pages, and none of it is in color.2. More important...all the comics inside this book (including the first ones about how Calvin met Hobbes) are included verbatum in the later, longer, more colorful book "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes (A Calvin & Hobbes Treasury)". Spend a couple extra dollars and buy that one instead.
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Summary: Insight in the creation of the best comic strips available
Review: This book offers a great insight in the work of William Watterson... From the frist strip to the last ones, you will discover the development of our main characters, roads taken or not taken, ideas, problems, and difficulties with the syndicate Watterson is confronted with. What surprises me with Watterson is his extreme integrity, not doing Calvin & Hobbes only to make money, but to offer us good, funny and especially als good-quality entertainment by opening our newspapers every morning. It's not a cheap humor, he makes a point in each strip... Unlike other authors, he didnt want his comic to be exploited by merchandising, animated pictures or anything "without soul" :) I also greatly appreciate that he did stop producing the strips at the peak of its success... Unlike other strips like Garfield which seems has been industralized, Watterson was able to keep up the quality and realize all the strips on his own. While it is certainly sad not to read any new adventures of Calvin & Hobbes, it's still great pleasure to reread the old episodes and its still as funny as for the first time. This compendium wont replace any other of his book, but it's a good entry point for people new to Calvin & Hobbes, and of course it offers a lot of interesting "behind the screen" information for any Calvin & Hobbes addicted like me... This is one of the things I offer for a birthday presents to my friend and normally have a great succes with it, as well with people who know the comics already as those who meet our little heroes for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: An Awesome Book!
Review: This Book is one of the most hillarious books I've ever read! And the hard cover is well worth it, so the book cover isn't ripped, or torn.
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Summary: A very frank insight from an aloof cartoonist
Review: While I truly applaud Bill Watterson's brilliant creativity and crafty setup of each Calvin and Hobbes gag with its explosive humor as well as thoughtful philosophy about human life, I am totally turned off by his self-righteous attitudes. First, he completely shuns the public eye, preferring to remain private and anonymous while dropping only a few hints about his personal life. Then, he took very long sabbatical days (yes, VERY long) from the strip, thus resulting in endless reprints. And finally, he wanted to rearrange the whole Sunday format. I'm sorry, but we no longer live in the more lesuirely days when we would pore forever over the much longer and more detailed story. Besides, the today's funny pages always have to make room for us new cartoonists. In fact, Bill Watterson's demands that he is given more space for his bigger and more elaborate work did remind me of a spoiled rotten sports superstar constantly quarreling with his coaches and managers. Ironically, though he absolutely refused to allow his characters to be merchandised, it is his own work that feeds his very sensitive ego. Thus the overblown popularity of Calvin and Hobbes ended up as its downfall, especially with the unwanted boom of bootleg shirts that depict the characters saying and doing nasty, deviant things - much to the great injury of the poor man's pride. So - sadly, that's why I carefully avoid his cartoons, however marvelous they may be.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This may be illustrative, from an email sent a year or so ago: " I think fame adds nothing, it magnifies. If you're a self-obsessed idiot (such as me), people don't really notice until you have a sniff of fame, at which point your ego swells and you become a hideous parody of nature. It's possible to be famous and decent - for some reason, a lot of cartoonists seem to be well-adjusted (both Gary Larson and Bill Watterson had the good grace to retire before they messed up, and although I never really liked Peanuts I can't remember Charles Shulz ever floating a twenty-foot-tall statue of himself down the Thames). Perhaps it's because they realised from day one that they themselves are anonymous, and that their art is not 'serious', in the deeply, awfully earnest sense of the word 'serious'. Perhaps it's the cult of personality. The wave of one-hit techno bands in the early-90's tried to circumvent this by being anonymous (remember Altern-8?). At the time people thought that it was because they were just ugly, and they wanted to hide it, but when I think of Orbital I think of the music on 'The Brown Album', and when I think of Geri Halliwell I think of her evil grasping ugly mind desperately clawing for more and more fame and I want to spit on her music and kill her. "
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Summary: The REAL Authoritative Calvin & Hobbes Collection
Review: If you were to own just one Calvin & Hobbes collection, without hesitation I would tell you to get this one. Aside from having some of the funniest strips from the first 10 years of Calvin & Hobbes, there is commentary by Bill Watterson that greatly increases one's enjoyment of this book. Watterson starts off this book with an insightful introduction that talks all about his feelings on copyrighting and licensing, his influences, his battle for the less restricting Sunday comic format, and descriptions of the main characters. Throughout the rest of the book, Watterson comments on the strips and delivers an immensely satisfying combination of the already classic Calvin & Hobbes strips and Watterson's wisdom and thoughts.
Rating:
Summary: Splendidly Entertaining
Review: A wonderful book for anyone who enjoys Calvin & Hobbes.I've been a fan for many years. However, I disliked some of theauthor's comments on some things. But as for the book, it brought to light many good things pertaining to the highly-laughable comic strip. A must read
Rating:
Summary: Great Calvin & Hobbes book
Review: This is one of the best Calvin & Hobbes books, especially because Bill Watterson also wrote background information in it. And the comics? Well, what can you say? It's Calvin & Hobbes. It's just great!
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