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The Complete Calvin & Hobbes

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MOOD - Calvin and Hobbes - Full Story

Full transcript, by S Anand .

05/20/92: This is the worst assignment ever! I'm supposed to think up a story, write it, and illustrate it by tomorrow! Do I look like a novelist?! This is impossible! I can't tell stories! What about your explanation of the noodle incident? THAT WASN'T A STORY! THAT WAS THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH! Oh, don't be so modest. You deserved a Pulitzer.

05/21/92: Do you have an idea for your story yet? No, I'm waiting for inspiration. You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic.

05/22/92: If you ask ME, these assignments don't teach you how to write. They teach you how to HATE to write. Deadlines, rules how to do it, grades... how can you be creating when someone's breathing down your neck? I guess you should try not to think about the end result too much and just have fun with the process of creating. Every time I do that, I end up in the school psychologist's office. Well, maybe not THAT much fun.

05/23/92: Say, I'VE got an idea! For your story? No, I thought of a way I won't have to write one! Oh no. Hop in the time machine, Hobbes! We're going a few hours into the future! I'll have finished my story by then, so we'll just pick it up and bring it back to the present! That way I won't have to write it! Something doesn't make sense here, and I think it's me sitting in this box. Relax! We'll be back as soon as we go.

05/24/92: Thank you. Thank YOU. Yep. There's nothing like a big bed for dancing. I hope your parents don't mind bad springs.

05/25/92: Vortex goggles on? Here we go! We'll jump ahead to my bedtime and pick up my completed homework from my own future! Then we'll return to the present and we can goof off the rest of the evening! Here we are! You must be the 8:30 Calvin. Did you have a good trip? No. Pst! Why do you always go on these things?

05/26/92: Greetings, 8:30 Calvin and Hobbes! I'm 6:30 Calvin and this is 6:30 Hobbes! Charmed. Well, since we're YOU from the past, I suppose you know why we're here. Did you do the homework? Me?? No. NO?! Why not?? Because two hours ago, I went to the future to get it. Yeah, and here I am! Where is it?! That's what I said two hours ago! I knew this would never work. Right as always, Hobbes.

05/27/92: Do you mean to say it's time for bed and you still haven't written our story for school?! I figured the story was already done! How could it be done if YOU didn't write it?! Obviously it had to be done before now, because it's 8:30 and I'm supposed to be in bed! Wait a minute! If the story had been written in YOUR past, that would mean I should've written it! Well, why didn't you?! Because I came to the future to pick it up when it was DONE! If you hadn't screwed up my past, your future wouldn't be like this.

05/28/92: Hold it. Let's figure this out. I'M you at 6:30 and YOU'RE me at 8:30. Neither of us did the homework. Right. That means the homework SHOULD'VE been done between my time and your time. Right. We needed to do it at 7:30. But the 7:30 Calvin clearly didn't do it, or you'd have it by now at 8:30. Yeah! This is HIS fault! That lazy little punk! He'll get us BOTH in trouble! Let's go get him!

05/29/92: Hobbeses, the 8:30 Calvin and I are going to go back to 7:30 and make THAT Calvin do the homework. We'll wait here. All this time travel makes us queasy. We'll be right back. Off we go! This HAS to be the least efficient way to write a paper. All this modern technology makes people try to do everything at once.

05/30/92: Ah ha! Here we are, right at 7:30! Yikes! My past and my future! Put down that comic book and do our homework! Yeah! Get to work, you loafer! Hey! Why should I do all the work? Either of you could do it too! But I didn't at 6:30 and now it's 7:30. And at 8:30 it will be too late. You're the last chance. Now are you gonna start writing or do we have to pound you? Go ahead and hit me! My FUTURE self will be the one who hurts! HEY!

05/31/92: I don't think so. Definitely not. Mm... nahh... That's a little better. Eww. Yeah, perfect! What now, Calvin? No, absolutely not. Put those back. Mom says no way. Grown-ups have no taste.

06/01/92: You know, Hobbes, if the 7:30 Calvin is at all like the 6:30 and 8:30 Calvins, I'll bet he isn't going to write that story. You're right, Hobbes. Why don't WE write a story while we're waiting for them? Yeah! Calvin could use it for his class then. I'll write it down and you can illustrate it! OK, now what should our story be about? Calvin's not here. Let's write about HIM! Hee hee hee! Hoo hoo! Drawing Calvin is easy! You just make a big mouth and add some hair!

06/02/92: Look, guys, you can't gang up on ME! Oh yeah? Why not? Because we're all the same Calvin! In one hour, the 6:30 Calvin will be ME, and in another hour, we'll BOTH be the 8:30 Calvin. That means you guys will suffer whatever you do to me. Oh yeah. Oops. Whose dumb idea was this anyway? His? His!

06/03/92: We're back, but we didn't get the homework. Now it's 8:30 again and we're doomed. Here you go! Hobbes and I wrote a story for you while you were gone! You DID?? Ha ha! We're all done! We can go back to 6:30 now! Thanks, Hobbeses! You guys are life savers! Calvin? It's Mom! Hurry! Hobbes, get in! We'll be you in a couple hours! So long! Aren't you in bed yet? Don't come in! I'm... uh... changing into my PJs!

06/04/92: Did you write your story for class tomorrow? Sort of. What do you mean, "sort of"? Well, Hobbes helped and I had to do a lot of time traveling. Is your story written or not? Oh, it's written. I just haven't read it.

06/05/92: All right, Calvin, go ahead. What's YOUR story about? I don't know yet, but I'm sure it's good! My story is entitled, "How Hobbes, the handsome tiger, saved the day... ...no thanks to Calvin, the time-traveling chowderhead." WHAT?! Is there a problem? There WILL be for a certain stripey furball when I get home.

06/06/92: OK, YOU! Me?? This story you wrote is about ME trying to get OUT of writing the STORY! You made my time traveling sound like LUNACY! And the illustration You drew the THREE of me fighting! I was the laughing-stock of the whole class! What grade did it get? Um... A+. She wrote, "Very creative. The 'tiger' narration was a clever touch. I'm glad you're finally applying yourself." ... BUT EVEN SO...!! A+? Maybe I should send this to the New Yorker.

Calvin and Hobbes

20+ Top Calvin And Hobbes Strips

Calvin and Hobbes is one of the most beloved comic strips of all time. Created by Bill Watterson, the strip followed the adventures of the mischievous 6-year old Calvin and his tiger stuffed animal Hobbes. Running from 1985 to 1995, Calvin and Hobbes featured philosophical discussions, imaginative play, and Calvin’s endless attempts to avoid doing his homework or chores. Here are over 20 of the best and most memorable Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.

One of Calvin’s favorite pastimes was playing Calvinball, a made up game with constantly changing rules that were designed specifically to confuse his father. In one classic strip, Calvin explains the rules of Calvinball to his bewildered dad: “It’s a lot like soccer, except instead of goals, you use antilogs. And instead of a ball, you use a quark-gluon casserole. Oh, and instead of scores, you have cross-products.” Calvin’s nonsensical rules perfectly capture a child’s imagination and ability to make up elaborate games on the fly. Calvinball strips never failed to amuse readers with Calvin’s absurd logic.

Hobbes Comes Alive

One of the most imaginative elements of the strip was Calvin’s ability to see his tiger Hobbes come alive. When they were alone playing in the forest or having adventures, Hobbes walked and talked like a real tiger. But to everyone else, Hobbes was just a stuffed animal. This allowed readers to see the world from Calvin’s point of view and experience his vivid imagination. In one strip, Calvin and Hobbes are playing pirates in the backyard when Calvin’s mom calls them in for dinner. As she walks away, Hobbes whispers “She didn’t see me walk, did she?” capturing the magic of Hobbes only being real to Calvin.

Snowmen Come to Life

During one winter strip, Calvin builds an army of snowmen in his backyard that come to life as he imagines them attacking the neighborhood. He directs the snowmen like soldiers as they terrorize cars and adults. But at the end of the day, as the snowmen start to melt, Calvin looks on sadly saying “It’s always so depressing when your snowmen die.” Like many Calvin and Hobbes strips, it comments on a child’s playfulness and imagination while also touching on deeper themes of impermanence. The vivid imagery of the snowmen coming to life is a testament to Bill Watterson’s masterful storytelling through comics.

Philosophical Discussions

While Calvin often found himself in mischievous situations, the strip also featured many thoughtful philosophical discussions between Calvin and Hobbes. In one, Calvin lays in the grass watching clouds as Hobbes asks what he’s thinking about. Calvin replies “Nothing…it’s beautiful.” Sparking a conversation about the meaning of life. In another, Calvin tells Hobbes he’s worried about growing up, to which Hobbes wisely says “When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” Calvin and Hobbes strips were enjoyed by both children for the humor and adventures, and adults for their deeper insights.

Avoiding Bedtime

Like many children, Calvin dreaded bedtime. In one classic strip, Calvin’s mom tells him it’s time for bed but he insists he’s not tired. She reminds him that “Whether you’re tired or not, it’s bedtime.” Calvin protests “But bedtime is when the whole day goes to die!” capturing the bittersweet feelings kids have about the end of the day. In another, Calvin tries to stall bedtime by asking Hobbes to tell a story, but Hobbes just replies “It’s bedtime. Let’s go.” Showing that even Hobbes knew when it was time to turn in. Calvin’s endless attempts to delay or avoid bedtime were hilarious for readers of all ages.

In conclusion, Calvin and Hobbes featured imaginative stories, hilarious hijinks, and insightful philosophical musings that have resonated with readers of all ages for decades. The strips highlighted the joy and wonder of childhood, while also peeking into deeper questions about life, growth, and impermanence. Whether enjoying Calvin’s misadventures, vivid imagination, or thoughtful discussions with Hobbes, the comic strip captured what it means to be a kid in a uniquely charming and meaningful way. These over 20 comic strips show just some of the hilarious and thought-provoking moments that cemented Calvin and Hobbes as a true masterpiece of the comic arts.

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'Calvin and Hobbes' - the Comic Strip (permalink)

Calvin and Hobbes is a very popular cartoon strip that was first syndicated in newspapers in 1985. The ongoing story focused on two characters, a defiant, imaginative, genius six-year-old named Calvin, and his 'homicidal psycho jungle cat' (or stuffed toy tiger ) named Hobbes. Since the strip's first appearance, its creator Bill Watterson has published 18 collections of Calvin and Hobbes strips that appeared in the newspapers 1 . It ran for just over ten years, starting in November 1985 and ending on 1 January, 1996.

Bill Watterson

This comic was commended for reviving a focus on illustrations. Watterson's landscapes, woods and even dinosaurs were drawn with an attention to detail in contrast to many of Watterson's contemporaries who at the time focused almost exclusively on the dialogue. Watterson also used his comic to convey poetry, heartfelt metaphors and surprisingly philosophical concepts.

Watterson was considered one of the few cartoonists with artistic integrity left. The ideals of old-fashioned cartoons and integrity even cropped up in some of his work during battles with his syndicate. He never gave interviews and refused to licence his creations 2 . Compare this stance with that of Jim Davis, whose Garfield seemed ubiquitous for many years thanks to (some might say excessive) merchandising, or Scott Adams, creator of the cartoon strip Dilbert , who has been quoted as saying 'I wouldn't do Dilbert if it didn't pay.'

Hobbes is named after the 17th Century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes , and somewhat modelled after Bill Watterson's cat, Sprite. In the very beginning, the tiger wasn't meant to be a regular character, but it ended up working very well, so Hobbes stayed.

Hobbes is sometimes shown as a stuffed animal, usually when people other than Calvin are around, and as a real tiger when it's just Calvin. Watterson explains:

Calvin, named after the 16th Century theologian John Calvin, is a misbehaving genius. He explains the philosophy behind baths, but can't do his maths homework. Calvin is in truth a very basic child. He has an incredible imagination, but refuses to do anything approaching work and wants everything his own way - just like most other six-year-olds.

Calvin is a victim of rampant commercialisation. He has offered a bowl of tapioca pudding to the television as a symbol of his brain and has been noted to say things like 'This is my favorite deodorant commercial'. He subscribes to Chewing magazine and loves 'Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs' cereal. His parents try to keep him from being too commercialised, grilling out instead of going to McDonalds.

Sometimes, Calvin takes a large cardboard box and turns it into an advanced machine - for example, a cloning machine, a 'transmogrifier' or a time machine; he has been known to plot against his long-suffering babysitter, Rosalyn; he rides his wagon around the woods, and plays ' Calvinball ' 3 '.

Calvin employs his vivid imagination in a number of ways. He regularly transforms himself in his mind into three alter egos:

Stupendous Man

In case you're wondering...

Stupendous Man is Calvin's imagination played out in the real world. Occasionally, he'll change into his costume and try to save the day. This is the only one of Calvin's characters in his mind that actually exist.

Spaceman Spiff

Spaceman Spiff is Calvin's idea of a superhero in the mould of Flash Gordon. He travels to various planets with inhabitants whose names start with the letter 'Z'. Often, the 'Z' aliens end up being people in real life, painted over as a daydream. Often these adventures take place when he's at his school desk (which in his mind doubles up as an intergalactic space-pod) and the 'missions' are sometimes curtailed when Spiff is captured by an alien guard (or, more accurately, removed from class by his teacher, Miss Wormwood) and presented to the alien King (or 'the principal 4 ').

Tracer Bullet

Tracer Bullet is a detective. He is modelled after old 'Film Noir' thrillers of the 1950s. His cases occasionally reflect what's actually happening to Calvin in the 'real' world.

Other Characters

Calvin's parents.

Calvin's parents were never named in the strips - as with other characters, their names are merely how Calvin himself knows them, in this case, 'Mom and Dad'. His mother is very frustrated with Calvin; in trying to raise him well, she constantly fights him to behave, asking him to clean his room, bathe or do his homework. She tries to be patient, but seems annoyed more than not. His Dad always tries to help Calvin 'build character'. He does this through taking him on camping trips and other various tortuous activities. He also stresses his ideas of traditional life, in his views on television, transit or commercialism.

Susie Derkins

Susie Derkins, named after Watterson's wife's beagle, is a neighbour of Calvin. Susie is the smart girl in class, serious and very honest. She appears to have some feelings for Calvin in earlier strips, before revulsion takes over. Calvin constantly plots against her, smacking her head with a snowball, locking her in a closet, or even forming a club against her. This club is called 'GROSS' (An acronym for G et R id O f S limy girl S ). Calvin tortures her psychologically as well; he likes to tell her what's in his lunch ('Look, a thermos full of phlegm!'), but Susie gets him back in a more civil manner, by stealing his tiger and forcing him to participate in dollies' tea parties, or just by doing better than him at things he likes.

Hobbes and Calvin have opposing views of girls. Hobbes considers himself a gentleman and dresses up for girls. He likes girls, despite his status of First Tiger and President of GROSS. Calvin obviously won't admit that he likes Susie, though he clearly has a mild crush. He often accuses Hobbes of being a traitor, and demotes him from his peak role in GROSS as Supreme Dictator for Life.

Miss Wormwood

Calvin's elderly teacher - named after the apprentice devil is C S Lewis's The Screwtape Letters - Miss Wormwood, has to endure a lot. She has to deal with Calvin to begin with, she smokes too much, and wants to retire. She is consequently a very unhappy person.

His babysitter. Calvin hates her. She takes advantage of his parents because they can't stay home every night, charging them a very large fee. Rosalyn is probably the only person Calvin is afraid of. In fact, the reason she became a semi-regular character is that Watterson liked the way she intimidated Calvin.

Moe is the basic big, ugly, dumb bully of school. Moe, the big jerk, calls Calvin 'Twinkie', demands Calvin's toys and hurts him for little or no reason. As Calvin says, 'Never argue with a six-year-old who shaves.'

The Strip Ends

When the strip ended, it created a lot of mixed feelings. People were sad to see it go, but didn't want to see the quality dip. Most agree, however, it ended on a good note 5 .

The comic has been survived from its last publication by many websites and a cult following for years. Its impact has been enormous on cartoons and its readers. In fact, children have been named after the characters. One h2g2 researcher was named after Calvin, though no children named Hobbes have been reported yet.

1. Including many collections such as There's Treasure Everywhere, Revenge of the Baby-Sat and Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons as well as three additional treasuries.
2. Making all of the Calvin and Hobbes merchandise sold (including the bumper sticker of Calvin peeing on the logos of certain trucks) illegal.
3. Calvin hates all organised sports. He prefers the anarchic sport of Calvinball to any other game. Calvinball is basically just a sport that is made up as it goes. Apparently, there is a single rule; you can never play it the same way twice. Most games are incorporated in it, capture the flag, volleyball, croquet, singing and tennis to name a few.
4. Headmaster
5. The last comic, which featured a snow theme, inspired the title and cover of the last treasury, It's a Magical World.

Conversations

Monday, 11th December 2006 calvin and hobbes
Sunday, 19th February 2006 Snowmen
Thursday, 7th July 2005 Why this unnecessary Britishness?
Monday, 2nd May 2005 first strip read
Saturday, 26th March 2005 fight club
Thursday, 30th September 2004 Calvin & Hobbes Forever
Monday, 14th June 2004 Calvin and Hobbes merchandise
Sunday, 29th June 2003 Great strip which maintains a Child's Perspective
Wednesday, 18th June 2003 not just for kids
Wednesday, 11th June 2003 THEY ARE HILARIOUS, READ THEM

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10 Darkest Calvin and Hobbes Comics About Dinosaurs

D inosaurs are one of the most common recurring running gags throughout Calvin and Hobbes . In addition to Calvin’s antics with snowmen and his outlandish adventures as Spaceman Spiff, the imaginative six-year-old loves dinosaurs and spends quite a bit of time thinking about them. It’s not exactly an uncommon obsession for a kid, but many of Calvin’s fantasies can be a surprisingly macabre.

Fans love Calvin and Hobbes for the main character’s offbeat daydreams, especially his dinosaur ones. But every so often, Calvin’s thoughts about dinosaurs can go to an uncomfortable place. Read on to see ten of the darkest Calvin and Hobbes strips about dinosaurs.

“ I’M HUNGRY! ”

Calvin getting on his parents’ nerves is a classic staple of Calvin and Hobbes . In this strip, Calvin is lost in his own world, pretending to be an allosaurus. The young man narrates as he stalks a 30-ton brontosaurus before clamping his jaws on the dinosaur. The last panel reveals that the entire game of pretend was Calvin’s way of communicating his hunger to his father, who is in the middle of grilling. Calvin loves retreating into his own mind to deal with the annoyances of the real world, but here, he’s taking things a little too far.

Snowman Village

Snowmen and Calvin and Hobbes are a match made in comedy heaven. The comic strip got a lot of mileage out of Calvin building morbid displays of snowmen in grisly situations. Here, the strip blends Calvin’s dark behavior with snowmen with his overactive dinosaur fantasies. After building up a collection of small snowmen, Calvin puts on a wicked grin before diving into a fantasy where he’s an enormous dinosaur destroying a city as people flee in terror. Sure, it’s just childish fun on Calvin’s part But seeing his games portrayed more realistically gives the playtime a darker tone.

Calvin and Hobbes could make fun out of anything, even a cardboard box. Calvin once created a time machine out of a simple box and used it to visit the Jurassic era to see dinosaurs firsthand. In this strip, the titular duo decides to snap some photos of a few stegosaurs, which Calvin is sure will make him and Hobbes rich. However, Hobbes suggests they take a picture of the dinosaur that’s smiling: a T. rex that Calvin has his back to. Though the two weren’t in actual danger, it’s still a comically dark scenario.

It’s clear that Calvin retreats into his dinosaur fantasies more than most kids. In fact, sometimes he goes so deep into them, it’s hard for him to come out. This strip sees Calvin in the middle of recess pretending to be a mighty tyrannosaur stomping across the playground. Though Calvin is aware that playtime has come to a close, he continues playing pretend as everyone else goes inside. From inside the classroom, a classmate spots Calvin continuing to bellow as he keeps up his game. This strip is a bit darker and suggests Calvin has a hard time distinguishing between realities.

As bright as Calvin is, he’s still a kid and prone to boredom quite easily. Calvin’s parents have taken him to an art museum where the statues of “ decapitated naked people ” aren’t doing anything for him. As Calvin’s parents take in the art, Calvin starts up a new dinosaur-themed daydream and imagines himself turning into a tyrannosaurus. Calvin’s fantasy goes dark quickly as he eats a security guard whole and hundreds of paintings are torn to shreds. While Calvin isn’t usually destructive, the wicked grin on his face suggests he’s harboring a major dark side.

The parents in Calvin and Hobbes know how imaginative their son is and for the most part, are pretty supportive of him. But Calvin takes his game of pretend too far in this strip. Once again, Calvin is lost in his fantasy and pretending to be a tyrannosaurus in the Cretaceous period. In reality, Calvin is driving his mom nuts and stomping around the house growling. After asking him to calm down, Calvin responds by biting her ankle. It’s all well and good when Calvin is just playing, but it’s a bit unsettling seeing him turn violent during his playtime.

“ Savage Ferocity ”

After seeing enough dinosaur-themed Calvin and Hobbes strips , it becomes clear that Calvin’s dinosaur fantasies are his way of dealing with any inconveniences in his life. Even the dullness of dinnertime is an excuse for Calvin to dive headfirst into his favorite daydream. This strip, however, goes into more graphic detail than necessary when Calvin describes the gruesome ways a dinosaur procures its dinner. The panel near the end is particularly stomach-churning as Calvin uses vivid language to describe the dinosaur’s meal, which could make anyone nauseated.

While most Calvin and Hobbes strips show Calvin pretending to be a dinosaur from his point of view, this particular one shows readers his mom’s perspective. Calvin assembles a homemade costume and goes outside with his mom thinking nothing of it. That is until she hears the sounds of a ladder and realizes Calvin is attempting to jump off the roof to fly, causing her to race outside to stop him. It’s no secret Calvin’s imagination can bring out his worst behaviors. But this strip touches on the very real horror any parent would experience seeing their child in such a dangerous position.

The Big Tyrannosaur

There’s no denying that Calvin is pretty much an expert when it comes to dinosaurs. In this strip, readers get to see the breadth of his knowledge as he describes the chilling features of the tyrannosaur. After Calvin conveys everything he knows about the beasts, he imagines what it would be like for such a creature to tear its way through the city, wreaking havoc and eating people. Of course, it’s all in Calvin’s head, but such an obsession with carnage really makes one wonder how much of Calvin’s interest is actually academic.

Overpopulation

Calvin’s relationship with Susie was antagonistic more often than not. This strip takes their rivalry to a new level when Calvin decides to include her in a report about overpopulation. Calvin conjures up a hypothetical scenario in which dinosaurs return and pick off those not fit to survive. To prove his point, Calvin has a deinonychus make a meal out of Susie. There’s always a bit of violence in Calvin’s dinosaur fantasies, but this time Calvin’s moved on to actually fantasizing about the death of someone he actually knows.

While many dinosaur-themed comics are meant to get a laugh out of readers, these ten Calvin and Hobbes strips stand out as some of the series' darkest.

10 Darkest Calvin and Hobbes Comics About Dinosaurs

10 Surprisingly Dark Comic Strips From Fan Favorite Series

The Far Side and Bloom County have always used dark humor, though fans might be surprised by darker comic strips from series like Peanuts or Garfield.

Readers typically don’t expect comic strips to be dark. There’s a reason comics in the newspaper are referred to as “the funny pages” - people usually read comic strips to laugh. The best comic strips , however, elicit a wide range of emotions from their readers, from joy and surprise to sadness or disgust. Expressing humor is important for a comic strip, but it takes a far more skilled touch to address darker issues in a cartoon format.

Many of the best comic strips sometimes addressed dark subjects. Fan favorite comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes or The Far Side often became favorites thanks to their ability to resonate with readers on multiple levels emotionally. In comic strips, laughs are a dime a dozen, but strips that deal with real-life issues like death or depression often linger with readers for far longer and have a far deeper impact on fans than simple gags do.

10 Calvin Made Snowmen in Dark Situations in Calvin and Hobbes

The beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes has often dealt with heavy topics. Calvin is a young boy still learning important lessons about how the world works. Because of Calvin’s naivety, the strip sometimes deals with his emotions as he learns for the first time about issues like death or cruelty. Due to that same naivety, he also doesn't realize how inappropriate some of his fantasies are.

Calvin doesn’t always realize the full consequences of his actions, so sometimes, he imagines things that seem funny to him but are incredibly dark from an adult perspective. Calvin loves playing in the snow and creating snowmen. Many of his creations, however, involve snowmen dying in grisly ways. Because it’s all pretend to him, Calvin doesn’t realize how dark these thoughts truly are when considered in the context of real life.

9 Cows Are Often Plotting Against Humans in The Far Side

10 funniest the far side comics about animals, ranked.

The Far Side is one of the best and funniest single-panel comic strips ever. Creator Gary Larson held a surreal mirror up to society and used the comic to highlight the absurd ways that humans behave. One of Larson’s favorite techniques was to tell stories from the perspective of animals. The Far Side could get very dark because humans often don’t treat animals well.

This Far Side cartoon features one of the comic’s most iconic casts of characters, namely a group of cows. Cows in The Far Side have held cannibalistic barbeques and set city-destroying fires. In this strip, the cows are plotting revenge against a farmer. He is holding an anatomy chart similar to one people would see at a butcher’s shop, and the cows are planning to slaughter their human captor before he can do the same to them.

8 Even the Kids in Peanuts Get Sad and Insecure Sometimes

Peanuts is one of the most famous comic strips of all time. Running for 50 years, Peanuts defined comic strips in the mid-20th century and pioneered many of the techniques used in most comic strips today. When people think of Charlie Brown and his friends, they probably associate them with heartwarming holiday specials that are still aired decades later. However, The Peanuts comic could sometimes get quite dark and introspective.

Told from the perspective of a group of kids, Peanuts deals with a range of issues that affect young people. Many comic strips could be fanciful, but others dealt with real insecurities young people experience. In this heartbreaking Peanuts comic, Peppermint Patty laments that she is less attractive than another girl at school. Most people, especially teens, deeply understand feeling insecure about their looks and just how painful those feelings can be.

7 Garfield's Greatest Fear is Being Alone

10 best comic strips like calvin & hobbes.

Although Garfield is one of the most successful comic strips ever, most readers would not consider its content deep or meaningful. Most Garfield comic strips are either recurring gags, like Garfield’s love of lasagna and hatred of Mondays, or examples of Garfield being lazy or needlessly cruel to his owner, Jon, and other pets like Odie or Nermal.

Occasionally, however, Garfield breaks from its usual mold to tell a more significant story. In one memorable series of comic strips, Garfield wakes up to find he is alone in the world. Rather than being happy that all the people and animals who annoy him are gone, Garfield finds himself confronted with the tragic reality of his inner loneliness, in a drastic departure from the typically innocuous comic strip.

6 Depictions of Animal Testing in Bloom County Led to Real Life Change

Most comic strips about kids and animals tend to be light-hearted. Bloom County is an exception. Although Bloom County largely focuses on characters who are kids or animals, it is also a deeply political cartoon. It regularly delves into the world of politicians and social issues. Due to this subject matter, many of the best Bloom County comics can get fairly dark.

In one series of comics featured in the compilation Attack of the Mary Kay Commandos , Opus the Penguin is searching for his long-lost mother at a Mary Kay cosmetics testing facility. As he searches the lab, Opus meets several animals who are being tortured to test cosmetics. The comics were a sobering reminder of the reality of the products many people consume, and they actually led to Mary Kay phasing out animal testing in real life.

5 Calvin and Hobbes Allowed Readers to See Calvin's Parents' Fears

Calvin's best inventions in calvin and hobbes.

Children reading Calvin and Hobbes resonate strongly with Calvin’s imagination and adventurous play. For adults, however, it is often the struggles of Calvin’s parents that speak to them the most. Burglars broke into Calvin's home in one series of Calvin and Hobbes comics. After Calvin’s initial panic when he temporarily can’t find Hobbes, he thinks it’s a great story to impress the other kids at school.

For Calvin’s parents, however, the burglary is a terrifying dose of reality that leaves them lying awake at night, musing about what might have happened if they had all been home. Calvin’s dad’s realization that adults often don’t know what they’re doing is a sobering reminder to Calvin and Hobbes ’ adult readers about their own struggles to find the right path in life and that everyone is just making it up as they go along.

4 Doonesbury Educated Readers on the Suffering of the Vietnamese People

Doonesbury is one of the longest-running comic strips still being created and one of the few where the characters age along with the strip. It deals with the most controversial political issues in America, so it should come as no surprise that the comic can be very dark at times. From political corruption to the HIV epidemic, Doonesbury has never been afraid to tackle difficult subjects.

One of the darkest periods in U.S. history since the start of Doonesbury was the Vietnam War. Like many artists at the time, creator Gary Trudeau tried to bring attention to the horrors of the war through his art. In this Doonesbury comic, Trudeau highlights the devastation caused by American attacks on the Vietnamese people, as well as the indifference of those who are causing that suffering.

3 Charlie Brown Represented Charles Schulz's Own Sadness in Peanuts

The surprising importance of schroeder to peanuts' success.

Anyone familiar with the Peanuts comic or cartoon knows that Charlie Brown is not a very happy child. Running gags in the comic strip see Charlie repeatedly being deceived and abused by his friend Lucy, and he is dismayed when things don’t work out his way. While the other Peanuts kids usually enjoy life, Charlie is often shown enduring disappointment.

Charlie’s sadness is often treated as a bit of a gag. However, creator Charles Schulz has said that Charlie represents his own anxieties and sadness. In this strip, Schulz delves more deeply into those dark feelings, allowing Charlie and his dog Snoopy to converse about loneliness and sadness. No doubt, young readers would have found comfort in the fact that they are not the only people to experience these difficult emotions.

2 The Far Side Pushed the Boundaries of Dark Humor

Among all the comic strips that have regularly appeared in newspapers, The Far Side is one of the best but also the darkest. The Far Side is always funny, but its dark humor could sometimes leave readers feeling a bit guilty for laughing at such inappropriate content. Phobias, dangerous situations, and death were frequent subjects of The Far Side cartoons, and no one, young or old, was immune from these catastrophes.

People are not usually phased when adults or even animals are harmed in comic strips. However, humans are hard-wired to protect babies, and the sight of a baby in danger evokes a far more primal instinct in people. Inspired by Gary Larson’s own experience of owning a pet snake, this wordless Far Side comic showing a snake who has eaten a baby truly walked the edge of what constitutes appropriate humor.

1 Garfield Minus Garfield Shows the True Darkness in Jon's Life

Most Garfield comics portray the simple life of a single man and his pets. Garfield comics are popular , but they are not particularly dark or edgy. But what happens when you remove the title character from the strip? This was the question asked by Dan Walsh, who created the popular parody comic Garfield Minus Garfield . Even Garfield creator Jim Davis has lauded the hilariously dark spin on his popular cartoon.

When Garfield is removed from his comics, the comic strips take on a very different and dark tone. Jon is seen talking to himself, uttering self-deprecating phrases or sitting in melancholy silence. The comic transforms from stories about a cat to tales of one man’s descent into loneliness, depression, and existential angst. The obvious lesson is that everything is more joyful with cats in it.