Title: Calvin and Hobbes Volume(s): 3 Author(s): Bill Waterson Format: Unflipped; Left-to-Right Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing MSRP: $149.99 Genre(s): Comedy Rated: All Ages   Buy From Amazon.com

CONSUMER ADVICE

While some of Calvin's pranks and additude phases can be a bit on the rude and meanspirited side, parents don't have worry about any bad examples being set, as Calvin always gets whats coming to him in the end. Besides, "Calvin and Hobbes" is all meant to be just plain old fun anyway.

There was once a comic strip in the newspapers that changed the way comic strips were looked at and read. It was a comic strip that didn't even last a quarter as long as "Peanuts" and "Blondie" had, never had any merchandise made based off of it (except for a few books and calenders), and had a creator who was so anti-social he didn't even read fan mail. It was a comic strip that blew into town, caused a lot of ruckus for the syndicates, and then blew out of town like a dream. This comic strip was "Calvin and Hobbes," and it is a comic strip classic that all others are measured up against. Of course, chances are I don't need to tell you this, as you've most likely read "Calvin and Hobbes" yourself, which in that case makes the following review absolutely useless. Although in a way, a review of "Calvin and Hobbes" seems unnecessary in the first place as, unlike most comics I review, "Calvin and Hobbes" is pretty self explanatory.

Most people don't need any background information when they read "Peanuts" and "Garfield." Why? Because none is really needed in the first place. The same thing applies with "Calvin and Hobbes": You don't need a review of the series to help you understand it because it's a series you just get, whether you've read it for years or are reading it for the first time. What I CAN review is this new book collection called "The Complete Calvin & Hobbes!" With that title the only thing one can expect is a complete collection of the entire run of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips. Yes sir, every comic strip from the series ENTIRE ten year run is presented here in this nifty three brick book collection for your enjoyment! This is the collection that Andrews McMeel Publishing decided to release after they released "The Complete Far Side" a year earlier, and considering how much care and attention went into that collection, it was pretty understandable why this collection was just as highly anticipated (if not more so). So the question now is, does "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" surpass the wonderful "The Complete Far Side?" Well, in terms of quality of the comic strips themselves it doesn't matter, as which comic is better is really all a matter of preference. However in terms of extras, "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" defiantly feels like it got the short stick of the deal. But first lets look at how the comics are presented. In many ways, this collection is the best representation of the comics in YEARS, but there is still one minor gripe with the presentation!

However first the good: The comics are beautiful. All the strips that are supposed to be in color are in color, all the strips that are supposed to be in black & white are in black & white, the "Calvin and Hobbes" logo has been restored for all the Sunday strips (in some collections these were removed since it was assumed they weren't required to be in the book since people should logically know what they were reading), some of the Sunday comics are being presented in color for the first time since they were published in the newspaper, and all of these comics are presented on some of the finest paper in the world. Where the problem comes in is the order these comics are printed in. While some people may not care, for years the comic strips have been printed out-of-order, by the decision of Mr. Bill Waterson. Waterson felt that some story arcs would flow better if the Sunday strip didn't interrupt, and in some cases he just felt the different order of certain strips would read better then they way they were printed in the newspaper. Opinions on this issue are divided (or at least they would be if Universal would stop shutting down all the "Calvin and Hobbes" fansites). On one hand, some people feel that the creator has every right to decide how his creation should be read, and that this isn't a big deal since the creator approved the strips to be read this way.

On the other hand, some people would like to read the comics in the order of which they were first published. While the bickering may go on for years, this collection still features the strips presented in the "out-of-order" fashion we have come to expect from Mr. Bill Waterson. Although the situation has been somewhat tweaked to solve both problems, as the dates for when each comic was first published is printed on the bottom of each page. Whether this is the solution we were looking for or not is irrelevant, as this is most likely as close as Universal is going to get to pleasing both parties. One area where this book is a total let down in is the extras department. When "The Complete Far Side Collection" came out, it offered more extras then were probably needed (but very much loved). Gary Larson had a four page or so commentary for every year of the strips existence, he offered several notes scattered throughout the book (including a note for which comic he personally thinks was his worst), he printed letters he received for his most controversial strips (but rarely gave a response), he drew some new drawings for the book himself, comics that were never printed in newspapers were included, and much more. When this set was announced, it was said that Bill would be participating a great deal in the production of the book, planning some nifty commentaries for the book, and it was announced that, for the first time in years, Bill Waterson would be accepting questions from fans to include in a "fan made" interview with him.

All this may sound fabulous, but unfortunately, NONE of this stuff made it into the final product! So what DO we get then?! Well, we DO get a pretty lengthy introduction by Bill, which runs for about eleven pages in length, and is a joy to read. Bill writes about his childhood influences, briefly mentions his spat with his publishers over merchandise rights (or lack of), shows us some early political comics he drew for his college newspaper, a couple of early versions of what would become "Calvin and Hobbes" (would you believe that Calvin's hair originally covered his eyes), and more. This introduction is a joy to read, and serious "Calvin and Hobbes" fans will savor every word...but it's just not enough in the long run. Bill seems to tease the fans with this introduction, offering his fans brief glimpses into the knowledge they desire, before saying "that's all folks" and ending the introduction. After that we get nothing. No history, no letters, no new art (all the artwork is recycled from older books), and the coveted fan made interview is nowhere to be found, and this above all is my biggest gripe with the book. You see, the fans have been begging for Bill to provide another interview about his comic for YEARS now, it's announced that a fan made interview of all things will be in this book, and low and behold it's NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!!!!

Shame on you Mr. Waterson, shame. I know that technically people will be buying this collection for the comics and their presentation and not the extras, but shouldn't a collection of three heavy five hundred page books that cost $150 have SOME extra gravy on it?! The eleven page introduction is nice, but it's more a tease then anything. It seems to have been written for the purpose of getting us excited for more stuff, when more stuff is not on the way. I know it must sound like I'm nitpicking at this point, but "The Complete Far Side" set a standard, and a comic like "Calvin and Hobbes" deserves the same amount of effort, if not more. I don't know whether this was a decision on the publishers part, or a decision by Bill Waterson (who admiringly, from what I've heard, is a real pain in the...you know), but the decision is disappointing none-the-less. Still, at the end of the day "Calvin and Hobbes" is a classic comic strip, and it is nice to have all of the comics in one three book collection. Despite some issues with the extras and comic strip order, "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" is pretty easy to recommend.

I can relate to this comic more then any other comic I know.

The books are well made, the paper is of the finest quality, and regardless of all that this is just one darn good comic strip that deserves to be part of EVERYONE'S collection! It's one of those great comics that can entertain kids as young as five, and adults up to the age of one hundred. So take my griping with a grain of salt in this case (it's my job you see), and go revisit one of the all-time greats with "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes."