On this date in 1985 Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip by Bill Watterson, was first published. It ran until 31 December 1995. 10 things you might not know about Calvin and Hobbes.
Calvin is named after the 16th-century theologian John Calvin and Hobbes after 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who held what Watterson describes as "a dim view of human nature”. Calvin’s nemesis Susie Derkins is named after a beagle who belonged to his in-laws, and Calvin’s teacher, Miss Wormwood, is named for the apprentice demon in CS Lewis' The Screwtape Letters.
Calvin’s parents are never named, because their only importance in terms of the strip was as Calvin’s parents. We do know, however, that Calvin’s dad is a patent attorney, which is the profession of Watterson’s own father. He’s an outdoorsy type who believes that camping and bike rides in extreme weather are “character building”. Calvin’s mother is a housewife who previously had a stressful job which she was happy to give up to be a full-time mother. Calvin’s father has a brother called Max, who is single and child free. Max looks like Calvin’s dad, except that he has a moustache and Calvin’s dad wears glasses. Watterson has both moustache and glasses and based the brothers on himself. He acknowledges Hobbes, saying he had “a killer’s eye”, which endears him to Calvin, who says it’s "hard to believe he's related to Dad." Max may well have appeared more often, but Watterson thought it would look odd if he never addressed his brother and sister in law by name.
Hobbes was based on Bill Watterson’s Cat, a tabby called Sprite. It’s never made entirely clear whether Hobbes is real or imaginary, although when there are adults in frame, he appears as a blank-faced cuddly toy. He is certainly real to Calvin. A strip in which Hobbes gets placed in a washing machine was excluded from a collection because it strongly suggested he was just a toy.
Susie Derkins is the only character to have both a first and last name. She plays lacrosse and enjoys playing “house” and holding tea parties for her toys. The pair seem to go out of their way to annoy each other. For example, Calvin founds a club for himself and Hobbes called 'G.R.O.S.S.' (Get Rid Of Slimy GirlS) especially to exclude her. That said, Watterson has hinted that they actually have crushes on each other.
There are two characters Calvin fears. These are Moe, the school bully who is based on "every jerk I've ever known" and the babysitter, Rosalyn, a high school senior and allegedly the only babysitter who puts up with Calvin. Calvin describes her as sadistic and/or insane.
Calvinball is a game Calvin invented after a negative experience of school sports. Calvinball is a game of wits, skill and creativity rather than athletic ability. The only consistent rules of the game are that Calvinball may never be played with the same rules twice and that players must wear masks.
Watterson came up with the idea while working in a job he hated and spent his spare time trying to come up with a cartoon for newspaper syndication. Most of his early ideas were rejected but United Feature Syndicate finally responded positively to one strip called The Doghouse, which included a character whose little brother had a stuffed Tiger.
Watterson was completely against any merchandising for his comic strip. Although his contract allowed the syndicate to licence the characters and do what they liked with them without Watterson’s consent, they never did because Watterson would simply threaten to quit. In 1992, he managed to get a contract which gave him complete control over licencing. After that, he refused to do interviews or attend award ceremonies. He also took the unprecedented move of taking two sabbaticals from producing the strip. On his return from the second, he announced he was quitting for good as he’d achieved everything he wanted to with Calvin and Hobbes and wanted to concentrate on other things.
Nevertheless there have been some adaptations, including a textbook for children called Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes, published in 1993. The strips in it are followed by lessons based on the story. In 2011 a comic strip appeared by cartoonists Dan and Tom Heyerman called Hobbes and Bacon, in which Calvin is shown as an adult. He has married Susie Derkins and they have a daughter who they have named after philosopher Francis Bacon. Calvin gives Hobbes to her.
The last ever strip showed Calvin and Hobbes sledding down a snowy hill after a fresh snowfall with Calvin exclaiming "Let's go exploring!"
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment