The Raccoon Story - Calvin and Hobbes

Hundreds of comic strips have been published in newspapers. The majority are terrible, and almost all the rest are mediocre. There have been maybe four or five good comic strips in the history of the world. So saying that Calvin and Hobbes is the best comic strip ever doesn't really hold a lot of weight. Nevertheless, Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes has been a worldwide favorite since its introduction in 1985. The strip follows the richly imaginative adventures of Calvin and his trusty tiger, Hobbes.

Calvin

Calvin, named after the 16th-century theologian John Calvin, is an impulsive, creative, imaginative, energetic, curious, intelligent, hypocritical, selfish, rude, and ill-tempered six-year-old, whose last name is never mentioned in the strip. Despite his poor grades in school, Calvin demonstrates his intelligence through his sophisticated vocabulary and a philosophical mind.

Hobbes

From the other characters' perspectives, Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed tiger. From Calvin's point of view, Hobbes is an anthropomorphic tiger, much larger than Calvin and full of independent attitudes and ideas. When the perspective shifts to any other character, readers again see merely a stuffed animal, usually seated at an off-kilter angle and blankly staring into space. Watterson explains:

"When Hobbes is a stuffed toy in one panel and alive in the next, I'm juxtaposing the 'grown-up' version of reality with Calvin's version, and inviting the reader to decide which is truer."

The Raccoon Story

"...but don't YOU go anywhere."

What makes Calvin and Hobbes the greatest ever is its ability to make you laugh your ass off, and identify with it. What makes it one of the great treasures of our culture is its ability to invoke emotions that you never thought you’d spend on a comic strip.

This one’s is positively touching and also my favorite strip of all times.