Happy Anniversary, Calvin and Hobbes

Thirty-seven years ago today the very first CALVIN AND HOBBES comic strip by Bill Watterson appeared in newspapers.

That's a long time ago. It was the reason I bought the paper! And I didn't have much money to go and spend it on a newspaper. I remember seeing it and thinking that it was too good. Too good to last long! My view of the world was that the mediocre stuff was the only thing that became popular. I am happy to be wrong!

Kids today tell me they love CALVIN AND HOBBES. When I teach cartooning classes, its regularly cited as a favorite. When I ask them where they got the collections, the answer is always the same: from their parents.

So, Calvin is being passed along from one generation of people to the next. Not thru toys. There aren't any. Not thru TV specials or movies. There aren't any of those. Calvin lives on the page and is kept in circulation because it's good stuff. Really good stuff. People are smart that way.

Here's the first five days of the strip ....