Designing Debates in Calvin and Hobbes

The writing of “Calvin and Hobbes” can be compelling & funny all on its own. But Bill Watterson’s skillful cartooning brings the comic to life. These talents are on full display in this classic Sunday strip featuring Calvin and Hobbes careening through the woods on their wagon. 1/12

From a storytelling perspective, the top panels are extraneous. There’s a practical reason for this. At this time, Watterson (and every other newspaper cartoonist) was required to make strips printable as either 2 or 3 rows, depending on how much space individual papers chose to grant them. 2/12

But the top panels are still meaningful. Plot-wise, they establish that Hobbes enables Calvin; it’s technically Hobbes pushing Calvin down the hill. Visually, the empty backgrounds evokes timelessness while the long panel conveys a sense of space & distance as the wagon picks up speed. 3/12

The third panel establishes the thesis of the debate/monologue. Calvin looking back at Hobbes as the wagon tilts at an alarming angle, wheels bent by speed, humorously reflects Calvin’s egotism. For Calvin, making sure Hobbes hears him is more important than watching the road. 4/12

Throughout, Calvin’s egotistic carelessness is contrasted with Hobbes’ more grounded skepticism. This is represented narratively through Hobbes’ relative silence and mildly sarcastic comments, and visually through his observation of physical perils of which Calvin is defiantly ignorant. 5/12

On the subject of groundedness: note how neither the characters nor their wagon actually touch the earth until the final crash. Calvin rides high on hot air until the logic of gravity pops his bubble. But of course, Calvin doesn’t learn anything; he may be humbled in body but not in spirit. 6/12

The variation and juxtaposition of angles, colours, and framing helps convey the rapid, chaotic motion of the wagon and maintain visual interest through Calvin’s lengthy monologue. It also underscores the content of the monologue, in which Calvin discusses chain reactions and arbitrary choices. 7/12

Watterson’s use of contrasting styles is also notable. Calvin, Hobbes, and the wagon are more expressionistically exaggerated than the comparatively realistic landscape. This contrast both adds depth to Calvin’s monologue and undercuts it; his context is serious but he’s ultimately a cartoon. 8/12

Here, a shift in perspective that places us alongside the characters in the wagon helps build dynamic tension; like the characters, we’re careening over the edge into the unknown. It also continues to ironize Calvin’s egotism; despite the evident danger, Calvin continues to bloviate. 9/12

This panel distills an important aspect of our investment in Calvin’s fantasies & flaws. While we know Calvin is full of it, part of us also roots for him to succeed and admires his reckless courage, expressed here through Calvin’s brief, dramatically heroic moment of flight. 10/12

The two penultimate panels are “prolongation” panels, a technique frequently employed in comic strips to set up a punchline that will land harder through the juxtaposition of one state of affairs and another. We can see Charles Shultz employ a similar technique in this classic “Peanuts” strip. 11/12

The punchline includes self-reflexivity via Hobbes’ wish that “we could talk about these things without the visual aids.” Without the visuals, nothing Calvin says is profound. With the visuals, his words are still silly but capable of inspiring deeper meanings & sincere emotional reactions. 12/12