Bill Watterson's Calvin And Hobbes Is Still The Most Nostalgic Version Of Summer In Comics

Calvin and Hobbes always captured summer's endless qualities perfectly, representing everything that adults miss about childhood summers.

Summertime is for making fun childhood memories. Whether they're getting dirty in the backyard or sailing deep into their imaginations, this is the only time kids of all ages can be themselves. When the summer vacations roll around, it's time to let the textbooks gather dust and enjoy the feeling that there's no tomorrow. Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes has always celebrated that spirit of freedom through its protagonists, a mischievous six-year-old and his imaginary furry friend. But summers have always been special in Calvin's world, as untethered creativity and reckless fun are a key part of every summer twilight.

Unlike his creation, cartoonist Bill Watterson was a shy and introverted kid growing up. He expressed his inner playfulness through his art, which took a hit when he became an adult. Detesting his job at an advertising agency, Watterson created a new comic strip where he relived his childhood through the eyes of the precocious and energetic Calvin and his sarcastic tiger, Hobbes. In most summer-themed stories, Calvin and Hobbes run through the woods, enjoying the shades of trees and debating their futures then getting into trouble with family and friends. While Calvin's life is never perfect, these are the perfect summer Watterson envisioned for his younger self, reimagined through Calvin's boisterous lens.

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Children love playing in water. It inserts an element of chaos into daily life and, for a kid, making the biggest splash means being the coolest. Calvin and Hobbes always found the perfect way to cool off on muggy summer days. The size of their kiddie pool never dampened their spirits, for they were too busy one-upping each other. If Hobbes made an elaborate show of diving or finished a lap in zero seconds, Calvin needed to upstage him with his own daredevil stunts. This was the epitome of how suburban American kids lived in the '80s and '90s, creating their own kingdoms, and ignoring their yelling mothers, standing in doorways.

Bill Watterson took his inspiration from his childhood days in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where the summers are hot and humid and kids throw water balloons at their friends, both out of mischief and to beat the heat. Calvin loved to attack Susie Derkins, Hobbes, and even his mom with these cold, wet missiles, even if it always ended badly for him. Taking things too far with friends and family is part and parcel with growing up. From Hobbes cannonballing into the pool to Calvin losing his trunks in a scuffle with his tiger friend, the cold, refreshing water makes everyone pick up their water pistols and throw caution to the wind.

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Children can amuse themselves with the simplest things. Out on leisurely strolls on summer afternoons, they can pick up a stick and transform it into an imaginary laser gun or sword, suddenly embarking on a full-fledged quest for glory and might. However, Calvin tends to take things a step further and goes full-on evil genius with his inventions.

All Calvin needs is a cardboard box to create a terrifying invention. One of his earliest "devices" was the transmogrifier, an upside-down box with a dial drawn on the side. With it, he could transform himself and Hobbes into any animal or object. The only limit was the scope of his imagination. While these adventures weren't specific to summer, they demonstrated the essence of Calvin's love of imagination and freedom.

Calvin also reused the same cardboard box for other inventions. Turned on its side, it became the duplicator, useful for creating clones that Calvin tried to force to do his homework and clean his room. Turned upright, it became a time machine that Calvin and Hobbes used either for their shrewd moneymaking schemes or to travel to the past to take pictures of dinosaurs. Of course, six-year-olds often create an elaborate world filled with fantastical details. And while Calvin's tree forts and wagon rides down dangerous hills were the perfect illustration of how the kid embraced summer's freedom, his hilarious devices were the expression of his frustrated and untethered ambitions and dreams. Summertime frees kids from their rigid schedules and they focus more on having fun with whatever is near them, letting their imaginations do the rest.

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Calvin likes summer vacations because he doesn't have to think about the rest of the world. No dash for school and even if he misses his favorite TV show, it makes more time for his best pal Hobbes, marching into the woods, debating reality, and leaping streams. Calvin and Hobbes often stared into the sky and imagined shapes in the clouds. However, on hot days, the two best friends would seek shelter in the cool shade of the forest canopy and ponder the meaning of life and the simplicity of doing nothing.

As evening sets in, kids return home with heavy hearts. With the day almost over, it is time to eat dinner and go to bed. However, on summer holidays, when there are no worries about school the next day, kids find ways to stay past their bedtime and make the most of every day. Calvin always hates going to bed unless bedtime stories are involved but on nights like these, when the sun is down and the fireflies come out to play, Calvin cannot contain his excitement as he chases these playful insects with Hobbes. Every child feels a bit like Calvin, here, when they argue with their parents to let them off the hook for a little while longer and pretend that the twilight will never end.

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Studying is the farthest thing from most kids' minds when there's a world of infinite possibilities just outside their doors. Summer homework isn't unheard of even for younger kids. Some assignments require kids to pay attention to the outside world, while others require concentration indoors. However, even fun activities can be annoying when they're mandated by someone in authority. Like every other kid, when Calvin suddenly realizes that his summer holidays are almost over he panics since he might have to pay attention to his responsibilities again soon. Calvin's more likely to complain about the anxiety his assignments create than to ever alleviate it by completing them, though, and he resents the fact that they exist and they force him back into the real world. His safe summer fantasia is always better than anything reality could ever offer.

Calvin's last few days of summer pass in existential dilemma as he dreads the beginning of the end of his freedom. He does not want to write boring essays about his vacation or collect leaves for Miss Wormwood's class. He wants to go on grand adventures in pirate ships with Hobbes as his first mate and travel through time to when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Sometimes, he simply wants to enjoy a warm, buttery corn on the cob on a hot summer afternoon, forgetting his worries about the future. That is the essence of being a child: looking forward to fresh experiences tomorrow rather than being bogged down by worries. Calvin doesn't always deal with his anger at reality well but it's hard not to sympathize with him when he acts out.

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Calvin and Hobbes's comic strips are famous all over the world. Lighthearted, mischievous, and sometimes profound, every year they attract new fans, who laugh and nod at the characters' hijinks. However, for many readers, they're also a source of nostalgia. C&H reminds them of simpler times when cable TV and outdoor activities were the norm. When technology didn't invade dinner table conversations, and living in the moment was the essence of summer and childhood.

Times change, but some things always remain the same. Even now, kids can relate to Calvin's picky eating habits and his addiction to watching shows on repeat. They laugh at Calvin's antics as he declares war on his babysitter and they find solace in his inseparable bond with his fluffy friend. Calvin and Hobbes' summer stories have always captured the innocence and creativity of childhood. The way it manages to combine fantasy with grounded reality makes Calvin and Hobbes both comfortable and timeless.

Sayantan is a comic book fan based in India who loves good storytelling more than anything else. His power to bore people to death with Kaiju lore is only rivaled by his love for books and movies. He has a master's degree in Energy Tech and loves to watch soccer. You can take a gander at his artworks here: @kenichikyuro