Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for January 14, 2024

Wow! Calvin actually listened to Hobbes.

That seemed like a pretty cheap thrill.

At least Mom and Dad were truly happy. Either that or completely stunned

We all need to let off steam. :D

I wish there was an additional panel showing Calvin literally buried under snowballs thrown by Susie. Maybe with Mom and Dad laughing.

Modern philosophy books are full of Calvin and Hobbes strips.

Live by the snowball, die by the snowball…..

Calvin would fit in with the current “self-love, self-care” (self coddling) generation.

He’s gonna pay

Without night we do not appreciate day.

This wonderful strip is included in both The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book and Calvin and Hobbes Sunday Pages 1985-95.

In the former, Watterson states, “I don’t know why we’re programmed this way but we are.” This reflects on his earlier point that most of us can identify with Calvin.

In the latter, Watterson states, “The choice between good and evil was a recurrent theme in the strip. Nothing tested Calvin so much as a good slushball.” At least, Calvin preferred a good slushball to an evil slushball.

Calvin’s channelling Nietzsche.

Just waiting for the moment that Susie retaliates and Calvin gets a snowball upside the head!

That wasn’t Virtue, (except the card), that was Chores.

Well, you’ll soon have plenty of time for that as you’ll be grounded for a week!

Even knows to put spoon/knife on the right of the plate.

Living a virtuous life is an ongoing process. For me, the decisions to do so are made day by day, sometimes minute by minute.

And of course, Susie waited there for him….

Well, at least he gave it a try . . .

True only to a point.

We banned slushballs and iceballs, too deadly if hit in the face.

Susie will save this one to add with the other ‘payback’ items on her list. Revenge is a dish better served cold [revision of original from Eugène Sue, 1846.] With thanks to Wiki.

That’s what I’m talking about Calvin.

Virtue, apparently, is its own reward.

I’m surprised that Susie didn’t get up and kick the crap out of him.

Calvin knows the word “pate”?

It’s the eternal debate, isn’t it?

That’s what I call “Paying it forward”.

LOL…. Well, at least Calvin resisted the Dark Side for a little while. Gotta love Hobbes, though.

Philosophy is in the eye of the beholder, whereas truth is unchanging. Also, it’s worse to take out the garbage in the winter than summer, at least to me, because the cold air let’s the smell linger on.

No child Calvin’s age has EVER been known to use the word “pate”.

Yeah but wait until Calvin marries her, she’ll get even with him the rest of his life.

Shouldn’t the last panel show a snowball being thrown at Calvin from off-panel (by Susie)?

Calv finds “earning” his snowball this way much more satisfying? :P

If he can throw a snowball that hard at his age, he may have a future in baseball.

Behold: How many commenters here have deluded themselves into believing they behaved when they were children.

To thine own self be true….

No one under the age of 65 uses the word “pate”, unless they are talking about ground chicken liver.

Virtue is its on reward but ambush is in the genes.

It’s like being good the month before Santa comes

Machiavelli already wrote that one.

Calvin’s mom snd dad may wonder if he was stolen and then swapped by the fairies (a common theme in fairy tales).

And two seconds later, Susie’s slushball flattened Calvin facedown in the snow.

Reminds me of the sequence in Schindler’s List where Amon Goth was trying to be nice. Fortunately, Calvin only has a slushball, not a rifle.