Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for February 12, 2024

Searching for superpower meteorite requires some kind of work ethic.

What superpower do you wish you had? Me? The kind that Kirby has. The power to copy other powers!

Bringing a stuffed tiger to life seems like a pretty cool superpower.

I believe that humorless snob would wish Calvin DID become a liquid—and flow down the drain!!

Cover yourself with honey and hope that you get bitten by a radioactive spider or mutant insect — much less effort.

One of my all-time favorite bits of cartoon dialog was from “Get Fuzzy”:

Bucky Katt: “If you could have any superpower you wanted, which one would it be?”

Satchel Pooch: “Um, I dunno. The United States?”

Work ethic generally develops gradually… and usually some time after puberty, though the groundwork needs to be laid down earlier. And then comes into fruition when you get a real job that you really want to be paid for.

“Caaalvin is made of liqvid metaaal.” There ya go, my best Schwarzenegger accent. My apologies in advance, as I “approach and board the helicopter”.

If Calvin finds a way to mutate into someone with a work ethic I hope he’ll share the formula with Dustin.

Building character is a mutation?

Maybe he needs to be bitten by a radioactive Border Collie.

Just go on tick tock and show your butt. It’ll go viral and you’ll be worth more money than an cam model.

Does the father mean the Calvinist work ethic? Work for the glory of God? (That pun was too tempting to let go!)

Dad…OUCH!!! That was mean!

Turning into liquid could be a terminator move….

This could be a good intro to Calvin the superhero

But I don’t think Calvin’s grasped the fact that with great power comes great responsibility…

Most six-year-olds wouldn’t even know what a “work ethic” is…

Or buys your vote with a big tax credit for being an entitled minority and keeping up the oxygen/nitrogen level of the planet

Ah yes. “You can be whatever you want, as long as you work hard enough.” Until middle school when you realize that you can’t be whatever want.

The job I have now was a startup. I didn’t think they would call me, but they did. I’m really fortunate to have this job at my age. It’s a lot less physically demanding than the one I did have, and it pays well.

With great power comes great responsibility

Preferably a marketable skill…

They’re having a sale down at Meteors’R’Us

Those meteorites are harder to find, Dad.

And being able to create a Snow Goon army in a day is not a superpower ?

Finding a radioactive meteorite is a real stretch. I’ve always hoped to rescue a space alien, who would then grant my every wish out of gratitude. Space aliens have the advanced technologies to do those kind of things, you know.

The last meteorite that turned into a living liquid was fought by Steve McQueen and had to be dropped in the arctic ocean by helicopter

In past times, children who were raised on a farm were put to work quite early. They knew that sustenance is not free. It must be worked for.

A lot of people seem to need that meteorite these days.

Years ago I was out working on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, my coworkers were handling a drum of mixed hazardous nuclear waste when it started oozing a fluorescent green liquid. Missed my chance to gain my super powers, I was this ⇥⇤ close!!!

Calvin has a work ethic; it’s just oriented in the wrong direction. He will work for hours at devising some means to avoid doing his homework.

You’re not an adult until you’re ready to sacrifice your time and happiness for someone else’s profit.

In 1994 Watterson clearly saw the future of the world with far too many deciding they are worth a great deal of money and now live off welfare.

Prerequisite for a work ethic is learning to delay gratification—increasingly difficult in this era of instant gratification.

That is your job….and you failed….just like a lot of parents in the US.

That’s what parents are for. It’s tough for a kid to be useful in today’s world. My Dad was always careful that we had chores and would get us part-time jobs in whatever area we lived. Of course, he was a First Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and knew the importance of keeping idle hands busy.

We four boys never became rich or famous but we knew how to work and had the confidence to change jobs, as necessary.

Sorry, the really amazing superpowers are reserved for women. Men’s are generally variations of brute strength first, occasionally a bit of brainpower if that fails.

The Truth toward which all Mankind runs; the work to get there they all shun.

Being a living liquid does not sound appealing.

Gotta love Dad’s pragmatism…. Good one.

In other words, Dad is saying he doesn’t want you to get into politics.

Not the time for such preaching dude…..

Come on, Dad, don’t be such a prig. Appreciate your brilliant son.

We could use more of that last meteor Dad mentioned.

It’s your job to inspire that, Dad!

biggest lie my parents ever told me. It does not matter what you know , but who you know. Found that out five years after i left school and started to work. Wish i was more Calvin then…btw. i am 47 now.