Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for April 14, 2024

Calvin learned stalling in school — a skill that will come in handy as he grows up.

Delaying the inevitable as usual, Calvin?

I am probably the only one that does not care for spaceman spiff strips, I find them boring

Saved by the bell.

Who needs subtraction when you can fly a spacecraft?

To think that a young lad like this could invent a legal strategy that might well preserve a future criminal defendant from ever having to stand trial. Not thinking of anyone in particular, of course.

The “Zok Death Sloop” seems to sport a funny face.

I always hated dealing with 11. 12 I could handle (12 pence to the shilling, 12 months to the year, etc.) and 10 was easy, but 11 always made things difficult for addition and subtraction. Multiplication by 11 was a doddle.

So, after great struggle, 8?

Is it saving the day really if you’re just postponing the evil for the next episode?

Who wasn’t saved by the bell at some point? I once lucked out and got an extra day after completely forgetting about my presentation on boron.

For Cal, obfuscation is an art. Truly enjoy his ‘spacey’ adventures. Great fun and great art.

“8” Nailed it!

The death ship looks quite cheery from this angle……

Calvin just getting started on his version of Principia Mathematica.

11 – 3 = E (hex)

Miss Wormwood says, Hold it Calvin, you’re not leaving till you solve that math equation.

It’s 8! The answer is 8! GAWD! You cannot be THAT dumb!!

Timing is everything.

Thought it was a different punchline here, but I suppose that’s attached to a different Spaceman Spiff strip.

Yeah, it wouldn’t have mattered to most of my teachers if the bell rang. He or she would have held class until the question was answered.

Oh gawd, that was me in school, spaceships and everything…

Ludicrous speed!!!!

Also works for testifying at a congressional hearings…

“He downshifts his spacecrafts and stalls.” Over ten years since I first read this, and I finally get the manual transmission joke! It helps that today’s Barney & Clyde is about stick-shift, so I was in the mind-set.

I know Watterson fought hard to have more creative freedom for his Sunday strips. But he probably got more out of the conventional format than any other cartoonist before or since

Calvin’s daydreams are becoming a bit too real. Some medication may be indicated.

Calvin can’t figure out math in this case because he was ahead of his time and Common Core Math hasn’t been taught in schools yet.

seems this wouldn’t work to well with tomorrow.. unless you go for the extension.

Remember: At the speed of light, it’ll take you more than a year just to get out of our rinky-dink little solar system.

I learned too late as an adult that all the effort I put into stalling can be more work than actually doing the job.

That problem is what fingers or counting backwards is for.

Spaceman Donald.

When you think back to when we first leaned addition and subtraction, 11-3 is a tough one. Both prime numbers, no reduction, you just have to keep taking away 1 from 11 three times. tedious.

One of the many things I love about Spiff is that the lenses of his goggles change shape in every panel.

Except the planet he’s landed on is populated by principals…

There’s no reason Miss Wormwood can’t require him to do the problem before he can go.

I always find it so strange that Calvin is so incredibly verbally gifted but has such problems with basic math.

Calvin is smart after all!

A lesson learned that works good when you’re guilty and need to delay your trial.

He is destined to be an author of fiction, not an engineer.

Kids that young don’t go from class to class. That doesn’t happen until middle school.

Translation of last panel: Calvin may not know the answer.

THGIE