Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for May 06, 2010

Soo-prise, soo-prise….

We have a few Box Elder Bugs for you, Calvin.

Ah, memories…

Maybe he could use his lunch. There’s always something weird in there.

Of course he forgot it, Susie. He’s been obsessing over that propeller beanie of his for the past six weeks, so he probably never even heard Miss Wormwood announce the project last month.

Just tell MIss WORMwood that you don’t have bugs in your house. You mother is CLEAN. That’ll fix her wagon.

The least a teacher can do is give assignments where everyone has equal access to resources, otherwise it just isn’t fair. Wink, wink.

Susie should have expected this… where are the mosquitoes when you really need them?

I think Calvin is buggin’ out today!

Somehow an insect collection assignment is not one I can picture Calvin forgetting.

Surprisingly, Susie is very eager to send him home to get it. You would have thought that she would like to see how Calvin defended himself against miss Wormhood…

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So is that what’s buggin’ you bubbie?

LuvH8: I was going to say the same thing! At his age it should have been his favorite assignment. I remember having a choice of topics for one of our projects in 4th grade and I did mine on alligators, crocodiles, and rattlesnakes. We had gone on Christmas vacation to Florida that year and I was fascinated by the wildlife museum and couldn’t wait to share all I learned with my classmates.

Oh, boy! He’s in for it now. Too bad he was so obsessed with his beanie. He would have had a great time collecting all kinds of icky bugs.

haha. i’m surprised that he doesn’t have some thing ready. He should check his lunch for starters..

Good morning Marg! Good Morning Fran and Shep mutt!

Hmmmm, not a good time to be a fly on the wall, huh? Wormwood is going to kill him.

maybe he can wing it by handing in some microsquash software…

or he could ask Lio for some help…

I love, how Calvin kneels before Susie in the last panel. Did he ever do that before?

Of course he forgot. He probably didn’t really pay attention to it ‘cause he was waiting for his beanie.

Sheesh. Poor kid.

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,

yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?

Proverbs 6:6-9

Strange… sounds like a project Calvin would have actually embraced and even have fun doing… especially with Susie at the bus stop…

Just a random thought’ Will Susie save him? Naw. Just a random thought.

Isn’t Susie playing a trick on Calvin? There is no project due.

“Morning Mike Firesmith and Loki Mutt.

Shep Mutt’s name is Kizzy.

Hard to believe … a six year old without a pocket full of rocks and bugs. It’s Mom’s fault, Calvin. She should never wash your pants.

Unfortunately, Susie is NOT playing a trick on him. Unlike Calvin, Susie doesn’t do things like that without provocation.

Susie, being the helpful sort, will try to come to the rescue of egocentric Calvin. But how will he show his appreciation for her kindness?

Check the outdoor light fixtures Calvin!!

Go look under a rock, Calvin.

lol. this is one of the strip’s best storylines!

wow, 3 flags this morning.

Tineli said, about 2 hours ago

I love, how Calvin kneels before Susie in the last panel. Did he ever do that before?

He isn’t kneeling, he’s looking for bugs!

He spent too much time bugged out. Now he is bugged out.

@Tineli: He’s looking for ants, not kneeling before Susie. Look where he’s facing.

Why does that not surprise me.. There’s nothing like doing your homework on your way to school.

@vardeman62: I know, he’s looking for ants. But it looks like kneeling, doesn’t it?

I like how Suzie really cares about Calvin, and tries to help him out. Even though Calvin just acted like a jerk to her in the last strip, she wants to help him.

uh oh. eh, calvin?

we’ve all been there….

It’s HOMEWORK- of course Calvin is going to “forget” to do it, regardless of the subject.

2nd, notice how the parents had no clue that the project was due? Maybe the parents are just as unorganized as Calvin.

Calvin & Hobbes- the BEST comic strip EVER!

@bmarrison: 2nd, notice how the parents had no clue that the project was due? Maybe the parents are just as unorganized as Calvin.

How would they have had any clue, bmarrison, if Calvin never told them about the project in the first place because he was so obsessed with getting the propeller beanie that he blocked everything else out, including Miss Wormwood’s announcement about the project a month earlier? It’s not her job to call Calvin’s parents and tell them about a school project that’s due; it’s his job to let them know as soon as he finds out about the project.

Legaleagle48- it’s also the parents responsibility to know what their son is doing at school. They obviously know that Calvin is irresponsible and should be on top of what he’s doing in school. But like you said, maybe the parents are just as unorganized- so what do they expect….

Great discussion!

Poor kid spends half his life in a state of oblivion….and the other half in a state of panic.

And I’m loving it.

I never said the parents were unorganized, bmarrison; that was your conclusion. I was merely quoting it to provide the context for my response to your remarks.

Calvin’s father is a patent attorney (which means he has to be organized in order to function at his job), and he’s never struck me as the disorganzed type in any event. And Calvin’s mother is usually able to stay one step ahead of Calvin (which she has to do in order to survive! lol), but even she can’t keep him on top of a project that he never bothered to tell her about because he was so obsessed with something else that he completely blocked it out of his mind. She’s not a mind reader, after all.

Nope, in my opinion, this is all on Calvin.

If Calvin had made his own lunch today, he’d have no problem.

It’s not surprising that Susie is concerned when Calvin is in real trouble. They do like each other, … when they are not busy fighting each other. Here is a link to an interesting picture showing how they might be in their late teens. http://nami86.deviantart.com/art/C-and-S-untitled-157877208

With 40+ posts all the time, don’t you think someone would get the message and resurrect this kid!

So, if your 2nd grader (we’re not talking about a middle school or high school kid) has no interest in school and is blowing off his homework, you’re not going to do anything about it? There are ways to find out what your kids assignments are. It IS a parent’s responsibility to teach their kids to be organized and to complete their homework assignments.

Just because a parent is organized at work does not mean that they are organized at home. I agree with you that there’s no indication if Calvin’s parents are unorganized in the entire strip (that I can remember).

Yes, it’s partly on Calvin but it’s also on the parents. And SHHHHH, don’t tell Calvin because I’m sure he’ll use it against them! :-)

Yeah, I can see Susie becoming Calvin’s best friend as they grow up. Especially if it is possible Calvin - GASP ! - out-grows his imaginary friend Hobbes.

bmarrison said, about 1 hour ago It’s HOMEWORK- of course Calvin is going to “forget” to do it, regardless of the subject. 2nd, notice how the parents had no clue that the project was due? Maybe the parents are just as unorganized as Calvin. Calvin & Hobbes- the BEST comic strip EVER!

Remember the time frame. Parents were typically not as involved with their children’s schoolwork as they are today. They were not really encouraged to be.

Suzie seems surprised that he forgot it entirely.

@Loomis_C: that’s what I thought… Susie is trying to change Calvin’s mood and she DID…!! But Calvin won’t accept that Susie DID THAT…

oh.. She likes him so much…

Loomis_C said, about 3 hours ago

I like how Suzie really cares about Calvin, and tries to help him out. Even though Calvin just acted like a jerk to her in the last strip, she wants to help him.

–Thought the same thing.

If you think of all the humans in Calvin’s life, Susie is the closest he has to a friend. :-)

If Calvin were as diligent as the ants, he already would have collected some of them (among other insects).

Calvin’s problem is he constantly screws up the very projects he would get good grades on by waiting till the last minute. You would think collecting bugs would be something he would like as in finding the most disgusting bugs to gross out his classmates.. or gluing several bugs together to make monster mutant bugs.

Its to bad Calvin doesnt have my cat he could tell the teacher his cat ate all the bugs.

Calvin in mid-air in panel 2 - what a wonderful drawing!

Calvin didn’t forget the assignment because he was so focused on his beanie. He forgot it because he’s Calvin. (And yes, collecting bugs sounds like fun, until it turns into homework! Tom Sawyer, anyone?)

His parents, if we really try to situate them in the real world, are probably just happy with any day that doesn’t bring a phone call or a note from school. Let’s give them the credit they deserve for maintaining a reasonably normal household with a kid like Calvin!

Oh, and I love his dad’s brilliant and outrageous answers to Calvin’s questions. Probably keeps Calvin’s imagination fired up. There’ll be time to clarify his thinking as he gets older. Also shows where some of Calvin’s characteristics come from - obviously his dad finally learned to live in the real world, but you wonder what he was like when he was six.

Thank you, Kathryn74, for the link to the grownup Calvin & Susie. Lovely art; from an alternate reality? As for the future of Hobbes, I’m sure he’ll always occupy a special space in Calvin’s room at home. For those of you who don’t know, Watterson purposely never established Hobbes’ true nature: was he only alive in Calvin’s imagination, or was there something much more wonderful going on . . .

the propeller hat was way more important anyway.

bmarrison, I agree with you. My son was in elementary school when these strips were first published, and even then they had phone lines for each teacher where we would call and listen to his/her messages about current assignments. Came in handy with a “Calvin” of my own. (almost)

graser said: Calvin lives half his life in oblivion and the other half in panic. The one leads to the other, doesn’t it? Miss Wormwood might send home notes about homework, especially a longer project, but Calvin probably wouldn’t deliver it. He’d be afraid to.

Calvin, just go and buy (or steal) one of those bug glass insect type windows that musuems have, and scratch out the copyright date :) They’d never know the difference

I wish I was Calvin his life really rolls along ,with out solving a problem he gets into another.

kathryn74,

Great drawings. Thanks for the link.

YAY KIZZY!

Why is Susie surprised? Surely this is to be expected by now.

you should expect nothing else from calvin, susie!

Entre l’arbre et l’écorce il ne faut pas mettre le doigt.

ya know, if Calvin were as diligent and organized (his folks too) as certain of our postersfeel he should be, we would not have the joy of this wonderful strip to meet at and have these little daily philosophical discussions now would we? (yeah c’mon please, somebody shred me for my grammer and or simplistic thoughts and make the pattern complete).

Right on, JonD!

Haha at least Susie tried to help Calvin… but he just can’t be helped.