# Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

71 Hacker News commenters recommended Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Readers recommend this comic strip for its humor, its insight into childhood, and its subtext that adults notice, and many read it with their kids.

## Why people recommend it

- Families read it together across generations (7 comments): "Within a week it was borderline impossible to get her to put them down and go to sleep at night." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48562316)) "when my daughter was about seven she started reading them when we were visiting them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48563653)) "our boys read my old C&H collection more than almost any of their modern kids books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48564189))
- Watterson's artistry and integrity (4 comments): "I never fail to be impressed either by Watterson's talent, both in the art and in choosing the right words to say" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45993007)) "Watterson's determination to keep Calvin and Hobbes a comic strip and not compromise on its vision" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48560029)) "Calvin and Hobbes will always be special because of Watterson's integrity." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48559966))
- Captures a child's imagination and humor (4 comments): "What makes it so funny is we know that Calvin is way off base all the time, but he's got a great imagination" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46004442)) "it's kind of amazing that Watterson was able to put himself in the mind of a child so well for that strip" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45994861)) "Calvin gave me a sense of belonging, and made me realise I was not as weird as I originally thought." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48563633))
- Subtext rewards adult readers (4 comments): "It's part of that rarefied echelon of media that taps into something true about the human condition." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45995928)) "The ones about Calvin having an awful day due to what's demanded of him are honestly heartbreaking." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45992342)) "The humor lands when you’re a kid, but the subtext only becomes clear as an adult." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45992731))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Dilbert by Scott Adams](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dilbert.md): 77 recommend
- [XKCD webcomic](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xkcd-thing.md): 25 recommend
- [Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz](https://hackerapproved.com/p/peanuts.md): 14 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0751507954?tag=YOURTAG-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/YOURID/9780751507959) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson", https://hackerapproved.com/p/calvin-and-hobbes/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).