Monsters in the Dresser!


Our first Sunday strip, and one of my favorite ones at that! I think Watterson knocks it out of the park with these first colored panels; the humor is on point, we get to see him display his artistry with the Dad-monster, and there are definitely some deeper themes we can pick up on. 

First of all, I love that Calvin has Hobbes for solidarity and comfort in these moments of fear and uncertainty when the lights go out at bedtime. I also admire Calvin for his ability to craft a plan under a stressful situation, and to adapt it to a sudden change in the landscape (monster in the hallway instead of in the dresser). I think Watterson's choices in the last two panels of the strip are excellent. In the penultimate panel, drawing Dad as a corpulent green wide-mawed stalk-eyed creature totally encapsulates what Calvin was probably seeing in that instant when the door swung open unexpectedly. In moments of panic and terror, our perceptions change, and the way we view the world can be radically altered. Just as Watterson draws Hobbes as a living tiger from Calvin's point of view, drawing Dad as a monster allows us to see through Calvin's eyes. Everything in our lives is subjective to some extent; our emotions and past experiences color how we view and interact with the world. Calvin's view of Dad as a monster is valid in that moment, and is truth to him. This is maybe the point where my anti-objectivism views shine through, but I hope you, reader, won't falt me for my disgust towards Ayn Rand. I think Watterson uses the Hobbes dichotomy as a foundation for establishing his belief in subjectivism as a core tenet of his personal philosophy. In this case, I agree with him, and I would credit him with influencing my view on the topic from a young age. 

I also think that the last panel is nearly perfect in and of itself. The exaggerated peppering of Dad with darts (from Calvin's single-shot dart gun) combined with Dad's exasperation and quiet fury is a delectable cocktail. Then when you mix in the image, cleverly placed "off-screen" so as to allow our imaginations to create the scene, of Calvin preparing to swing his bat at whatever comes through the door, I don't think its an over-exaggeration to say that it is my single favorite panel so far.

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