Flexible Realities in “Calvin and Hobbes” [2 of 4] Watterson represents Hobbes in two distinct ways: as an obviously unalive stuffed toy and as a real albeit cartoonishly anthropomorphic talking tiger. In general, Hobbes is only “alive” when he’s alone with Calvin; everyone else only sees the toy.

Flexible Realities in “Calvin and Hobbes” [1 of 4] In "Calvin and Hobbes," Bill Watterson consciously avoids resolving the true nature of Calvin's stuffed toy/best friend, asserting, “Hobbes is more about the subjective nature of reality than about dolls coming to life.” . #CalvinAndHobbes

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks sexuality in Absolute Wonder Woman. #WonderWoman #ComicsStudies

Wonder Woman’s sexuality has played a bizarre role in the history of the comics medium as a whole, and with Absolute Wonder Woman, Thompson and team have an opportunity to add a new chapter in the complex and complicated history of Wonder Woman’s sexuality. #wonderwoman 1/14

The Endless Ending of “Calvin and Hobbes” [2 of 3] Watterson’s reclusive persona contributed to the frustration of some fans. For decades, Watterson has generally declined media interviews and does not answer or receive fan mail.

Absolute Wonder Woman offers the potential to reflect on the longstanding, increasingly financially relevant concept of alternate universe storytelling in the comics medium. #wonderwoman 1/11

In an excellent interview with the equally excellent “Go Read Some Comics with Jenna,” Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman walk through their approach to the series and the many inspirations informing it: www.youtube.com/watc... #wonderwoman

The Endless Ending of “Calvin and Hobbes” [1 of 3] Many successful comic strips continue indefinitely. But Bill Watterson’s final #CalvinAndHobbes comic strip appeared in newspapers on December 31st, 1995, concluding a 10-year run. Some fans & critics have struggled to let go. #ComicsStudies

Lovely more academic-minded thread about Absolute Wonder Woman. 🖤 [Beware of spoilers for the first volume].

I wrote a whole thing about this project and it's place in public-facing scholarship for "The Conversation" if anyone would like to read about some of the ideals informing what we do. theconversation.com/want-to-talk... #comicsstudies

As Thompson and team create a Wonder Woman for a new era and a new feminism, one obvious question becomes how Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman’s iconic male paramour, will fit into that narrative and align with that symbolism. #wonderwoman #stevetrever 1/12

Plural Protagonists in Monster [3 of 3] This dispersion of viewpoints additionally helps the reader to escape from the Ahab-like themes that emerge from Tenma in particular. An invested community aimed at stopping and uncovering Johan’s crimes makes Tenma’s obsession less personally motivated.

TBT: Wonder Woman can polarize comics readers regarding her representational politics. Is she a progressive figure of feminine empowerment or a thinly veiled subject of consumption for the male gaze? Can it be both? #wonderwoman 1/10

Plural Protagonists in Monster [2 of 3] We could use the term macro-protagonist here if we’d like, a rich tradition in literature seen in important works such as Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series, and, more recently, George R.R. Martin’s “Ga me of Thrones.” 4/10

Long before Kelly Thompson was charged with the task of reinventing Wonder Woman for a modern age, Thompson was a columnist for CBR and, as it happens, had the opportunity to reflect on what a strong female character means to her: #wonderwoman 1/10

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social explores the reimagining of Circe in Absolute Wonder Woman. #ComicsStudies #WonderWoman #DCComics

In Absolute Wonder Woman, Kelly Thompson redeploys the figure of Circe to realign DC’s iconic Amazon Princess with a changing world. Through the tutelage of Circe (traditionally a DC villain), Absolute Diana becomes capable of embodying love and wrath without contradiction.#absolutewonderwoman 1/15

Plural Protagonists in Monster [1 of 3] While writers have many different reasons for shifting the perspective of their story, the use of plural protagonists in “Monster” is particularly noteworthy for its capacity to reinforce the themes of community that define its take on good vs evil.

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks talkin' about privilege in Absolute Wonder Woman. #ComicsScholars #WonderWoman

In keeping with the ethos of DC’s Absolute line, Kelly Thompson’s Wonder Woman raises important questions about the concept of privilege but may also be seen to support the ways that privilege (or even oppression) can sustain itself through invisibility. #wonderwoman 1/11

TBT: In the 1940s comics by William Moulton Marston & Harry Peter, #WonderWoman is an intentional (if complicated) feminist character. Post-WWII & in the wake of the 1954 Comics Code, her world changed, becoming more domestic & romantic. But there are still subversions to be had. 1/9

Johan as Shadow Self in Monster [3 of 3] Tenma doesn’t destroy Johan. Nor does Johan destroy Tenma. They study each other and learn from each other, becoming, arguably, more nuanced and whole versions of themselves.

Have you heard the good word? @sequentialscholars.bsky.social has started a new unit on Absolute Wonder Woman! #WonderWoman #ComicsStudies

Johan as Shadow Self in Monster [2 of 3] Johan is very much characterized as antithetical to Tenma. Tenma heals – Johan kills; Tenma is loved – Johan is feared; Tenma seeks to connect with people – Johan seeks to disconnect; Tenma tries to restore his good name; Johan seeks to erase his.

Absolute Wonder Woman debuted in October of 2024 as part of DC’s wildly successful new “Absolute” line, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Hayden Sherman, lettering by Becca Carey, and colours by Jordie Bellaire. #wonderwoman 1/6

Johan as Shadow Self in Monster [1 of 3] One way to read the Tenma/Johan relationship is through Carl Jung’s concept of the “shadow self,” the aspects of the self that are most distant from the person that an individual wants to be. #monster

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social looks at the endless ending of Calvin and Hobbes. #ComicsStudies

Many successful comic strips continue indefinitely. But Bill Watterson’s final #CalvinAndHobbes comic strip appeared in newspapers on December 31st, 1995, concluding a 10-year run. Some fans & critics have struggled to let go. Others argue the strip’s ending is perfectly endless. 1/12 #ComicsStudies

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks Calvin and Hobbes x ART (high + low). #ComicsStudies #CalvinAndHobbes

This is (a) a great account to follow, (b) an excellent analysis of comic strip pacing, and (c) oddly resonant with current events

As a still-young academic field anxious to be taken seriously, Comics Studies has often neglected comics about/for children. But recently, there’s been renewed interest in the archetype of the “naughty child.” The X-Babies exist in the legacy of this archetype. 1/11 #XMen

Years later, Tenma found out that Johan, who he saved, became a remorseless serial killer. Upon that realization, Tenma is consumed by guilt and responsibility over the people Johan has killed. He thus abandons the life and career that he carefully rebuilt to “stop” Johan.

Many “Calvin and Hobbes” strips comment on the nature of art, evoking both “high art” and the supposedly opposite “low art” of comics. These moments of self-reflexivity showcase public perceptions of comics and/as art during a time of upheaval & change in American comics. 1/12 #ComicsStudies

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks the art of cartooning in Calvin and Hobbes. #ComicsStudies

The writing of “Calvin and Hobbes” can be compelling & funny all on its own. But Bill Watterson’s skillful cartooning brings the comic to life. These talents are on full display in this classic Sunday strip featuring Calvin and Hobbes careening through the woods on their wagon. 1/12 #ComicsStudies

Threads like this make social media worth it

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks solitude in Calvin and Hobbes. #ComicsStudies #CalvinAndHobbes

Monster, written by and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa is a psychological thriller manga, serialized in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Original from 1994 to 2001. The long form nature of it allows Urasawa to explore themes about morality, evil and what it takes to make someone a “Monster”. #Monster

In “’A Gorgeous Waste;’ Solitude in Calvin and Hobbes,” Michelle Ann Abate speaks to Watterson’s unique perspective on the value of solitude and the ways that this viewpoint speaks forms something of a philosophy in the comic, one that speaks to modern concepts of isolation. #CalvinAndHobbes 1/9

Gotham Central and Cultural Capital [3 of 3] For context, the #1 comic bestseller in 2005 was Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin, a comic that has not been welcomed by the cultural intermediaries that Beaty and Woo mention.

Gotham Central and Cultural Capital [2 of 3] A useful approach here is to look at the argument on the cultural capital of comics that is articulated by Bart Beaty and Benjamin Woo in their 2016 book “The Greatest Comic Book of All Time: Symbolic Capital and the Field of American Comic Books.”

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks flexible realities in Calvin and Hobbes. #ComicsStudies #CalvinAndHobbes

In "Calvin and Hobbes," Bill Watterson consciously avoids resolving the true nature of Calvin's stuffed toy/best friend, asserting, “Hobbes is more about the subjective nature of reality than about dolls coming to life.” The language of comics facilitates this ambiguity. 1/14 #CalvinAndHobbes

Gotham Central and Cultural Capital [1 of 3] As a cult classic that eschewed commercial success in favour of grounded storytelling, Gotham Central’s successes and failures provide a case study for the concept of cultural capital and the ways we might define “success” as a concept. #gothamcentral

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social looks at the many comics influences on Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes! #ComicsStudies #CalvinAndHobbes

Critiquing Super-Violence in Gotham Central [3 of 3] The physical costs of superpowered violence are emphasized by artist Michael Lark’s framing of the encounter with Freeze & its aftermath. Lark uses “inset panels” to underscore the horrific effect of violence on specific body parts.

PEAK THREAD.

The immense popularity of “Calvin and Hobbes,” often called “the last great newspaper comic,” can risk obscuring its many inspirations & antecedents. In both style & content, the strip is very well-versed in the rich history of comics and often pays tribute to its influences. 1/12 #CalvinAndHobbes

TBT: Where some comic strips read like nothing that came before them, Bill Watterson’s “Calvin & Hobbes” can be read like everything that came before it, all at once – a work of pastiche that mines earlier comics greats for influence and inspiration. #CalvinandHobbes 1/7

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social offers an intro to Calvin and Hobbes, the start of a whole bunch of C & H goodness! #ComicsStudies #CalvinAndHobbes