"Wierdos..." = Another Solid Addition to Calvin and Hobbes

As far as comics go, to me, Calvin and Hobbes are the greatest. The unique adventures of ten year old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes make me laugh out loud no matter how many times I read them. If you are an avid reader like myself, "Weirdos from Another Planet" offers even more great story lines including a visit to Mars, a plumbing accident, and a sick day for Calvin. If you have a Calvin and Hobbes collection, "Weirdos from Another Planet" is a necessary addition.

Bill Watterson's(author/illustrator) greatest strength is his characterizations. Calvin is a untamed, uncontrolled child who almost anyone can relate generating an automatic empathy for Calvin. The relationship between Calvin and Hobbes is so genuine that you find yourself questioning whether he is just a "dum ol' stuffed tiger" or a real, best friend. While the drawings are not always the greatest, they still are enticing and have a cutesy attractiveness to them. The jokes vary from elaborate philosophies to bad puns, which make them enjoyable to any reader.

However, if you are new to Calvin and Hobbes, I do not recommend purchasing this book as your first Calvin and Hobbes book. This is not Watterson's best book in the collection. In my opinion, "Yukon Ho!" is the best of the Calvin and Hobbes collection, and should be started with. After that, I do enjoy "Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons" a little more than "Weirdos from Another Planet."

So, if you are a first time reader of Calvin and Hobbes, by all means don't be scared away by this review, but pick up "Yukon Ho!" or "Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons" first, and then move onto "Weirdos from Another Planet."

By the way, that is pretty much why I only rated it above average because I was comparing it to the other Calvin and Hobbes collections, not all comic books. Were I to compare "Weirdos from Another Planet" to all other comics, it would be five stars.