Friday, July 28, 2006
Calvin and Franklin Richards
One thing I really can’t stand is the adoption of Bill Watterson’s Calvin by the totally tasteless decal crowd. I know you’ve seen it – the ubiquitous Calvin with pants below his knees urinating on whatever the owner doesn’t like. It’s obnoxious and besmirches a wonderful comic by turning into sophomoric humor of the lowest level. On top of all that, it’s completely unlicensed. I imagine it was one of the reasons Watterson retired completely from the public eye.
Now finally someone’s come and done a homage to Calvin and Hobbes that has real merit. Mark Sumerak has reinvented the perennial tyke Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four into what Calvin would have been if he had access to a hundred devices each as twisted as the transmogrifier. It’s a Marvel comic book that could really act as a springboard for young readers, and has as much potential for exploring the imagination of a young boy as Watterson’s masterpiece did.
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