Calvin and Hobbes' 10 Best Spaceman Spiff Comics

Calvin and Hobbes famously charts the whimsically mischievous misadventures of the titular troublemakers, Calvin and his anthropomorphic tiger (aka ‘imaginary’ best friend) Hobbes. Created by Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes masterfully captures the true essence of being a kid, which is the cornerstone of every single comic strip.

Aside from the very existence of Hobbes (which may or may not be imaginary), the comic mostly takes place in the real world, though it regularly transports readers to the alternate universe of Calvin’s imagination, which is where fans read the adventures of Spaceman Spiff, Calvin’s space-fairing alter ego. Being a kid is all about allowing one’s imagination to run wild, and Calvin and Hobbes certainly does that, especially when Calvin pictures himself as a cosmic superhero. Here are Calvin and Hobbes’ 10 best Spaceman Spiff adventure comics!

10 Calvin Turns His Desk Into A Spaceship During Class

Calvin And Hobbes – November 20, 1987

While Calvin is usually pretty good about only hanging out with Hobbes during his downtime, it seems Spaceman Spiff doesn’t have to worry about such inconveniences, as Calvin will imagine himself as the cosmic superhero anytime, anywhere – including during class. In fact, Calvin uses the ‘props’ he’s given to make his fantasy even more epic, pretending his very desk is a Spaceman Spiff’s spaceship.

Unfortunately, allowing his mind to wander so far from reality during class did come with a downside, as Calvin’s teacher called on him to answer a question. At that point, Calvin just started blurting out generic answers to a handful of potential questions. It was a sorry sight to behold, and nowhere near as awesome as this adventure of Spaceman Spiff.

9 Calvin Imagines An Annoying Classmate Is A Villainous Alien

Calvin And Hobbes – January 29, 1988

While mentally checking out during class seems like a great way to utilize a Spaceman Spiff fantasy, Calvin will sometimes make those fantasies a bit more personal. When Susie Derkins approaches Calvin by the lockers about a book report they were assigned to do together, she attempts to stress how important it is that he does his share of the work. However, it’s clear to Susie by the vacant look on Calvin’s face that he isn’t listening to her in the slightest.

Instead, Calvin is imagining that Susie is a potentially villainous alien that is speaking an entirely different language, trying to communicate. While Spaceman Spiff has his gun drawn on this strange creature, he doesn’t pull the trigger until he’s sure the alien’s a threat – though it’s doubtful Susie stuck around long enough for Calvin to imagine such a scenario.

8 Spaceman Spiff Turns Calvin’s Mother Into A Grotesque Alien Monster

Calvin And Hobbes – January 31, 1988

It seems classmates aren’t the only ones who are subject to Calvin’s imaginative mutations, as even his own mother was transformed into a grotesque alien during one of Spaceman Spiff’s intergalactic adventures. In a full-color spread, complete immersion in Calvin’s imaginary world, readers see Spaceman Spiff making his way on a planet that is literally fuming with toxic gas. And beneath it all lurks a hideous beast with giant claws, a chitinous shell, and massive razor-sharp teeth.

This creature is trying to throw Spaceman Spiff into a boiling cauldron, which makes sense, seeing as though the alien monster is actually his mother, who has just finished running Calvin a bath. Calvin’s entire fantasy was rooted in not wanting a bath, but sadly for him, the ‘alien monster’ won.

7 Spaceman Spiff Makes Calvin’s Bathtime WAY More Epic

Calvin And Hobbes – March 27, 1988

If readers thought Calvin getting into the bath lent itself to an epic Spaceman Spiff story, they’ll be blown away by the exciting adventure Calvin’s imagination can conjure once he’s actually in the bath. Rather than simply avoiding a single alien creature (that’s actually his mom), Calvin imagines that Spaceman Spiff is being pursued by villainous extraterrestrial worms that shoot down his ship, forcing Spiff to crash-land on a hostile planet where he’s taken hostage by a gang of sadistic bug-men.

This Spaceman Spiff adventure is genuinely intriguing, but what makes it absolutely phenomenal is how it ties back into what’s actually happening to Calvin in real life. Obviously, Calvin is in the bath, so naturally, the alien bug-men decide they’re going to torture him… by washing his hair! A truly epic Spaceman Spiff strip.

6 Calvin’s Parents Are NOT Safe When He’s Pretending To Be Spaceman Spiff

Calvin And Hobbes – July 3, 1988

During one of his Spaceman Spiff fantasies, Calvin is exploring the far reaches of the universe before landing on a distant planet, searching for sentient life. As he traverses this strange new world, Calvin notes everything he sees, which – initially – isn’t much.

However, Spiff quickly realizes that the reason he’s not able to find any intelligent life is that the life forms that live on this planet are literal giants. Spiff finds himself standing on the face of a sleeping titan, which would be terrifying if it wasn’t so hilarious.

The ‘alien titan’ Spiff is encountering is actually Calvin’s dad. Calvin snuck into his parents’ room while they’re sleeping and decides to pretend they’re alien giants. He’s walking all over them and pointing his toy gun at their heads during his game. In other words, Calvin’s parents are not safe while he’s playing ‘Spaceman Spiff’.

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5 Spaceman Spiff Teaches Calvin That Bedtimes Are Optional

Calvin And Hobbes – October 16, 1988

Just when it’s time for Calvin to go to bed, he decides that Spaceman Spiff is due for another intergalactic adventure instead. On a far-off planet, Spiff lands his ship, hoping that this world will have a bathroom for him to use. After stepping foot on the surface, Spiff realizes that the gravity on this planet is weaker than on Earth, meaning Spiff can leap great distances effortlessly. And the reason this idea took hold in Calvin’s imagination? He’s jumping on his bed.

Rather than going to sleep, Calvin is in his room jumping up and down on his bed, pretending he’s on a distant world. Of course, it doesn’t take long for Calvin’s dad to fuss at him, which quickly shatters the fantasy, and goes against what Spaceman Spiff was evidently ‘teaching’ Calvin: bedtimes are optional.

4 Spaceman Spiff Actually HELPED Calvin In School

Calvin And Hobbes – September 3, 1989

When Calvin is once again zoning out during class, he is suddenly called on by his teacher, who says his name over and over again, but doesn’t get a reply from Calvin. Instead, Calvin interprets his name being called as a strange sound coming from Spaceman Spiff’s ship, which inspires his imaginary alter ego to land on a nearby planet.

However, as he’s landing, the ship goes out of control and nearly crashes. Spiff notes that this predicament “spells disaster” – which, interestingly enough, is exactly what Calvin is asked to do. The teacher was calling on Calvin during a spelling lesson, and his word was ‘disaster’. And, thanks to the adventure of Spaceman Spiff, Calvin is more than prepared to answer this question correctly.

3 Calvin Uses Spaceman Spiff To Get Him Through Gym Class Dodgeball

Calvin And Hobbes – November 26, 1989

It’s no secret that dodgeball during gym class in school can be one of the most difficult times for a kid, especially someone as small as Calvin. That’s why Calvin decides to daydream during the whole thing, making an otherwise miserable experience more fun by pretending he’s Spaceman Spiff dodging asteroids in his spaceship. The bigger kids trying to pelt Calvin with the balls were imagined as pursuing aliens, and with every ball he dodged, Calvin’s alter ego continued to survive.

Unfortunately, not even Spaceman Spiff is invulnerable, as the big kids in Calvin’s gym class eventually nail him with a ball, which meant Spaceman Spiff’s ship suffered a great deal of damage. However, even though he didn’t remain unscathed, Calvin still made it through gym class all thanks to Spaceman Spiff.

2 Spaceman Spiff’s “Blaster” Breaks Into Calvin’s Reality (In A Disgusting Way)

Calvin And Hobbes – May 20, 1990

While Calvin’s Spaceman Spiff adventures are usually tied to or inspired by what’s happening around him at any given time, they rarely directly impact other people who aren’t playing the game. However, that changed with this comic strip, as Calvin rips Spaceman Spiff’s ray gun from the imaginary world of his creative mind into the real world, and he uses it on Susie. Also, it’s important to note that the ‘ray gun’ isn’t a toy or prop – it’s a spitball shooter.

As Spaceman Spiff, Calvin encounters a pathetic blob-like alien creature, and decides to put it out of its misery by shooting it with his ray gun. That blob was Susie, and the ray gun was Calvin’s spitball shooter, which is a truly disgusting way for Calvin to bring Spaceman Spiff’s blaster to the real world.

1 Calvin’s Spaceman Spiff Adventuring Gets A Little Too Real

Calvin And Hobbes – September 26, 1991

Practically everyone around Calvin has been forced to endure the wrath of Spaceman Spiff in one form or another. His teacher can’t get him to pay attention in class, his parents can’t get a good night’s rest, and poor Susie is either being turned into a grotesque alien or pelted with spitballs. So, it’s only fitting that Calvin should see some of those consequences, and in this comic strip, that’s exactly what happens.

While Calvin is swinging on a swing set, he’s pretending to fly in his spaceship as Spaceman Spiff. However, the real-world movements of the swing quickly become too much for Calvin, and he’s forced to pull himself out of his own imagination before he barfs. It’s a hilarious scene that Calvin more than deserves, which is why this Calvin and Hobbes comic is one of the 10 best Spaceman Spiff adventures.

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Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes was a satirical comic strip series that ran from 1985-1995, written, drawn, and colored by Bill Watterson. The series follows six-year-old Hobbes and his stuffed Tiger, Calvin, that examines their lives through a whimsical lens that tackles everyday comedic issues and real-world issues that people deal with.

Writer

Bill Watterson

Colorist

Bill Watterson

Publisher

Andrews McMeel Publishing