I’m A Snowflake On The Wind
Buy a Signed Print of This HijiNKS Ensue Comic
December 29th, 2008

I’m A Snowflake On The Wind

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Bill Watterson and “Calvin and Hobbes” are two of the primary reasons I started making comics. Those of you who donate or subscribe to The Vault, have seen my earlier attempts to emulate his work (”it’s like Calvin and Hobbes but with a robot instead of a tiger!”).

I don’t know of a cartoonist that doesn’t list Watterson in his top three influences, so I won’t bore you with my treatise on how his work sparked my young imagination and ignited a lifelong love of comic strips and cartooning. I bet he wouldn’t be too thrilled with me aping his style to make a Joss Whedon/Serenity reference, nor would I be shocked if he didn’t get said reference.

I always looked forward to his snowman strips because they straddled a line between childlike innocence and subversion. I guess that same can be said for the whole of “Calvin and Hobbes,” but those particular strips (along with Spaceman Spiff) resonated loudly with me. My favorite was the snowmen looking on in horror after another snowman had been hit by Dad’s car.

Calvin’s Dad was a patent attorney. “The More You Knoooow!”

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^ 79 Comments...

  1. Cyberwasteland

    Great comic! And a great tribute to a great comic series.

  2. doug

    Seconded!

  3. doug

    Seconded! Or is it thirded?

  4. Tom

    Watterson's pretty cool, so I think he got the reference. And it's great! I loved the strip too and still wish he was doing it.

  5. Dram

    /Great/ strip. Its well executed, hilarious, and beautifully sad. Those strips were the closest thing I had to holy growing up. Wonderful.

  6. Dave Durant

    All I can suggest, sir, is that you go 跟猴子比丟屎・跟猴子比丢屎 ("gun HOE-tze bee DIO-se")!

  7. Didu

    [insert words I couldn't find to describe the brilliance and awesomeness of this strip]

    -D

  8. Harlo

    Because he dies in a horrible way? teehee

  9. A.J.

    Next'd!

  10. A.J.

    Cuz he's round and bald and meeting his doom?

  11. josh

    jesus fuck even I will *next'd* this one.

  12. NYPinTA

    That is so wrong! And awesome.

  13. Janell

    This is without a doubt the most amazing thing ever!

  14. Carlo

    Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very well done. Very.

  15. hijinksensue

    c'mon. every comic cant be a shirt. It would be a decent print though.

  16. hijinksensue

    sadder for Calvin or Wash?

  17. hijinksensue

    Hah! Double Sad!

  18. hijinksensue

    translation: "Even I, the guy that hates this piece of shit comic, thought this was less than shitty."

  19. hijinksensue

    All of the above.

  20. hijinksensue

    Calvin's Dad Unfair!

  21. hijinksensue

    Cool yes, but also a curmudgeonly hermit. I seriously wouldnt be shocked if his disdain for media has prevented him from watching TV or seeing movies for 20 years.

  22. Gneekman

    Wash, for sure. D:

  23. Denise

    this would actually make an awesome white hoodie

  24. hijinksensue

    Dont forget the Captain's behind the scenes eff-ups: ""gun HOE-tze bee DIO-se-fuck-fuckity-shit-fuck!"

  25. hijinksensue

    Boner. The word is boner. Perhaps bonersplode.

  26. hijinksensue

    i couldnt get one more "very"? just one more?

  27. Shakey

    No, but as you're producing shirts to order how easily could you adapt the strips (or specific frames thereof) to a shirt-printable format?

    Obviously such bespoke orders would garner a slightly higher fee ;-) but how could would it be to have your favourite strip as a shirt!!

  28. Carlo

    You would have, if only the strip was coloured. Too bad.

  29. Ryan

    Pour Serenity joke into Calvin and Hobbes mold, chill until frozen, serve (being careful of any protruding sharpness :)

  30. Not_Mandatory

    I want to marry this comic! Nice work!

  31. Hobbesie

    This might just be the best HE comic I've read…I stopped reading any print comics after Watterson retired, and this just brought back beautiful memories. Thanks much, Joel.

  32. Gneekman

    I- I can't look! To many sad memories!
    *cries in a corner*
    (but in a good way)

  33. Kaj

    *slow claps*
    Please Joel, pleeeease make that into a T-shirt!

  34. hijinksensue

    glad you liked it. I feel the same way. people talk about how newspaper comics are starting to die:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/business/media/...

    but I think they died when Calvin did.

  35. hijinksensue

    why bother. California will just repeal your right to do so.

  36. hijinksensue

    that's a recipe for a sadsicle.

  37. hijinksensue

    ummm….

    I….

    i have no idea where to start.

    Bless you.

  38. Shakey

    PLEASE tell me you're not serious…

  39. Just Christine

    Well done, sir. Not only did you make me nostalgic for the days of actually wanting to read the comics section of the newspaper, but you brought a tear to my eye with the Serenity reference.

  40. Just Christine

    I also think mini-"Calivin"-ized-Joel is adorable.

  41. Kaj

    This is either an extremely clever comment, or one entirely full of fail.

  42. Kaj

    Yes, child-sized Joel is full of win

  43. Not_Mandatory

    Maybe I'll just elope to Canada, eh? Of course they'll have to be ok with polygamy too.

  44. Not_Mandatory

    Let's hope its the first choice.

  45. josh

    Correct.

    In fact, this is one of your least shitty, ever. Don't make me turn this into a real compliment, it will ruin my reputation on the show.

  46. Ryan

    But you built a perfect mold, man. Out of awesome!

    Also, you got posted on Whedonesque:

    http://whedonesque.com/comments/18495

  47. Electric Monk

    Great holiday cartoon, can't think why the snowman would remind me of Josh tho…

  48. Jim (TTL Demag0gue)

    Haha, I love this one. I always loved the snowmen strips from Calvin & Hobbes, as well.

  49. doug

    That's what Utah's for.

  50. doug

    Now you need to work that word into a non-pr0n HE comic.

  51. doug

    Commodore 64'd

  52. Sizzla

    This is a total rip off of Calvin & Hobbes, jerk!

  53. Shakey

    You're so loving and supportive of your friend's venture :-P

  54. Kyochan

    I'd buy it in a heartbeat! Tiny Joel is adorable!

  55. Kyochan

    Reading ftw!

  56. Daniel Ted Feliciano

    Calvin and Hobbes is #1 of my top three comic strips.

  57. Andrew

    This is the greatest comic ever and the best C&H reference since the very disturbing Robot Chicken segment I saw some time ago…..

  58. mrben

    Wow – combining Calvin and Hobbes with Firefly/Serenity with a touch of Hijinks Ensue magic – must be Christmas!

  59. Not_Mandatory

    Touche!

  60. Brandon

    Ooooh, burned.

  61. Aabner

    I'm surprised there are so few negative comments. I guess I'm just one of those rare individuals who doesn't enjoy looking at bastardized versions of calvin & Hobbes combined with references to mediocre Sci- Fi?

  62. Duder

    Yeah because an homage of a beloved comic that ended more than 10 years ago is SACRILEGE! And I would love to see what you think great or even good Sci-Fi is.

    You know what they say about opinions, and I guess yours is a particularly self-righteous asshole.

  63. hijinksensue

    Really? Your surprised that the people that read and enjoy this comic dont make more negative comments? I guess that's what you would expect from the internet in general, but whats the point of chiming in just to ruin everyone else's fun? If you don't like the comic, forget about it and move on to something you do like. There's plenty of internet out there. Maybe you'll find a site that appreciates your negativity, but it isn't welcomed here.

  64. hijinksensue

    Really? You're surprised that the people that read and enjoy this comic dont make more negative comments? I guess that's what you would expect from the internet in general, but what's the point of chiming in just to ruin everyone else's fun? If you don't like the comic, forget about it and move on to something you do like. There's plenty of internet out there. Maybe you'll find a site that appreciates your negativity, but it isn't welcomed here.

  65. hijinksensue

    Thanks, Janell. I appreciate the compliment.

  66. hijinksensue

    The other 2?

    When I was 7 it was Calvin, Dennis the Mennace and Farside.

    Later I enjoyed Zits, and The Norm but that was probably the end of my affair with newsprint comics.

  67. hijinksensue

    Whedon bless us, every one.

  68. Aabner

    Okay, maybe I was a little harsh. (I didn't call anyone an asshole at least) For what it's worth, I was actually surprised that there weren't any real critical comments. If I can elaborate, I just don't like that show/movie but I do like Calvin and Hobbes. Homages are made out of respect for the original. Combining two things you like which have nothing to do with each other doesn't necessarily make it a homage and I think you made my point when you said Bill Watterson probably wouldn't get the reference.
    I'm curious to know if anyone would like to defend those Calvin pissing on a truck logo stickers. The people who put those on their trucks probably like Calvin and Hobbes too but I doubt Mr. Watterson considers himself honored.

  69. hijinksensue

    Watterson has mentioned is several interviews that he's never licensed the character of Calvin for any merchandise (other than a calender and I believe one short lived t-shirt), and the "pissing on" logos get to him but they arent worth pursuing legal action.

    The flaw you've pointed out in my gag (using one thing to make fun of an unrelated thing) is basically what HijiNKS Ensue is about. Some people enjoy it, and others don't and that's totally cool with me. The reason you don't see any criticism is that I have worked hard to foster a respectful and fun environment here and on the forum. The regular readers that post here are looking for geeky fun and negativity just brings every one down. What's the point?

    If my readers have a problem with the content, or they are offended, they generally email me about it and always get a respectful response. Im not suggesting no one should criticize my work, but it should be done on a one on one basis. There's no reason to involve the community and ruin their fun.

    Ive never understood the forum/comment common practice of "I HATE THIS AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW CLEVER I AM WITH MY HATRED!!LOL11!!"

    Im not saying that's what you did, but it's the reason the HE community doesn't tolerate negative posting.

    Feel free to browse the archives and see if there are any comics to your liking. If you really want to air any grief with me, feel free to email.

    Thanks,

    Joel

  70. Aabner

    Okay, maybe I was a little harsh. (I didn’t call anyone an asshole at least) For what it’s worth, I was actually surprised that there weren’t any real critical comments. If I can elaborate, I just don’t like that show/movie but I do like Calvin and Hobbes. Homages are made out of respect for the original. Combining two things you like which have nothing to do with each other doesn’t necessarily make it a homage and I think you made my point when you said Bill Watterson probably wouldn’t get the reference.
    I’m curious to know if anyone would like to defend those Calvin pissing on a truck logo stickers. The people who put those on their trucks probably like Calvin and Hobbes too but I doubt Bill Watterson considers himself honored.

  71. liz

    so you redraw calvin and hobbes but put a different title at the top?

  72. hijinksensue

    Nope, thats not what I did at all. Sorry if you didnt get the references or the joke. Its pretty specific, so I dont expect everyone to enjoy it.

  73. M Garbutt

    Egad Bad Dad!

  74. Duder

    For the record I didnt call anyone an asshole, If you reread my post you will see that I called you (and your asshole) self-righteous

  75. bobby

    I miss wash… (taps plays quietly in the distance)

  76. Margaret

    Also, if anything about this were to make Bill Watterson mad, seeing that t-shirt would definitely be high on the list. He does. not. appreciate. the. mer

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  78. Legendaryratboy

    My favourite C&H snowman comic was the one where the snowmen are arranged to look like one of them is eating ice cream while the other is dead on the floor and has an ice cream scoop sticking out of his back.

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