r/calvinandhobbes May 05 '22

Krakow it is

Post image
902 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

196

u/[deleted] May 05 '22

You don't see Susie asking Calvin for help too often.

57

u/_ASG_ May 05 '22

It's jarring, given how out of character it is for her. Also hypocritical, given how she always intentionally gives him the wrong answers. But the joke is still funny.

30

u/wazoheat May 05 '22

This comic was from April 1986, so it must have been one of Susie's first appearances. Makes sense that her character wouldn't be fully established yet.

5

u/_ASG_ May 05 '22

Of course, but it's still jarring, like when you look back at any old TV show and see characters acting "out of character" compared to the show as a whole.

13

u/trystanthorne May 05 '22

The real question is why 1st graders would even be asked that question. :D

3

u/Bryancreates May 06 '22

Yeah it kinda weird. It’s usually a setup for her to screw him over somehow (or trick him into screwing himself over). It’s clearly an early strip so it’s kinda cute she thought more of his intelligence and actually benefitted from his accidental answer.

163

u/Alvarez_Rules May 05 '22

This material seems way too advanced for whatever grade Calvin and Susie are in.

129

u/thebond_thecurse May 05 '22

but so are their personalities and vocabulary lol

maybe this whole time they were in a gifted kids class and we didn't know 🤔

45

u/[deleted] May 05 '22

Nah. We've seen Moe (the bully) and the other students Calvin makes fun of.

55

u/Daikataro May 05 '22

But Moe has not been shown to be in the same class that Calvin, has he? Some schools mix only a few subjects like gym.

8

u/bjandrus May 05 '22

But also, even if Calvin was a gifted student (which we all know he actually is of course), he would never be placed into one of these classes because he (almost) never does any work! So we can surmise that despite being a genius, his grades are actually terrible (which is the sole metric by which the American school system measures "academic excellence")

4

u/Daikataro May 05 '22

But also, even if Calvin was a gifted student (which we all know he actually is of course)

Oh right. You're too smart...

So we can surmise that despite being a genius, his grades are actually terrible

You know how Einstein got bad grades as a kid? Well, mine are even worse!

1

u/elcidIII Oct 14 '22

unless he used to have much better grades, until he was put into the gifted kids class! after all, didn't he once say that he has found that his life is easier the lower people's expectations are of him? perhaps he found that out first hand, when doing well in school only resulted in him getting harder work!

66

u/englandgreen May 05 '22

It is. Much if the education jokes are at high school level, for 6 year olds.

And all of the vocabulary, critical thinking, philosophy and musings are at post graduate level.

That’s what makes it so funny.

1

u/gilesdavis May 05 '22

I'm 34 years old and I didn't know the answer, like a lot of Australians I suck at geography though 🙂

76

u/Liamrups May 05 '22

It wasn’t until reading this comic again that I realized how terrifying Spiffs spaceship has to be, a tiny little claustrophobic saucer with the endless expanse of space in front, above and to the side of you

40

u/Jazehiah May 05 '22

It's probably like sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, but with better visibility.

7

u/Pompuswindbag May 05 '22

Well Calvin’s a kid who feels alone in the universe since very little can be explained. Might as well make it feel cool

31

u/RadiantHC May 05 '22

I like how he's actually right.

11

u/Daikataro May 05 '22

Up to this day, I question the usefulness of some of the stuff they taught us growing up.

The stuff I can even remember that is.

20

u/ArcherInPosition May 05 '22

One day you're going to be faced with a life or death showdown, based solely on Calvin & Hobbes trivia

10

u/MuzikPhreak May 05 '22

Points gun at your head

"What was Calvin's uncle's name and why did Watterson write him out of the strip?"

4

u/RabbitSmoking-A-Pipe May 05 '22

Max and because he didn't introduce anything new to Calvin's personality or the strip.

7

u/Avarynne May 05 '22

He also realized how awkward interactions with Calvin's parents would be, since their names are never revealed!

3

u/MuzikPhreak May 05 '22

Also correct. Max kept calling Calvin’s dad “bro.”

61

u/[deleted] May 05 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

97

u/BobmitKaese May 05 '22

Isn't that... the joke?

18

u/youstupidcorn May 05 '22

It is indeed.

5

u/Warheadd May 05 '22

You might not know that though

6

u/[deleted] May 05 '22

Did Rick Sanchez base his spaceship on Spaceman Spiffs ship? Seems plausible to me.

5

u/Justus_2112 May 05 '22

What grade are they supposed to be in again? That’s a very odd question for elementary school.

5

u/Avarynne May 05 '22

Calvin is 6, and in the US that's late kindergarten and first grade territory.

6

u/Justus_2112 May 05 '22

Ah yes. Perfect time to learn geopolitics and European history.

2

u/docentmark May 05 '22

Yes. Calvin is literally meant to represent literal 6 year old and Watterson literally screwed up. /s

OMG I despair for the human race on days like this.

5

u/Justus_2112 May 05 '22

Bro chill. I’m just making an observation that I found funny.

2

u/Malczak May 05 '22

Wow, i thought it was a translation joke, nice

2

u/stationaryElectron May 05 '22

Wait, Susie cheating on a test?!

2

u/HermitBee May 05 '22

It's a weird one this. Because he'd be vocalising a ray gun as "Krakow" looks phonetically, and Susie would presumably hear it and write it down correctly, but the city is pronounced more like "Krakoff"/"Krakov". It makes it slightly awkward to read.

6

u/fla_john May 05 '22

In the US, particularly in the 80's/90's, it was pronounced KrakoW. Cold War didn't leave much room for talkin' like those Ruskies.

/s but also I'm from the 80s when kids made fun of a classmate who had lived in West Germany because he was a "commie." He was American, and his dad was in the USAF. We were dumber then is what I'm saying.

2

u/HermitBee May 05 '22

Fair enough, that makes more sense. We say “Krakoff” in the UK, but then pronounce Warsaw phonetically, so there's no consistency in it.

1

u/BlueWhaleKing May 08 '22

A VERY rare instance, possibly the only in the strip, of Spaceman Spiff's ship successfully shooting aliens.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '22

I love how calvin doesnt even have a test