Hope you have better luck with that than I did. 
Best…line…ever.
Love Calvinball! Still refer to it sometimes when someone seems to be making up the rules as they go…!
Years ago, my boss gave me a photocopy of a C&H cartoon 'cuz she said it reminded her of me… Unfortunately, I don’t have a link, but it was one where Hobbes was reminding Calvin that he had a homework assignment due and Calvin was saying ‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was optional…’
Oh, how I miss that strip! I may have to pony up the cash for the collection.
And because it ain’t pop culture unless Robot Chicken has spoofed it:
http://www.noob.us/humor/robot-chicken-calvin-and-hobbes-the-untold-story/
I’ve gone ahead and removed the link in your post, Pork Rind, because it links to that zip file you mentioned–and we’re pretty sure that site doesn’t have the rights to allow the downloading of a copyrighted strip. You’re always welcome to link to Today on Calvin and Hobbes - Comics by Bill Watterson - GoComics, though, since that appears to be an official on-line source for the comic.
“The score is Q to 12!”
I too used to own the set and I don’t remember the smock panel either.
Fave:
Calvin is hammering nails in the coffee table.
His mother screams, “What are you doing?”
Calvin deadpans, “Is this a trick question?”
The smock one I definitely remember from when I was kid. Anyways, I think I’ve posted this on these forums before but here we go:
And I loved that, near to the end, Watterson used the game to reconcile Calvin to his babysitter.
Slightly NSFW
(Why can’t I link properly?)
My absolute favourite is the full page where Dad is explaining how the world used to be black and white as evidenced by family photos.
My son has moved away recently and took all my C&H books - if someone could link to that strip it would make me very happy!
MiM
I’m really saddened by this. Watterson obviously prefers to remain out of the spotlight. This is purely because of some fan who only thinks of himself.
OMFG that’s awesome!
I read most of C&H when they came out, but I haven’t revisited them in a while. Inspired by this thread, I went down to Recycle Bookstore and picked up 4 books. What wonderful, wonderful stuff. Thank you, Mr. Watterson, for providing the world with such joyful characters!
I remember the smock one: Calvin & Hobbes are using his dad’s work shirts as ‘artist smocks’ when they’re playing with modeling clay. (Hobbes makes a tiger, Calvin makes shrunken heads of cartoon characters).
Edit: Ah, found it! http://www.gocomics.com/features/search/smock
Like this post?
Aww, rats. I though I was so clever!
Having actually read the book, I have to disagree. From the book, it seems to me that Martell was very interested in finding out as much as he could about Watterson, a man about whom very little is known, and did so by interviewing people he knew as well as other cartoonists who knew or were inspired by him to find out more about Watterson and his legacy. In part, he may have wanted to meet Watterson (who wouldn’t?), but he points out in his book that he knew the possibility was that he most likely wouldn’t and in that case was fully prepared to write his book as if it were the biography of someone who had already died if he couldn’t get a chance to meet Watterson. Not only is the book very well-written and informative, the overlying storyline about whether or not Martell will actually meet Watterson adds a bit to the suspense. (As the book points out, Watterson shied away from the public spotlight long before his retirement- he devoted most of his life at the time to the strip, making his last public appearance in 1990 to give a commencement speech, and before that making a controversial speech elsewhere in 1989 regarding his opinions on the comic strip industry which shocked and surprised many.)
If you know her Character, this is the BEST calvinball strip ever. Period.
It’s still the best Calvinball strip ever, even if you don’t know her.
Complete Collection has it :
Book 3 Page 432.
And
It’s A Magical World Page 99.
** Rosalyn plays calvinball!** – It’s the same strip as Perimieter of Wisdom, come to think of it. So I guess I second that one!
This link here helpped me to find it. Wow, this is a great index to the entire works of Calvin and Hobbes:
http://www.reemst.com/calvin_and_hobbes/stripsearch?q=&search=normal&start=0
September 22nd 1987 :
C: “My Life Needs A Rewind/Erase Button”
H: [Popping his head just inside pannel] “…And a Volume Control.”