Calvin and Hobbes’ 5 Greatest Spaceman Spiff Comic Strips

Calvin and Hobbes, created by Bill Watterson, wasn't initially intended to be the lead comic strip. The story began as a side character in Watterson's previous strip, The Doghouse. After United Feature Syndicate turned down the comic, Universal Press Syndicate took it under their wing. Before C&H's inception, Watterson had already drawn a spacefaring character in college, which later became the inspiration for Spaceman Spiff, a parody of adventurers like Flash Gordon.

Throughout C&H's run, Spiff was one of Calvin's most frequent escape characters. In times of boredom or unpleasant situations, Calvin would retreat into his Spiff persona, leading to imaginative adventures filled with grotesque aliens, impossible landscapes, and witty phrases like "eat hot electric death."

Some of the best Spaceman Spiff comics can be found in the final three years of the strip, where Watterson's trademark unbreakable Sunday strips took center stage. The mid-90s saw Spiff at his most colorful and evocative, with standout stories like Calvin sick during summer vacation, where he imagines himself as a prisoner of aliens.

In class, Calvin seamlessly weaves Mrs. Wormwood's history question into his Spiff adventure, battling the Hideous Zorgs of Planet X-13. The most extreme Spiff adventure involved Calvin staging a breakout from elementary school, shooting his way out with a rubber band and making it home before his mom caught him. Watterson drew inspiration from George Herriman's Krazy Kat, evident in Spaceman Spiff's arid settings and colored Sunday comics.