While Calvin's fantastical escapades and the philosophical musings of his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, often steal the spotlight in Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes," the character of Susie Derkins frequently goes underappreciated despite her significant intellectual presence. Susie is Calvin's most consistent peer throughout the strip's run, and her grounded, academically inclined nature serves as a direct foil to Calvin's chaotic imagination.
Their dynamic is often depicted as combative, a clash of opposites: Susie the well-adjusted student against Calvin the scholastic misfit, order versus chaos. While occasional moments, like a Valentine's Day arc in 1986, hinted at a budding mutual interest, their relationship was primarily defined by their contrasting personalities, making the idea of them forming a lasting bond, let alone raising a child, a recurring theme in fan fiction.
Susie's role in the strip is largely defined by her ability to react to Calvin. Unlike his parents, who also serve as foils, Susie is rarely given significant individual focus. A notable exception occurred in May 1986, when she was instrumental in finding Hobbes after he was lost, having been taken by a stray dog.
However, Susie's most memorable and defining moment, and the one that resonates most with readers seeking intellectual depth, comes from the strip published on October 4, 1993. In this strip, Susie expresses her genuine enthusiasm for her schoolbooks to Calvin, who is more preoccupied with defacing his own. "I love my school books," Susie tells Calvin. "Just think! Pretty soon we'll have read all of this!" When Calvin dismisses her sentiment, Susie delivers a line that has become a touchstone for bibliophiles: "Sometimes I think books are the only friends worth having."
The strip offers little explanation for Susie's exceptional academic prowess, leaving her study habits and motivations largely to the imagination. Nevertheless, her dedication to learning and her assertion about the value of books solidify her position as one of fiction's most notable young scholars. Despite her secondary role, Susie Derkins, particularly through this singular quote, remains a quiet but powerful symbol of intellectual curiosity and the enduring companionship found within the pages of books, a sentiment that continues to be celebrated by fans decades later.