And the pterodactyl flies free

I used to daydream a lot about dinosaurs, especially the spinosaurus which was my favorite. These dinosaur strips are among the best that Watterson ever drew. They're highly artistic, creative, and very intelligently made. The way he sequenced the panels in this one isn't of the usual method, he put a lot of thought into it, and it's because of this that makes this untraditional strip so good. The way he ended this one is perfect--with Calvin, as a pterodactyl, flying away safely from a near-death situation with the plesiosaurus, his teacher.
Watterson showed here that comics should be treated as art forms (and they are) and not just as a bunch of joke boxes with witty or corny one-liners at the end. This is what separates Calvin & Hobbes from just about everything else.