A fairly intriguing sequence this week, continuing the prior spaceman strips. Schulz gets some good mileage out of halftone shading, a system which I don't think I recall him using much outside of these strips. Maybe he got given a free sample of halftone transfer sheets or something and figured, in a thrifty midwestern sort of way, that he should at least get some use out of them.
More halftone language gags. What sound is Charlie Brown actually producing in these strips? I like to think it's like radio static, but that's difficult to shout like in the third panel here.
Whatever sounds C.B. is actually making, Lucy seems to be learning to understand it.
And to translate it! But this all is simply a throwaway joke for CMS, something to use one week then never refer to ever again.
This strip proves that the halftone speech effect is not a representation of distortion provided by the helmet but some sound Charlie Brown was actually making. Lucy takes the opportunity to rag on C.B.'s round head again.
Hey kids, don't try this with a cat! I love how Schulz leaves the actual rubbing undepicted -- you can tell what happened just from context, Snoopy's fur, and the look on Snoopy's face.
Re. the 3/29 and 3/30 strips, the gag of Lucy being able to understand whatever it is CB is saying seems to be a precursor to Snoopy conversing with Woodstock...
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