Sunday, August 17, 1952: Ragequit

This is the beginning of a running gag in which Lucy builds up an incredible winning streak against Charlie Brown at checkers. It's a major part of the building of CB's defeatest attitude.

It is interesting to note Charlie Brown's reaction to his own behavior in panel 7. When he went on a rage tirade a few weeks ago, enough that the girls hid behind trees to get away (similar to Lucy's reaction here), we accepted it even though it'd look pretty disturbing in real life because comics exaggerate and illustrate emotions to enable us readers to more easily see them. Here, however, the comic takes his behavior and has him react to it with realistic dismay. It's a rather cool little deconstruction of the form.

August 14, 1952: Schroeder's address

Another of those little facts to file away for use in trivia contests. Schroeder's address is 1770 James Street.

August 11, 1952: Comic strip logic

Well, it makes a kind of sense. Presumably it wouldn't have worked if it hadn't been a toy telephone, or if Lucy had been talking to a person.

August 9, 1952: HE SPEAKS

The most interesting thing about this strip is that, finally, Schroeder says something more than a word or two, and in English.

August 8, 1952: Charlie Brown wins one

Is Snoopy actually playing, or is Charlie Brown playing both sides? For the most part the dog has shown mostly dog-like abilities. But if he's not really playing, then why does he seem invested in the game?

Charlie Brown certainly put the game away fast in the last panel.

August 7, 1952: Music humor

You know, I get the feeling that real musicians probably crack bad composer puns all the time.

June 23, 1978: Happiness is....

It never ceases to amaze me how different the strip looked in the early days. Well, at least he stopped doing those saccharine "Happiness is..." bits.

August 6, 1952: Charles Brown

Almost as if Schulz himself noticed what it looked like when CB preemptively complained about Snoopy's begging for candy a couple days ago, here he does it with a human character who can audibly express her displeasure.

And Violet now, firmly, finally seems to be done with mudpies.

August 4, 1952: He still can't stand it

Charlie Brown's joy getting stomped on by another, unthinking character is becoming a common theme for strips. Just three days ago Snoopy "fetched" CB's golf ball in play, and Charlie Brown couldn't stand that either.

Could it be that Snoopy's disdain for the candy here results from Charlie Brown's harping and hawing over the idea that Snoopy will beg for it? The dog has some pride after all.

Sunday, August 3, 1952: I can taste that ice cream now coursing through my veins!

I love the second panel for this one. Simultaneously delicious and disturbing.

Lucy's confused copying of Patty and Violet, to me, are an unexpectedly important part of this strip. It's a mocking echo of Charlie Brown's torment! She is become Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos! Ia! Ia! ...

Oops, sorry about that. I should probably tone down the Lovecraft references, heh.

In the next-to-last panel, it is weird to see the girls hiding from CB's wrath. There isn't even any lead up to it; the girls are suddenly in the background behind those trees. Then in the last panel they're instantly back.

Oh, and how about that look on Lucy's face in the first panel? She really seems to be into that wagon.