March 3, 1953: Lucy and the sandwiches

This strip makes no sense if you don't remember Lucy's prior fussiness over cutting sandwiches. This indicates that Schulz feels confident enough in her personality that he can use the character as a symbol of it, just like Schroeder is a symbol of both the artist and musicians in general.

This is different from Snoopy being a symbol of, say, dogs, or Linus of babies, because that's obvious from immediate reading.

The only other example of what I'm talking about that springs to mind are Charlie Brown's tantrums when faced with another character's quirks. Violet's mud pies don't count because Schulz only uses that in a context where the reader is reminded of her mud pies.

March 2, 1953: Treat Schroeder's piano with respect!

This is the first of a long-running theme of the strip, other characters not giving Schroeder's piano the respect it deserves. By the way, isn't that an evocative drawing of the ringing on Snoopy's ears? Just wide looping scribbles. Looking at them, I can practically hear it.

March 1, 1953: Obsolete furniture

The funny thing about this strip is that most of us today are probably more familiar with rocking chairs than many of the examples of modern furniture seen here, or the record player.

This strip is pretty rich in detail. Schulz wasn't afraid of putting in some quality draftsmanship in the early days.

February 27, 1953: Presaging Calvin

This one is sort of a companion strip to the one two days ago, where Lucy gives Charlie Brown a (pseudo-)scientific reason not to cut bread. Anyway, I wish folks online would be as ready to admit the ultimate source of their data.

This is a very Calvin-esque attitude for Charlie Brown.

February 26, 1953: Snoopy, dog about town

I can only assume that Charlie Brown's comment, about the dogfight, is a turn of phrase that has fallen out of favor in the 50+ years since the strip first saw print.

Question 1: Who dressed Snoopy up in that outfit? He still doesn't have an explicit owner, nor opposeable thumbs. Evidently it was someone who appreciates tartan.

Question 2: How did Schroeder know where Snoopy was going?

Snoopy's role here is subtly different from his original personality. Here, he is sort of an honorary kid. He can't talk, but Charlie Brown and Schroeder know he can understand them. The disconnect between his obvious nature (dog) and the kids' treatment of him (colleague) is what provides the joke.

February 25, 1953: Charlie Brown takes an oath

I love this strip. The joke is actually kind of subtle, that Lucy's fussiness (slowly being established through showing, instead of just telling) might actually have a rational basis, and that Charlie Brown could be convinced of it. (Or, alternatively, Charlie Brown has a very dry sense of humor.)

I can't imagine any other comic strip choosing to make this kind of joke in exactly this way. Maybe Bloom County, but no it'd have made it a little sillier. Maybe Mutts (with Mooch in Lucy's role?), but no, Earl wouldn't take Charlie Brown's line at the end. This style of humor, in comics, is unique to Peanuts.

I can imagine Lucy's making this explanation on Ask Metafilter or something. (Her username would be "fussbudget," of course.)

February 24, 1953: Snoopy the Opportunist

Further establishment of Snoopy's food-crazy personality.

Sometimes a crazy sight gag can stand on its own, and sometimes it needs a reaction frame to set it off. This one, I think, needs the reaction panel.

February 21, 1953: Snoopy fetches

A simple, elegant strip.

February 19, 1953: Lucy works on her psychoanalysis degree

Lucy provides a dismissive, yet possibly accurate, diagnosis of a character from literature. It's the first time Lucy does something that could be considered psychiatry (seen practiced later from her famous booth), and the first time the strip has directly named some behavior as neurotic, an important step towards the sophistication of its classic period.

February 18, 1953: Obligatory flip-out

This is another case where Lucy's reaction to Charlie Brown's tantrum (running away, saying "Are you through?") are important because they show that CB's behavior is not merely cartoon exaggeration, it's supposed to be read as a tantrum.