September 15, 1953: Well he certainly recovered quickly

This one's interesting because Violet shows some remorse for an awful thing she said to Charlie Brown. She actually hasn't said a lot of hurtful things yet in the strip though; that's a few years down the pike.

September 15, 1953: Snoopy. vs the Yard: Butterfly II

Be careful what you want!

I like this one for the variety of sounds Snoopy makes in the last one. Especially "fooey." Very descriptive.

September 14, 1953: Snoopy vs The Yard: Butterfly

It's not yard equipment, but it's the same idea; something in the world confuses Snoopy terribly. It's a light, whimsical strip.

Is that one butterfly in the last panel flying fast, or is it multiple butterflies. Are they defending the first one, or is it just a happenstance swarm? For some reason my initial reading was the former, but now that I look at it I think it's intended to be a swarm.

Sunday, September 13, 1953: Three shades of green

Another bit of metaphorical art in the title panel. This is one of my favorite strips, Schroeder's personality comes out very vividly here.

September 11, 1953: Turn your head, Ludwig

I'm rather fond of this one. It's a good example of an idea you simply don't see in other comic strips. What is it about it that makes it possible for Peanuts, but not other comics?

This expression is similar to a chagrimace, but it's subtly different. Charlie Brown's emotion is of amusement, not dismay.

September 10, 1953: SUPPER'S READY!!

Thanks, Lucy.

She takes another step along the path from sweet-natured little girl to pint-sized Dracula.

September 9, 1953: Hearing marshmallows

Part of the fun of the character is that Snoopy is both a person and not, and Schulz can decide for himself which he is more like. When one is expected and the other provided, there is humor in that moment.

This is a weird place in the development of Snoopy's visual development. He's thicker here than in the years to come. He gets longer and leaner for a while, but afterwards seems to pull back a bit into the "balloon animal" shape of the later years of the strip.

I might have missed one or two, but this is the first time I can recall seeing a single, serif Z representing sleep. Such Zs become an important part of the strip's comic language.

September 8, 1953: Two bears fighting

Here, Charlie Brown and Lucy's roles are neatly reversed from their later personalities. That look in Lucy's face in particular is one she never seems to adopt later. It's an expression that only rarely shows up in Peanuts, but it does happen once in a while.

Sunday, September 6, 1953: MAYBE

This one's awesome for that last panel, and that note of concern you can hear in Charlie Brown's voice. Yes I said hear. I know they're just words on the page, that doesn't mean I can't hear it.

This does put the uncertainty back into just who is Snoopy's owner. It still has not been conclusively said at any point, it's just been implied from time to time.

September 5, 1953: More on Lucy's picnic school career

Previously.

I still don't know what the heck picnic school is. Nice fence, though.