Sunday, February 28, 2010

June 20, 1952: How does a little kid get so down on himself?

Peanuts

This is a major shift towards Charlie Brown's later personality.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

June 19, 1952: They grow up so fast

Peanuts

A momentous strip: Lucy has lost her eye-circles then facing forward! And she's talking just like everyone else! And she isn't referring to herself in third-person anymore! And it reveals a glimmer of the raging inferno beneath the surface too! Oh, it's also a funny strip.

(Note that there is a Sunday strip coming up where she has eye circles. And in a couple of months she refers to herself in the third person one more time. This doesn't mean Lucy's early self is entirely banished just yet....)

Friday, February 26, 2010

June 18, 1952: Rules for Dog Word Bubbles

Peanuts

- If the bubble contains English text, that is letters that are not meant onomatopoetically then it must be a thought bubble. Animals cannot talk.

- However, animals can "say" the sounds they ordinarily make. So, Snoopy can say "Arf" or "Ruff" or even "Bark."

- As we see here, Snoopy can also say punctuation. Here I believe the intent is just to show a mood. Snoopy isn't actually saying anything, it is just showing his mental state. The word balloon is technically extraneous here.

- Once in a while you'll see Snoopy say something that is borderline between the two. Some time ago he said "Heh heh," which is hard to adjudicate. Dogs can't laugh, but presumably they can make sounds like being amused, so I assume that was Schulz's intent.

- Then there was that strip in which Snoopy had a sheet over his head and said "Boo." The joke in that one was from being inexplicable.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

June 16, 1952: A reasonable request

Peanuts

There is a whimsicalness to early Peanuts that I find appealing. It's not just that Lucy washed her hands in Charlie Brown's glass of milk, it's that she asked nicely first like this is standard Lucy protocol.

Turnabout strip!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sunday, June 15, 1952: I know people who do this during DVD movies

Peanuts

Schroeder still hasn't said that many words. I get the feeling that Schulz intended his lack of verbosity to be a part of the character. Or maybe it's just that he doesn't want to talk over his own music so much?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

June 13,1952: The shame of it all

Peanuts

Subtly revealing of Schroeder's personality. He's not just a musical genius, he's a picky genius.

Monday, February 22, 2010

June 10, 1952: Some of us take our flavors seriously

Peanuts

Why did Charlie Brown even offer the red ones then?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

June 9, 1952: Wishy-washy!

Peanuts

Mostly this one is just cute, but it is a foreshadowing of one of Charlie Brown's most-mentioned character traits, his wishy-washiness.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Sunday, June 8, 1952: Someone get that kid a helmet

Peanuts

Now imagine this kid pitching a baseball. At YOU.

Friday, February 19, 2010

June 7, 1952: Violet has mood swings

Peanuts

Violet is one of the more generic Peanuts characters in the classic era, but in the early period she seems to be purposely more moody than her counterpart Patty. This is not the first time a joke like this has been used for her, and it won't be the last either.