If you're wondering about the lack of updates for a couple of days, well....
I have been making them, they just accidently went over to my game dev blog instead. I've been trying out a blogging client and it's made it easy to accidentally crosspost. I'm trying to move the affected posts here, stand by....
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
May 1, 1954: Warping a little girl's mind
Read this strip at gocomics.com.
What is Charles Schulz saying, that Lucy is interested in Charlie Brown's "Mangle Comics," "Disease Comics" and "Gory Comics," yet he's not interested in "The Little Bunnies," "Billy Bluebird," and "The Funny Foxes?"
Some possible takeaway points:
1. Boy's comics are ridiculously violent (although "Disease Comics" doesn't seem like the most marketable title).
2. Boy's comics are more universally interesting than girl's comics, which implies Lucy considers girls' comics to be lacking.
3. Lucy is brushing up on her evil skills. Although Charlie Brown presumably reads them all the time, and he's kind of fragile.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
April 28-30, 1954: Comics, stairs and hoops
April 28, 1954:
The latest in the "Charlie Brown, Cartoonist" sequence. This one, I think, has an uncharacteristically clunky final panel. I find it difficult to imagine how Schulz could have thought CB's statement at the end works, it's very un-Peanuts-like.
April 29, 1954:
This is more like it. After the "Big Kids" Sunday strip, I think this is the first one to have a full thought balloon from Linus. I find the stairs in the second panel a little problematic, though. It's like the stairs sort of "slope" down off the side, like a carpeted hillside or something.
April 30, 1954:
Is it any wonder Snoopy forgets the kid's name? Anyway, this strip only works because of the limited size of the panels. Presumably Snoopy can see ahead off-panel, so why doesn't he notice the hoop is only as large as his snout beforehand? Maybe it's why Schulz draws him with his eyes closed in the third panel.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
April 27, 1954: With real working truck bed!
Read this strip at gocomics.com.
This is a frequently-used structure by Schulz at the moment. It goes:
1. A character does or says something silly.
2. Another character, or in the case of Snoopy vs. The Yard plain old physics, shows why the thing done is silly.
It's not much by itself, so these strips usually have something else going for them, either funny art (as here), empathy with one of the characters (such as the silly one who realizes by the end his mistake), or in some cases the silly character bullheadedly persisting in his error regardless. This happens with Lucy a lot, but Linus also becomes susceptible to it, every Halloween....
META: Comments working again?
The previous post got a comment, maybe they're working again? If you've had trouble commenting lately, try seeing if the comment form loads now.
April 26, 1954: Have you met Schroeder's brother, George?
Read this strip at gocomics.com.
This looks very much like a pop culture reference of the time, the candelabrum on the piano being a trademark of popular pianist Liberache. Or maybe it's just something pianists did at the time? It is rare that Charlie Brown and Shermy are more disgusted with commercialism than Schroeder, Christmas specials notwithstanding.
Ominously, Schroeder's little gesture seems to have enraptured Lucy.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, April 25, 1954: Patty tags out
Read this strip at gocomics.com.
Patty's only kicked CB's sandcastle once in the strip so far, but this implies a regular reign of terror has been going on. It's a funny strip all together though, and is another step closer to the Patty/Violet team act some of us remember from the early compilations.
META: Comments don't seem to be working
Just letting everyone know that comments seem to be broken for some reason on newer posts. I have done nothing to break them, it must be on Blogger's end.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
April 24, 1954: Fashion arbiter of novelty records
Read this strip at gocomics.com.
I assume this is a kid's record or some sort, or maybe a popular song of the day. Regardless, Lucy's summation is probably accurate. It is kind of a strange thing to write a song about I'd think. Her diagnosis might be regarded as practice for the Psychiatrist's Booth.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
April 23, 1954: The aerodynamic properties of that ball seem unsuitable
Read this strip at gocomics.com.
It's harder to throw, but you can't expect it to go so far if the batter gets a good whack at it. However, if he hits it really solidly it will probably take several minutes just to put the ball back together.
I think this is one of the few strips with Shermy, Schroeder and no one else. (Charlie Brown is mentioned but not pictured.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
