October 28, 1953: Creeping up on Halloween

I had no idea that Peanuts merchandising got started so early.

Surprised that Snoopy can say "Boo?" You shouldn't be. It's about the only English word he can say though.

Scribble of ire!

Sunday, October 25, 1953: A caper like this needs a good cart-man

Schulz is still learning to write effectively. Panels six and seven are kind of drawn out, with the characters merely intensifying how much they need Charlie Brown. This is a good strip though. My favorite part is the first panel, which is almost like a model sheet for Charlie Brown. His first expression there, by the way, is the only time I can remember the kid looking that happy. I'm pretty sure I've never seen him with exactly that kind of smile anywhere else.

December 6, 1952: Delayed reaction

I think it's just the idea of "BOO" that startles Charlie Brown in this strip. A philosophical horror at the nature of the word.

I think it's almost funnier that Lucy's so confident that her trick will work.

Sunday, October 26, 1952: Lucy's First Halloween

Lucy's fearsomeness is not yet firmly established, so this strip was probably intended more being a general strip about kids instead of specifically about the characters.

May 17, 1952: Blocks have many uses

Lucy gets a lot of use out of her blocks.

The premise of this strip relies on Charlie Brown not noticing Lucy as she constructs her staircase. If he had looked over and Lucy making her ramp he probably wouldn't be scared. So, a subtext of this strip is that Charlie Brown gets deeply involved in books, and Lucy knows this well enough to rely upon it for her prank.

October 31, 1951: Halloween #1

This is actually not Snoopy's first instance talking! The first was another strip, coincidentally also a one involving costumes, in which he, covered with a sheet, says "Boo!" That's some vocabulary that dog has.

This is a pretty silly strip, but I like it. The fancy shadow on the first "Boo" is probably a first for the strip.

By the way, we can tell it's Violet beneath the sheet through simple process of elimination. There are only five human characters right now, and Schroeder's still too short to be confused with the other characters.

July 3, 1951: Boo

It won't be much longer before Snoopy starts using thought balloons, and this joke wouldn't work if they were in use. Did Schulz plan it that way, getting the joke used while the using was good?

July 2, 1951: Waka-waka-waka

Charlie Brown's got that Pac-Man fever.  The question-mark over Snoopy's head is a nice touch.