Sunday, July 12, 1953: A page-turner

The various characters are picking up quirks that help to differentiate them. In the near future:

Lucy is a reader, but also gets facts wrong readily and laughs off suggestions that she might be wrong. Charlie Brown, on the other hand, when he gets something wrong he's very self-conscious about it, and Lucy's continued willful ignorance will give him ulcers. Linus, even when he starts really talking, is pretty quiet. Patty and Violet aren't that different, but Violet is more antagonistic, cold, sometimes even hostile to Charlie Brown. Schroeder, well, is obvious. Snoopy has problems with inanimate objects.

I think it's obvious that Shermy is in the pool in the first panel, but it's less evident that the kid he's with is Schroeder. It probably is, but that's mostly because I don't think Schulz would throw an extra in there just to have one.

Sunday, August 31, 1952: But it's his pool, right?

This is a case where Charlie Brown's responsible for his own disappointment, to some extent. It's his pool, right? That's why he filled it? I guess he doesn't want to throw his friends out when they're having such a good time. (Schroeder especially is getting into it, although I doubt he really needs to hold his nose as he jumps in.)

Why is it necessary for Charlie Brown to empty the whole pool just because Snoopy is sitting in it?

As a kid, I'm not entirely sure why, I loved the picture of Snoopy sitting, smiling, looking out of the pool at Charlie Brown. It's something about his profile, or his attitude maybe. Or maybe it's just really cute.

The shading on the underside of the pool as CB empties it is an unusual touch for Peanuts.

August 29, 1951: Dog as shark

Ah-ha! It is the first glimmer of Snoopy's capacity for imagination, which if memory serves began when Snoopy fantasized being different kinds of dangerous wild animals.