I mean, come on, who does it better? Early Schulz strips have a pleasant simplicity. Panels lean on quiet--there's a lot of room to breath. This early on, Linus is a baby prodigy, and his savant gags are a real highlight of this volume.

снупі переживає серйозну кризу самоідентифікації;
лайнус знає, що щастя – у фланелевому пледі, і відстоює його перед загрозами ззовні;
люсі все ще не втрачає надії вийти заміж за шродера;
шродер, утім, не зраджує своїй любові – класичній музиці;
вайолет влаштовує вечірки, на які цілеспрямовано не запрошує чарлі брауна;
а бідолашний чарлі браун намагається зрозуміти, чому його ніхто не любить.
і так щодня, з неділями включно.

C'est l'une des plus grandes entreprises artistiques du 20e siècle, cé sûr que je vais lui donner cinq étoiles.

Même si c'est toujours génial Peanuts, c'est vraiment plaisant de saisir que y'a des semaines où Schulz est vraiment ''in the zone'' et se met à dessiner chefs-d'œuvres par dessus chefs-d'œuvres de petites bandes bourrées d'humour et de vie. Je pense aussi que ce sont les deux années où il se met à être plus philosophe, à creuser la psychologie des personnages, leurs mauvais plis. Y'a aussi une belle césure entre des personnages assez névrosés et/ou psychorigides (Charlie Brown, Lucy) et d'autres plus jovialistes et bon-enfants (Snoopy, Pig-Pen, j'oserais même dire Linus, mais avec sa couverture).

Vais.acheter.les.25.tomes.c'est.sûr.

These early Peanuts strips are really interesting for the differences from the later strips:

1. Some of the major characters (Violet, Patty--not Peppermint Patty but another character named Patty--and Shermy) in these strips have almost completely disappeared by the 1970s.

2. Schultz draws Snoopy and Lucy slightly differently in these early strips--there is a real, noticeable difference.

3. Snoopy actually seems to talk in many of these strips: Schutlz doesn't use the thought bubbles but the direct dialogue bubbles that all the human characters use.

4. We actually hear (thought we don't see) the voices of an adult, Linus and Lucy's mother, in several strips.

5. There are a whole range of characters that Schultz has not yet introduced: Charlie Brown's little sister Sally, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Woodstock, and Rerun, to name a few.

6. Lucy is not quite so hostile and mean, but she certainly shows the early signs of the little girl she will become. In many ways, she is rather naive and innocent in these early strips.

7. One of my favorite strips in this collection (September 12, 1956) shows Charlie Brown actually successfully kicking the football, but it is Schroeder who is holding the football and not Lucy.

Also interesting about this edition of collected strips is that the introduction was written by Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons. Groening cites Schultz as a major influence and praises him effusively. I find it amazing and delightful at the wide range of people of all types who have been influenced by Peanuts, which is, for me, easily the best comic strip of all time.

The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 3: 1955-1956 collects Peanuts strips from 1955-1956, as the title indicates.

My archaeological dig into the early days of Peanuts continues with this volume, the third in Fantagraphics' Peanuts library.

Schulz style continues to evolve strip by strip, inching ever closer to the fully realized form it achieved sometime in the 1970s and coasted on for a couple decades more. The old strips take more chances with the art than the later strips, using more perspectives and a couple more camera angles.

The familiar characters already look how they're supposed to look but Shermie, Patty, and Violet haven't been run out of two for their parents' scandalous love triangle yet. Sally Brown, Peppermint Pattie, and Marcie still haven't appeared.

The stories are darker than the later ones as well, partly due to Charlie Brown's low self esteem and partly due to Violet and Patty being irredeemable bitches. Lucy actually likes Charlie Brown while the other two are just mean for the sake of being mean. Highlights include Linus being some sort of genius/magician and Snoopy acting like a python or alligator.

The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 3: 1955-1956 shows that before the Peanuts characters were selling insurance, they were a much darker, enjoyable bunch. Four out of five stars.