The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952

by Charles M. Schulz

Hardcover, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

741.5973

Publication

Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, 2004.

Description

This first volume, covering the first two and a quarter years of the strip, will be of particular fascination to Peanuts aficionados worldwide: Although there have been literally hundreds of Peanuts books published, many of the strips from the series' first two or three years have never been collected before-in large part because they showed a young Schulz working out the kinks in his new strip and include some characterizations and designs that are quite different from the cast we're all familiar with. (Among other things, three major cast members-Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus-initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!) Thus The Complete Peanuts offers a unique chance to see a master of the art form refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day, week by week, month by month.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Hamburgerclan

How does one review a bunch of comics? I mean, sure, an individual comic strip can strike home with a serious, profound thought, or even get one's mind speculating on deep issues. But it's rare for a comic strip to delve into any prolonged analysis of an issue. Each day's strip needs to deliver its

standalone message in the limited number of panels it's given. So my review of the content of The Complete Peanuts--a complete collection of Charles Schulz's iconic strip--is simple: it's funny. However, there's more to this book than just the strips. For one thing, this series is created for the hard core fan of Peanuts. The book has an index, for crying out loud! Only a true comics geek needs one of those. Also, the Peanuts of 1950-1952 is a far cry from the icons we know today. Snoopy behaves like a dog, Charlie Brown is a wise-cracking trickster and Linus' blanket is nowhere to be seen. There are a few beloved concepts that show up in this collection, but for the most part it's completely different from what's running in the newspapers today. But hey, like I said, it's funny. I'm looking forward to reading future volumes to see the strip evolve and enjoy a slice of Americana from before my time. I probably wouldn't have bought the book for myself, but my wife is a fan, so it's going on my shelf.
--J.

Show Less

13 more

LibraryThing member Larou

Everybody, and I do mean everybody, loves Peanuts (and if there really should be a some poor souls out there who do not, they should be pitied and are anyway far too few to be in any way relevant).

It really is quite astonishing when you think about it – kids and grown-ups, men and women, the

uneducated and the academics – no matter what people’s age, gender, level of education, no matter whether they love reading or hate it, whether they love comics or despise them - they all, almost without exception love Peanuts. Many better minds than I have attempted to explore what lies at the heart of that enduring popularity, with varying degrees of success, so I’m not even going to attempt that here; I just want to marvel for a moment at just how awesome this is. I mean, everybody loves Peanuts. Just think about it – you could stand up from your computer now, walk out on the street and address the first stranger you come across with “Aren’t Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts just great?” True, he or she would probably look at you somewhat strangely but they’d know what you’re talking about, and – assuming you could get them to overcome their suspicions at this weird stranger – will almost certainly agree with you, too. And this is true for almost every country, and over sixty years after the first Peanuts strip was published. Is there any other work of art, literary or graphical, high-brow or low-brow, of which one could say that? Mickey Mouse is probably as popular, but hardly as well liked, Alice in Wonderland is probably as well-beloved but hardly as well-known.

Peanuts, then, quite obviously strikes a chord, and maybe the most astonishing as well as the most enduring thing about the comic is that it shows that there is such a chord to be struck, that across all differences in age, gender and cultural background there is something so essentially human in all of us that we all love the adventures of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and their friends. But then, this might just be an indication of how far the worldwide Americanization of everything already has progressed…

The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 is the first instalment in what is going to be a complete collection of all Peanuts daily and Sunday strips. I am struggling on how to read this – I am thinking that the best way to go about it would be to read them like they were published, one strip a day – but seeing as the comic was running for fifty years this is not an option, as at that rate, I’m not likely to live long enough to read the final volume. I can’t really see myself reading a volume in one sitting either, so I went for reading a few weeks of strips whenever I felt like it – and ended up taking over two years to finish the volume. This means I’ll have to think of another way to tackle the remaining volumes, and it means also that I after starting it that long ago, don’t really have any substantial to say on this particular volume.

The early strips are really quite different, and the main interest of this first volume is really to see how the comic settles into its groove, how the familiar characters pop up one after the other and how the characters gradually assume their familiar look, and how the strips slowly begin to take on that particular world-wise melancholy that is maybe the series main characteristic. This is a beautifully made book, and apart from the strips it contains a lengthy and very interesting interview with Charles M. Schulz – who, I was rather surprised to find out, did not like the title Peanuts at all because he did not think it was appropriate for his “dignified” comic. I find his emphasis on a category like dignity quite intriguing, and it might be worthwhile to keep that in mind while reading the series. I might even return to the subject in my post on the next volume – which hopefully it won’t take me another two years to read.

Show Less

LibraryThing member librarybrandy

It's kind of interesting, seeing the very beginning of Peanuts, when a pack of middle-aged four-year-olds roamed the streets, spouting philosophy and other pearls of wisdom. It's also kind of interesting to see the early 1950s as a time when kids DID make fun of each other, did pull pranks, did

hurt each other--as opposed to my not-so-secret love of the Carolyn Haywood Betsy books, where every child is a gift from Heaven and wouldn't say a bad word against anything.

I was a little bugged by some of the repetition--four months in and he's already recycling gags? And how many times can we recycle the formula "Charlie Brown says something to a girl. She responds. He replies with a cheap shot disguised as a pun. She chases him while he smiles at the camera and makes some reference to 'I still got it!'"? A lot, it turns out.

There was one strip I instantly recognized from Calvin & Hobbes, though--a bath time strip of "the water's too cold/too hot/too cold/too deep." Bad Watterson.

Show Less

LibraryThing member capiam1234

Absolutely loved starting this from the beginning and seeing how the characters and everything progresses. The interview and commentary at the end is wonderful as well giving us a view of how the strip was created and the intentions behind our favorites (Charlie Brown, Snoopy, etc.) I plan to read

each of these in chronological order and can't wait to grab the next one.

Show Less

LibraryThing member -Eva-

A collection of the first two years of Charles Schulz's comic strip, Peanuts. This is such a great series and is such a huge part of Americana that it feels almost necessary to take a look at its beginnings. And the beginnings are good; the characters aren't exactly what they are today, but it is

already evident how they may develop to be the characters in the guise we now know and love. This edition also includes a lengthy interview with Schulz and, although he doesn't come across as a particularly lovable person, it's still interesting to get a hint of the man behind Charlie Brown & Co.

Show Less

LibraryThing member MerkabaZA

One of the defining comics in the industry and a wonderfully poignant look at life.

LibraryThing member fuzzi

I really enjoyed reading this book containing the first three years of Peanuts comic strips. Although I'd seen many before in a "selections from" collection there were other strips I'd never read before including: Violet's mudpie baking (she adds eggs and cream), Charlie Brown's first appearance

wearing his trademark zigzag shirt, bratty Lucy in her crib, and later on we are treated to the first time Charlie Brown has Lucy hold the football for him.

Schulz' work is timeless despite being almost 70 years old. My copy is from Kindle, but I liked this so much that I might get the hardcover version as well.

Show Less

LibraryThing member jenniebooks

Adorable and funny.

LibraryThing member drjmallen

The early day. The art work is not as refined as later but the humor is there.
Enjoyable for fans.

LibraryThing member bookwyrmm

I found I like the very early strips and characters much better than the later ones.

LibraryThing member Steven1958

The very first Peanuts comics from 1950-1952. Who doesn't love Charlie Brown and Snoopy? Very funny and entertaining viewing the world through the eyes of 4-6 year olds.

LibraryThing member foof2you

This is volume one of The Compete Peanuts 1950-1952, where it all stated for Charlie Brown and the gang. Interesting to see who the main characters were and how the strip has developed over the years. Funny how main characters then were not so much later on in the strip.

LibraryThing member baroquem

This is a terrific collection: thorough, high-quality production and printing, and including great secondary material (an essay about Schulz's life and an extended interview with him, both covering a wide array of topics in which his strong opinions -- including his strong opinions about not having

strong opinions -- come through clearly). It even has an exhaustive index of topics covered in the strips!

Show Less

LibraryThing member therebelprince

Two more years of the "Peanuts" series and things continue to improve, from what was already a dynamite beginning. Everyone here is firmly in their element, with Linus, Schroeder, Lucy, Pig-pen, Violet, Patty and good ol' Charlie Brown all beautifully characterised. Snoopy, who has been through a

variety of characterisations thus far, has settled down and begun to show signs of the (dare I say overexposed) character he would become. And with the introduction of Charlie's newborn sister Sally, it feels like another piece of the puzzle has been slotted into place.

Beautifully drawn, often wonderfully mature. There are of course some strips that are dated, or just don't bounce off the page, and every now and then you can tell when Schulz was having an 'off week' and decided to string out a joke over several pages. Yet those are rare, and most of the strips still have me chortling - both in the visceral manner I did as a child, and with an added layer of intellect. It's surprising how deep some of these panels are, and oddly, I'm sure that some of them will resonate even further with me when I re-read this book 25 years from now.

But, of course, who in 1959 could have predicted these would be collected in 25 such beautiful volumes? I probably won't start on volume 6 til next year, but I consider it a true privilege to have access to the complete Schulz canon, and the "Peanuts" collection will be a cherished part of my bookshelf for, I hope, the rest of my life.

Show Less

Fewer