The Complete Peanuts 1950-1954

The first volume, The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952, covers the first two and a quarter years of the strip (October 1950 through December 1952), and will be of particular fascination toPeanuts aficionados worldwide: Although there have been literally hundreds ofPeanuts 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!).The second volume, The Complete Peanuts 1953-1954, begins withPeanuts' third full year and a cast of eight: Charlie Brown, Shermy, Patty, Violet, Schroeder, Lucy, the recently born Linus, and Snoopy. By the end of 1954, this will have expanded to nine. Linus still doesn't speak (except, on a few occasions, to himself, ? la Snoopy), but Schulz begins laying the foundation for his emergence as the most complex and arguably most endearing character in the strip: garrulous and inquisitive, yet gentle and tolerant. And he evens acquires his security blanket in this volume! Meanwhile, Lucy, an infant just a year ago, has forcefully elbowed herself to the front of the cast, proudly wearing her banner as a troublemaker or, in Schulz's memorable phrase, fuss-budget. The strong, specific relationships she sets up with each character further contributes to making her central to the strip. (She has earned her cover status on this volume.) This period's significant new character is Pig-Pen, who would re... Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.