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. ( )

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! ( )

The first two years of the Peanuts comic strip (1950-1952) collected into one volume, the first volume of 26 that collects all 50 years of the strip. There are characters (Sherm, Patty, and Violet) who don't appear in later years (Sherm almost disappears by the end of this volume), and a few (Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus) who make their first appearances later in the volume. The only two who are there from the beginning are Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

But they look a lot different than what most of us are used to seeing. Schulz's lines in these early strips are bolder, which sort of compresses their features, but also makes them a bit more dynamic. And Charlie Brown is less of a sad sack than he is in the later years. He is more impish, and a bit of a trouble-maker. Some of the humor is dated and obviously from the 50s (lots of "housewife" and mother-in-law jokes), but the seeds are all there for Peanuts would eventually become. ( )

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. ( )

GOOD GRIEF!

One thing I like about Peanuts that I didn't pick up as a kid was the fact it deals a lot with depression and anxiety. In some cases this really hits home. It's obvious Schulz dealt with both all through out his life.

Keep in mind when you read this, this isn't going to be the same Peanuts you're use to now. There are a bit of differences and you can see some stuff stayed and other things left. I liked this volume for the fact you can see Schulz playing around with his world before it became what we know.

Make sure you read the interview at the end. There's a lot of interesting information about Schulz's life and how he views comics. ( )