On October 2, 1950, Charles Schulz announced his first peanut comic strip.
Could there be a more perfect opening? The timing of the four panels (3 panel buildup and final panel payoff) is essentially comic. For the next nearly 50 years, peanuts became a beloved institution, and the same hilariousness juxtaposed with cruel reality unfolds in countless ways. No artist ever surpassed Charles Schultz by refusing what everyone wanted. Charlie Brown never kicked football. We have never seen a little red-haired girl. Schultz was interested in eternal struggles, not shining victory.
I have seen this comic strip hundreds of times (I had a copy on my desk at one of my jobs), but it never fails to give me pleasure.
This comic strip is so perfect that I hope somehow expands the perfection and dives in like a dolphin. Karasik and Newgarden have yet to study the length of a single strip book, but there is a way to be drawn into this world of masterpieces in some way.
Here comes Charlie Brown! Last year, a peanut pop-up came out of Abrams. It contains only 12 pages, designed by comic historian Jean Kannenberg Jr. Each panel of the strip is presented as a pop-up made from thick cardboard, which is visible inside and around it. The finished volume is sturdy and I feel it’s good to hold. The copy is now near my desk and gives me joy every time I see it. It’s a great gift for anyone who likes comics, pop-ups, and both.
Charles Schultz passed away on February 12, 2000, several months after a significant decline in his health. The final peanut comic strip saying goodbye was scheduled to run on the Sunday the following day, February 13th.
(CBR has a run of peanuts for the last few months written years before its current state.)
Rumors spread after Schultz passed away. Donna May Waldo, the real-life inspiration for Little Red Hayer Girl, passed away soon after. Wikipedia says she actually passed away on August 8, 2016. Perhaps the rumors began because people wanted it to close. What Schultz himself thinks he refused is the closure. He knew life was full of regret and disappointment, missed connections and cold rejection, but we found joy in a place where we could. 75 years later, peanuts continue to give us joy.
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