Complete Peanuts, Volume 1: 1950-1952 Book

So this is Peanuts at the beginning, a little meaner and leaner and more roughly sketched. And you get an intro from Garrison Keillor and a long analytical essay and an interview with the sometimes crusty Schulz, who, as it turns out, HATED the title he was forced to accept, Peanuts, which he said lacked "dignity" and depth, which is what (and I agree) his work and humor and insights afforded the reader, even from the start. All of the characters are sort of more blunt, and more direct than we knew them to be by the time the sixties rolled around, as editors "urged" him to soften that approach to his world a bit, make it a bit warmer and sweeter than you see it in these early days.

In the interview he is hard on the industry, and on editors who controlled what he could and could not publish (the avoidance of politics, for instance), though he is also grateful for what the comics world gave him, such as fame and recognition. And a living! The interview and the other materials help you appreciate his rich artistic purposes in the work.

I liked the somewhat darker tone and find it interesting. It was great to see the series from the beginning, always strong work, right from the first, as he sort of worked out what he wanted to do with it, artistically and in terms of character development. Amazing to go back and witness the daily, serial creation of this world so many came to love and appreciate, and to see how it began to be sustained (and to sustain us!) for so long.