The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 3: 1955-1956 by Charles M. Schulz

The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 3: 1955-1956 Reviews

• 
  Alejandro

  Still a step behind of their most known version.
  
  
  FUSS-BUDGETS UNCHAINED
  
  This is the third volume of the Complete Peanuts, from 1955 and reaching until 1956.
  
  The deal about Lucy & Linues is still odd, in the sense of the memories of most people (me included) where Lucy and Linus should be of an age contemporary with Charlies Brown and in the same class, but nope, Lucy still is younger than Charlis Brown, she’s in kindergarten, while Charlie Brown already in school’s first grade, meanwhile Linus is even younger than Lucy.
  
  So, I guess that Superboy Prime still hasn’t punched the reality to changed this odd situation to make it as most people we remember the comic strip.
  
  Snoopy has a facet of doing imitations during the volume, where the sky is the limit to his resourceful skills of performing imitations.
  
  There is a disturbing recurring gag about Linus in this third volumen where he “shoots” everybody with his finger, saying “bang”, that obviously is something that many kids do, and I’m sure that Charles Schultz hadn’t any bad intention about it, but just portraiting a normal facet in children, however, there is a strip where things got out of control, where Linus put his finger in the head of Snoopy, telling “bang” and saying that it was better to put him out of his misery…
  
  …oooookay.
  
  Quite disturbing in what should be an innocent comic strip for the family!
  
  Sure, Snoopy didn’t ger hurt, it was a finger, not a real gun, but the scene and the dialogue, I think turned into a too dark path.
  
  Actually, after using a lot that recurring gag for Linus, after that particular strip, the gag changed into sounds of other “weapons” like arrow and stuff, since while the 50s wasn’t like nowadays where society reached the writers right away making known their thinking about the published material, but I have no doubt that some letter should reach soon enough to Schultz making him see how innapropiate was that particular strip (that I thanked it was censored out of the collection, since while it was disturbing, you shouldn’t erase history or you’ll be doomed to repeat it).
  
  
  DAVY CROCKETT V. BEETHOVEN: DAWN OF CHILDHOOD
  
  Shermy, one of the founding characters of the comic strip (but doomed to dissapear eventually) is still around but he’s being used a lot less, and since Linus is still too young, it falls into Schroeder in playing the role of “best buddy” for good ol’ Charlie Brown.
  
  They shared arguments in this volume, about who was cooler, if Davy Crockett or Beethoven, the childhood’s heroes of each of them.
  
  Along with that, Schroeder has to deal the relentless approaches by Lucy trying to get his attention; meanwhile Charlie Brown met his insidious nemesis, the kite-eating tree!
  
  Moreover, Charlie Brown gets his first iconic pranks by Lucy involving the football kick and the pile of leaves.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Dan Schwent

  The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 3: 1955-1956 collects Peanuts strips from 1955-1956, as the title indicates.
  
  My archaeological dig into the early days of Peanuts continues with this volume, the third in Fantagraphics' Peanuts library.
  
  Schulz style continues to evolve strip by strip, inching ever closer to the fully realized form it achieved sometime in the 1970s and coasted on for a couple decades more. The old strips take more chances with the art than the later strips, using more perspectives and a couple more camera angles.
  
  The familiar characters already look how they're supposed to look but Shermie, Patty, and Violet haven't been run out of two for their parents' scandalous love triangle yet. Sally Brown, Peppermint Pattie, and Marcie still haven't appeared.
  
  The stories are darker than the later ones as well, partly due to Charlie Brown's low self esteem and partly due to Violet and Patty being irredeemable bitches. Lucy actually likes Charlie Brown while the other two are just mean for the sake of being mean. Highlights include Linus being some sort of genius/magician and Snoopy acting like a python or alligator.
  
  The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 3: 1955-1956 shows that before the Peanuts characters were selling insurance, they were a much darker, enjoyable bunch. Four out of five stars.
• 
  Louie the Mustache Matos

  I recently received access to the entire Peanuts catalogue via some wonderful reprints of the comic strips by Fantagraphics. These hardcover tomes are gorgeous, meticulously curated, indexed, and crafted in a way that pays proper homage to the fifty-year work of Charles Schulz. The works are collected and divided into two-year volumes. This third volume collects all of the Peanuts comic strip from the years 1955 and 1956. Matt Groening writes the introduction to this book. The gang looks a little more like what a modern audience might remember with a different Patty, Shermy, and different Violet. Linus is no longer a non-speaking toddler and seems to be replacing Schroeder as Charlie Brown's best friend. The reader can witness the inception of some tropes that debut in this volume: Linus and his square balloons, Linus' first Halloween, Snoopy imagines himself to be a snake, a lion, an alligator, Charlie Brown and his kite, nobody likes me rants, and Lucy with the football, dancing Snoopy, Lucy schooling her brother on made-up "facts." Overall, a spectacularly funny volume. This will serve as my #4 of 10 GN / TPBs for my 2023 reading goal.
• 
  Jerry

  I've shared before how comic strips, especially Garfield, had a big impact on me; however, Peanuts was the most influential of them, save for the Tubby Tabby. I didn't just read the comics in the paper; I had compilations of the strips in book form, most of which came from garage sales; I watched the various television specials, episodes, and movies, including The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show; I played a Snoopy game on a family member's Commodore 64; and, one year, I was even Charlie Brown for Halloween. Though I've moved on to other media in recent years, Charles Schulz's infamous comic strip will always hold a place in my heart.
  
  That said, some of these strips were not all that humorous. If you're one of those people like Maddox who thinks that Garfield isn't funny, wait until you see these. Also, the strips felt a bit repetitive at times; then again, that tends to be the nature of the funny pages. Sure, there were some cute moments, but, overall, it may not be what millennial fans who grew up reading Charlie Brown's misadventures in the paper are expecting. Also, the edition I have has an unfortunate misprint which makes part of Matt Groening's foreword practically illegible. (For those who have also read this: Did your copy have the same error?) So, this was a bit of a mixed bag.
• 
  Josiah

  We're back for round three of Peanuts, a collection covering all of 1955 and '56. No major new characters are introduced, but we get to know Linus and "Pig-Pen" better, Snoopy has more solo adventures, and the strip continues refining its wisdom and humor. January begins with a few snowy scenes. Lucy fights with Linus over his security blanket on January 4 (page three), leading to an amusing visual after Lucy finally wins. Linus will not relinquish his blanket easily. Fresh snowfall is perfect for playing outdoors, but that can be a burden, as Charlie Brown muses on January 8 (page four). Some days he doesn't feel like making snowmen, and the pressure to take advantage of the snow before it melts can be annoying. What should you do when a somewhat rare opportunity arises, but you'd rather do something else right now? January 10 (page six) is one of the funniest strips in the book, Lucy's reaction to Schroeder adding a metronome atop his piano. The question she asks is quintessential Lucy van Pelt, and made me laugh out loud. Lucy builds a snowman on February 2 (page fifteen), a short, stout figure she declares the "world's largest snowman". Charlie Brown begs to differ, but Lucy is indignant: "Well, it's the largest snowman that I've ever built!" We tend to assign our own accomplishments outsized merit; objectively evaluating your own work is a tall order.
  
  Lucy often laughs when Charlie Brown tells her a fact she didn't know about the world, dismissing him as a boy with a wild imagination. February 11 (page nineteen), Lucy feels sure Charlie Brown is inventing names for the constellations when he points to one he calls the "Big Dipper". Does he expect her to believe such an obvious fabrication? March 13 (page thirty-two) might be the funniest Sunday of this collection. Charlie Brown sees Lucy flying a kite, and admires the extreme height at which she's keeping it afloat. His esteem changes in the final two panels of the strip, however. It's one of the best sight gags from the first half decade of Peanuts. Charlie Brown and Lucy are reading in a big, comfortable chair on April 5 (page forty-two) when he mentions that people used to think the earth was flat, and you could sail over the edge and be consumed by sea beasts. Lucy scoffs at mankind's former foolishness, but isn't sure herself what we believe nowadays. It's easy to reflexively deride our predecessors for their failings, but we shouldn't be too hasty. In some ways their wisdom was superior, and we, too, will eventually be subject to the unthinking criticism of our descendants. Taking a charitable view of those who came before is a sign of integrity.
  
  Linus isn't perfect, but his "naughty" deeds are not those of an average boy. Other toddlers draw on the walls, but how many do so with the flair Linus exhibits on April 19 (page forty-eight)? It's hard to stay angry at a rebel when they act with artistic ingenuity. Imaginative rogues get away with more than their less whimsical counterparts. In June, Charlie Brown and Schroeder engage in the eternal debate: who was greater, Davy Crockett or Beethoven? June 7 and 8 (page sixty-nine) are hysterically funny parts of this storyline. A simple remark between Charlie Brown and Lucy on August 23 (page one hundred two) results in a potent punchline about a rich man who earned a hundred dollars every second of the day, and on September 19 (page one hundred fourteen), Snoopy dabbles in physical comedy when Charlie Brown tries to get him to smile while they play fetch. The beagle's exaggerated smile is amusing, but a subtle point is made. Personal enjoyment has little to do with whether our expression of the feeling satisfies others. It looks weird when someone has to express their enjoyment in a way that's unnatural for them. October 23 (page one hundred twenty-eight) is one of the more philosophical comics in the book. Charlie Brown is agitated to see Patty and Violet talking and laughing just out of his earshot. He decides they're ridiculing him, and steps in to challenge the pair. Violet yells back that their conversation had nothing to do with Charlie Brown; they weren't even thinking about him. But that doesn't make him any happier. Humans are like that: we worry about others criticizing or mocking us, but going unnoticed feels just as bad. Is happiness possible if we obsess over things we can't control?
  
  A new city ordinance requires dogs to be tied up (November 3, page one hundred thirty-three), and Charlie Brown's method of compliance for Snoopy is hilarious. November 16 (page one hundred thirty-eight) is a classic demonstration of what makes "Pig-Pen" who he is. What other kid can get messy with no dirt in sight? Snoopy's talent for doing impressions results in several good strips in November. November 26 (page one hundred forty-two) is my favorite, as the witty beagle does an uncredited impression of Mickey Mouse. There's no mistaking those ears and nose! December 3 (page one hundred forty-five) is a punchline right out of the 1965 television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. What does Linus think of the taste of falling snowflakes? Sunday, December 11 (page one hundred forty-nine) is an example of the snowman humor that provides some of the best fodder for Peanuts over the years. December 16 (page one hundred fifty-one) is a bit of philosophy with Biblical roots, Charlie Brown and a friend noticing how cold Snoopy is outside and deciding to help. Their "comfort" isn't much good; encouraging him to "be of good cheer" does nothing to keep our favorite beagle from shivering in the snow. True charity requires action, not platitudes. January 7, 1956 (page one hundred sixty) is another joke from It's a Charlie Brown Christmas, Pig-Pen's quippy response when Violet suggests he should be ashamed of how filthy he is. Violet tries to make Charlie Brown feel inferior on March 12 (page one hundred eighty-nine), pointing out that her parents and extended relatives all graduated college, but he doesn't take the bait. The antidote to the smugness of others just might be happily acknowledging their achievements and not inferring that they make you any less than you are.
  
  Charlie Brown spots Violet and Patty whispering on March 24 (page one hundred ninety-three). Thinking they're making fun of him, his mood darkens, and he wonders why people are always ruining his day. When our default assumption is that others constantly speak badly of us behind our back, it's a sign we lack modesty; people don't focus on us as much as we might fear. Keeping that perspective guards us from getting worked up for no reason. Linus enthuses on May 5 (page two hundred eleven) about life's potential in the future, after he turns six. He'll cross the street unattended, get his own food and drink from the refrigerator... "Unlimited opportunity!!" he proclaims. Every stage of life seems to look that way before you enter it, as though you're leaving the mediocrity of today for an exciting expanse of challenges and responsibilities. But that rosy picture is never fully accurate, and around the next corner there will always be another new stage we expect to save us from life's doldrums. On May 9 (page two hundred thirteen) Charlie Brown and Lucy observe a colony of black bugs marching along the ground. Lucy points out the queen, who sits and watches her subjects slave away, but Lucy is in for a surprise when Charlie Brown takes a closer look. The two-panel punchline is superb. Violet and Patty argue over what physical trait is most winsome in a dog on May 10 (page two hundred fourteen). Violet goes gaga for sad eyes and droopy ears; Patty loves to look at a happy dog. Wanting to please both, Snoopy demonstrates how strange it looks when you're preoccupied with satisfying everyone; most of the time, you come off as unappealing.
  
  Snoopy is stylish and innovative even when playing fetch; he has the finesse to catch a soap bubble in his mouth without popping it. But Sunday, July 1 (page two hundred thirty-six) reveals that Snoopy isn't always light on his feet. Charlie Brown's remark to cap the strip is insightful; people with incredible skills in one area may be tactless in another, and the incongruity is jarring. It's how people are built, talents counterbalanced by ineptitudes. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are similar on that score. Charlie Brown's lack of aplomb in debating an opposing viewpoint is humorously obvious on September 7 (page two hundred sixty-five), but aren't many of us just as unreasonable? He laments that "It's almost impossible to get people to change their minds these days!", but no one is convinced by you screaming at them. Controlling your temper is hard, but essential for effective reasoning, which is the only way to sway someone to consider your point of view. A variation of this theme shows up September 11 (page two hundred sixty-seven). Charlie Brown pleads with friend after friend to "Believe in me!", but what good will begging do? Better to work on your flaws and develop your strengths, becoming someone that others believe in automatically.
  
  Violet and Patty are conversing again on September 14 (page two hundred sixty-eight), agreeing that people should be more gentle and considerate. These sentiments evaporate when Charlie Brown bungles onto the scene; they yell at him to scram. It's easy to applaud flowery statements about kindness and selflessness, but not so easy to apply those concepts with someone who gets on our nerves. Public discourse would be more pleasant and productive if we treated everyone decently, but we're typically blind to our own faults in this regard. Sunday, September 16 (page two hundred sixty-nine) is classic Peanuts, Lucy tricking Charlie Brown so he jumps into a big pile of leaves. The pile isn't what it seems, as becomes apparent right after Charlie Brown's dramatic leap. September 28 (page two hundred seventy-four) is one of Snoopy's funniest imitations. He mimics Lucy behind her back as she angrily stomps away. October 30 and 31 (page two hundred eighty-eight) are bits familiar to fans of the 1966 television special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The poignancy of Charlie Brown's youth drives the November 10 (page two hundred ninety-two) strip. Childhood is surely the hardest part of life, he speculates. "Then, after you grow up, all your troubles are over!" Charlie Brown may not be correct that adulthood is the end of all problems, but neither are adults right who forget that their childhood was at least as harrowing as post-adolescence. Life is overwhelming at times regardless what stage you're in.
  
  November 15 (page two hundred ninety-five) sees Snoopy dance past Charlie Brown and Lucy, a huge smile on his face. Charlie Brown says he wishes he were that happy, but Lucy doesn't say the same for herself. "It's too hard to feel sorry for yourself when you're happy". We think we want things to go our way, but the dark pleasure in resentment is powerful. At least Lucy admits she'd rather feel sorry for herself than be content. An iconic scene unfolds on December 16 (page three hundred eight) with Lucy persuading Charlie Brown to attempt to kick a football she holds for him. He suspects a trick, but Lucy wouldn't do that to him...would she? 1956 concludes with another strip that inspired a scene in a Peanuts television special (December 30, page three hundred fourteen), followed by a New Year's Eve gag, and then we're ready to move into 1957 for three hundred sixty-five days of new jokes, surprises, and wisdom with Charlie Brown and friends. I wouldn't miss it.
  
  The quality of the early Peanuts comics measures up to the television specials in most ways. Charles Schulz's humor is subtle and genuinely funny, but Peanuts wouldn't be as strong a work of literature if not for the undercurrent of philosophy. Schulz respects his readers' capacity for thought whether they're young or old, which is why Peanuts is loved by all ages. I'd rate this book at least two and a half stars, maybe the full three, and I can't think of many better reads with which to celebrate the lost art of the daily newspaper comic. I'll always love Peanuts.
• 
  Victor The Reader

  The more chuckles you finds, the more you’ll see the Peanuts’ art style slightly change, and Snoopy dancing with joy is just so funny. A (100%/Outstanding)
• 
  Sharon Barrow Wilfong

  So simple in its presentation and drawings, yet so brilliant and acute in its observations about human nature.
• 
  Robert

  1 of 26 volumes of collected work. Staggering. Review will be appended to all volumes when I've completed them all.
• 
  Jason Béliveau

  C'est l'une des plus grandes entreprises artistiques du 20e siècle, cé sûr que je vais lui donner cinq étoiles.
  
  Même si c'est toujours génial Peanuts, c'est vraiment plaisant de saisir que y'a des semaines où Schulz est vraiment ''in the zone'' et se met à dessiner chefs-d'œuvres par dessus chefs-d'œuvres de petites bandes bourrées d'humour et de vie. Je pense aussi que ce sont les deux années où il se met à être plus philosophe, à creuser la psychologie des personnages, leurs mauvais plis. Y'a aussi une belle césure entre des personnages assez névrosés et/ou psychorigides (Charlie Brown, Lucy) et d'autres plus jovialistes et bon-enfants (Snoopy, Pig-Pen, j'oserais même dire Linus, mais avec sa couverture).
  
  Vais.acheter.les.25.tomes.c'est.sûr.
• 
  Mary Catelli

  Peanuts in just about full form.
  
  Snoopy is merely pretending to be animals -- such as snakes -- and dancing about in mirth, still. But Lucy is authoritatively telling Linus a lot of nonsense, ineptly attempting to flirt with Schroeder, and deriding Charlie Brown and then changing the subject when he disproves her claims. A long sequence when Charlie Brown is a Davy Crockett fan much as Schroeder is a Beethoven one. And more.
• 
  Gabriel Franklin

  Charlie Brown: "What's that dotted line on your blanket for, Linus?"
  Linus, tearing his blanket in two and giving one half to Charlie Brown: "Happines should be shared."
• 
  Jane

  Another great collection. It is nice to know that no matter how crazy the world gets Charlie Brown and the Peanuts will always be there to brighten my day.
  Lucy is still the world's greatest fussbudget and Linus clings to his blanket, and Schroeder plays his piano. Charlie Brown still wishes for a friend and Snoopy the greatest dog ever gets better and better.
  I can't wait to continue my journey through this timeless comic strip.
• 
  Spencer Borup

  The cast: Charlie Brown, Lucy van Pelt, Linus van Pelt, Snoopy, Schroeder, Violet, Patty, Shermy, and Pig-Pen. Charlotte Braun only lasts a few strips into this volume, and then she disappears forever. I find it interesting that the cover of this volume is dedicated to Pig-Pen, because he wasn't actually in it that much. I guess there's only so many times Schulz could make a joke about a kid who hates baths.
  
  By now, 5 years into the birth of the most beloved comic of all time, PEANUTS, the main cast of characters, for the most part, have found their identities. Charlie Brown is the depressed, paranoid blockhead that the world now loves. Lucy is the demanding, loud fussbudget that likes to make up "little known facts." Linus, while still not a philosopher yet, has found his security blanket, and Schroeder his piano. Snoopy, on the other hand, needs a little more time. When PEANUTS first started, Charlie Brown was the character Schulz identified most with (Charlie=Charles); but somewhere along the line, around 10 years in, I think, Schulz found much more in common with the most famous dog in the world (I SAID IT, GOOFY!), Snoopy. And while I'm only half-way there with this volume, it's delightful to see Snoopy slowly grow in both personality and in how Schulz draws him. He's still more puppy than human right now, but Schulz has finally settled on using thought bubbles for Snoopy, and he's started trying to be anything but a dog: a rhino, alligator, snake, etc.
  
  One last thing: The introduction to this volume was written by Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons. I never knew how much PEANUTS inspired him as an artist, but it was such a brilliant intro.
  
  Can't wait to finish up the '50s!
• 
  Dominick

  Snoopy's Snoopy, we get the first football kick, the tree eats kites, etc. Schulz is finding the iconic elements of the strip, though there are still occasional odd elements (Snoopy actually talks once or twice, we hear an adult's voice once). Many, many hilarious strips; one forgets how good Schulz was at sight gags.
• 
  Canavan

  ✭✭✭½
• 
  Mallory

  Best recurring line in this collection is awarded to Linus:
  "Five hundred years from now, who will know the difference?"
• 
  Barbara

  Two fascinating years in the history of the famous strip, especially for Snoopy fans: the year in which Snoopy appeared walking - or rather ice-skating - upright for the first time (1956) and the year preceding this milestone in Snoopy`s anthropomorphization process.
• 
  Bill

  Snoopy's impressions are the highlight of this one. Linus is starting to get more complex as a character.
• 
  Steve Maxwell

  Peanuts can make you laugh, brighten up any day and can give you a new perspective on life.
  And let's face it, we've all had two years of angst, and frustration. We need a laugh.
• 
  Brandon

  Very good comics Schulz is a great cartoonist I especially like the strips where the funny jokes happen.
• 
  verbava

  снупі переживає серйозну кризу самоідентифікації;
  лайнус знає, що щастя – у фланелевому пледі, і відстоює його перед загрозами ззовні;
  люсі все ще не втрачає надії вийти заміж за шродера;
  шродер, утім, не зраджує своїй любові – класичній музиці;
  вайолет влаштовує вечірки, на які цілеспрямовано не запрошує чарлі брауна;
  а бідолашний чарлі браун намагається зрозуміти, чому його ніхто не любить.
  і так щодня, з неділями включно.
• 
  BubblesTheKat77

  Well, didn't that take no time!
  Two days and it's done.
  Huh.
  Great book and funny comics, this hilarious collection had me up all night reading. I'm surprised that "Pig Pen," although on the cover, was hardly in this collection. Sure, he came up. Just.... not a lot. Charlotte Braun was also not big on this book, which I'm sure everyone was glad for.
  
  "If I had a kite stuck in a tree, I'd yell at it."
  "Go ahead. Yell at it until your head falls off, for all I care."
  "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!"
  Kites: *Rain out of tree*
• 
  Joaquin del Villar

  En el tomo Tres de The Complete Peanuts, estacamos que Linus comienza a caminar y en ocasiones sustituye la manta por una pistola realizada con los dedos. Snoopy va cogiendo mayor protagonismo en su universo particular, haciendo de serpiente sobre todo aunque también hace de cocodrilo y de león. Se estrechan las atracción de Schroeder sobre Lucy, el materialismo de Lucy sobre la mentalidad mas sensible o elevada de Schroeder. Carlitos empieza a tener problemas con las cometas.
• 
  Daniel

  Snoopy starts to pretend; Linus learns how to walk and gets his security blanket; Lucy pulls the ball out from Charlie Brown for what appears to be the first time. It all begins here. I find it fun reading where things I am familiar with growing up happened for the first time. If you enjoy Peanuts, you'll enjoy this book.
• 
  Ray Smillie

  The start of the classic Peanuts. I gave away my 70s paperbacks to a local charity shop in the 90s and came to regret it not many years after so recently discovering that all of Charles M Schultz had been reprinted in chronological order was a joy. Surprised at how many I recall and they still make me smile, occasionally laughing out loud.
• 
  Roy

  Pure Enjoyment
  
  It's interesting how something so simple as a comic strip that brings back so many great memories from my childhood can bring so much contentment in my life. I also love all the history involved in this set, for so many staples of what I thought made up Peanuts were started during the years represented here.
• 
  Megan Kirby

  I mean, come on, who does it better? Early Schulz strips have a pleasant simplicity. Panels lean on quiet--there's a lot of room to breath. This early on, Linus is a baby prodigy, and his savant gags are a real highlight of this volume.
• 
  Ron Popp

  The strip was a few years from brilliance but this collection has several nuggets that hint at what the strip would become. Was struck by all the pop culture references ( Davy Crockett, Ding Dong School etc)
• 
  Deanna

  Humor, cynicism, wit, and delight. Kids who talk like adults but reason like kids. Depressing, at times, and at others, you dig deep into the characters. You identify with each one of them in your own way.