Comic Book Reads: The Complete Peanuts (1950 To 1952) by Charles M Schulz

For those who have enjoyed the wit, endearing artwork, humour, unexpected poignancy, wisdom and sheer joy of the Peanuts comic strip, this is a must buy. 

Canongate Books deserve applause for coming out with the complete, detailed collection of 25 books that cover the comic strip's entire 50-year illustrated history, tastefully done in hardcover. And of course, hats off to Charles M.Schulz, who lived and breathed the strip for most of his life. Incidentally, Schulz passed away a day before the last strip was to appear in newspapers all over the world.

This particular collection is special for it contains the complete first two years of the strip, right from the first one with the opening line - "Well! Here comes ol' Charlie Brown!". The characters looked a lot different than how they were drawn in the later years.These were early days for Schulz, we can see him still figuring out each character's look and behaviour.

As American author and radio host Garrison Keillor reveals in the introduction, Charlie Brown was a reflection of Schulz's tormented childhood. We  instantly connect with Brown, for like all of us, he has his growing up issues. He is troubled by his constant failure in managing his baseball team. His lack of self-esteem,  loneliness, inability to talk love to girls, all come to the fore.  The important thing is, despite the odds, Charlie Brown keeps trying.

Then there is Snoopy, who, like the Indian drama's 'vidushak', provides comic relief with straight-faced humour. Be it Snoopy's attempts at writing stories that all begin with the line - 'It was a dark and stormy night', his love for cookies, multiple disguises and witticisms, Snoopy is a comic-strip dog like no other.

Additional characters make Peanuts stand out, giving it an epic family feel. Take the forever sour Lucy, an embodiment of an elder sister. Catch her younger siblings Linus and Rerun cower; sometimes get back at her in their own cute, harmless way. Peppermint Patty,  a loyal friend to Linus, reminds us of school friends who stubbornly stuck to our side. Woodstock, a little whisk of a bird with his comma filled interactions with Snoopy provides cute festival decoration to the legendary strip.  

To conclude: No adult characters have ever been featured in a Peanuts strip, ever!

(Article by Snehith Kumbla)

Comic Book Reads: My Comic History

Garfield by Jim Davis

This is my first post on comics and by default I feel duty bound to narrate my history with comic books. The risk, dear reader, of you falling asleep or diverting your limited attention span to narcissistic social networking activities is always there. But this can’t be done without. Here goes.

Phantom by Lee Falk 

The introduction to this colour candy (sometimes black and white) world occurred during my adolescent years. 

By happy incidence, my dad's colleague was allowed a separate desk built with multiple drawers at the workplace, overflowing with comic books. It was his personal collection that was lent to staff members for the maximum period of one month. 

Each book cover was marked with a serial number, and a heart shape design as the number’s outline, in red ball pen ink. Written above this number, in red ink again, was the legend: The Comics Club.

In all my visits, the proprietor of The Comics Club never spoke much. Instead, he had a thing for grand effect. I recall the first time, as he led me to the desk and pulled open all possible drawers with an unhurried air of a magician displaying his wares. 

In moments, my textbook-sick childhood found a happy refuge. Over the next two years I gorged on Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, the Commando Series (Pro-US World War stories), Archie Comics and the sole Indian comic magazine Tinkle (They had some great illustrators back then).

                                    Mandrake the Magician by Lee Falk

Sometime during my teenage years, my reading interests diverted to English literature, the likes of Mark Twain, Somerset Maugham, Agatha Christie and P.G.Wodehouse, among others. It was only recently, with the advent of Manga comics and graphic novels that comic book interest has found its fountain again. In between, there have been the newspaper comic strips, of course.

Comic strips have been a fascination in this second coming: Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield (The lazy bum!), The Piranha Club, The Far Side, Beetle Bailey…such that I maintain now, a couple of glue-stuck volumes of my favourite comic strips. Collecting and reading graphic novels, panel to panel, end to end is a new, rewarding pastime.

On other aspects of comic books and graphic novels and why they are not meant for kids only: that will take another post. Meanwhile, I thank the comic book makers for livening up my childhood.


(Article by Snehith Kumbla) 

Archie Comics -  Created by John L. Goldwater, written by Vic Bloom & drawn by Bob Montana

Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker 

Tinkle - Founded by Anant Pai

Tintin by Herge