Peanuts

Charles Schultz was a genius.  I cannot stress that enough.  Schultz did not just create a comic strip, he invented a world, a separate plane that was both simple to a young child and incredibly sophisticated to a witty adult (or young adult).  He blended satire with humor in a revolutionary way, using children and a four-panel format to make something that was light-hearted enough for a chuckle or as complex as a political cartoon on subsequent days.  Charles Schultz was a funny philosopher ahead of his time, or perhaps more precisely the creator of a new time.  Charlie Brown was used to convey true solace and wishy-washy fight in a way that only a depressed and brilliant mind could.  Snoopy, who began as an almost normal puppy, brought whimsy and wit to the strip at the same time, luring hoards of adoring fans, both young and old.  Linus van Pelt once said "John Ruskin once wrote 'The best grace is the consciousness that we have earned our dinner'".  Schultz was a humble man.  He never really believed that his efforts were worth much.  It's a pity, because if anyone earned his dinner it was him.  He did it for nearly fifty years.  I applaud the Peanuts comic strip.  Fantagraphics have been releasing every strip Schultz drew one volume at a time.  I thank them and recommend the books to all.  R.I.P. Mr. Schultz.

Patrick Stahl