Review of Peanuts by Charles Schultz

  I found Peanuts by Charles Schultz to be a really fun read. I also found this autobiography to be a really unique way to represent Schultz's point of view of the world without forcing any biases upon the viewer. 

   As far as content goes, the story is based around the life of Charlie Brown and his friends. I think that the comic strip format is a great tool that can and is used to talk about various subjects such as love, disagreements, loneliness, and the purpose of life itself. After reading it, I thought, "That's a lot for a simple comic strip to tackle". The tone of the story was also interesting. It seemed to give off a slightly pessimistic but hilarious vibe that really echoed throughout most of the characters. This story is definitely more that meets the eye. 

   The format of the story is divided up into daily comic strips divided up into four panels. One thing that I found very comforting is the repetitious format of the comic and its setup for the punch lines. It removed any question about any format change while reading it and allowed me to be more open to the variety of subject matter that will be discussed. It also makes it easier for me to enter the world of Schultz and, in a way, see using his eyes. 

   The artwork and drawing definitely present the story and its tone through the mind of a child. I think that were the artwork more realistically rendered, the viewer’s attention would be more focused on the medium as opposed to the message. I think that it gets across the story really well and presents all of the information in this simple form as to get across its meaning. It serves as a great hierarchy where the story and its content are placed above the actual visceral appearance of the comic. The appearance emphasizes the story. I feel like Schultz tapped into his inner child and saw the world of Peanuts from those eyes. That's why I feel that the story is so successful. There is a pureness and innocence that exudes from this story and all of its elements. All that I can describe it as for now is a pureness from mind to paper. Now whether or not that was his process, this is the feeling that I get from it.