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By Tessa N.
2023 is the 101th birthday of the author of the Peanuts comics, Charles M. Schulz. The Peanuts comics follow the unfortunate Charlie Brown and all his mishaps. These include coaching an ever-failing baseball team, trying to kick a football, and flying a kite. Charlie Brown is accompanied by Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and, of course, his faithful dog Snoopy. Charles M. Schulz created the comics for a long time, and his art evolved over the years. Exploring his art and how it became what it was today is a great way to remember him on his 101th birthday.
Charles Schulz published his first comics in 1947. They were originally called Li’l Folks. The characters in Li’l Folks don’t really have names. Even though some of the images are on the same page, they don’t really have any connection to each other.
In 1950, Li’l Folks changed into Peanuts. The newly named Peanuts gang looked pretty similar to the Li’l Folks, with big, oval heads, and all the characters around preschool age. This comic strip was published October 2, 1950. It was the first Peanuts comic strip to be published.
As you can see, the characters have names. Their faces are still big and oval.
The final comic strip we are going to explore is published in the 1970’s. The heads are now proportional to their bodies, and their faces are more detailed. Their eyes and noses are bigger. Charlie Brown has his signature shirt with the zigzag stripe.
Charles Schultz’s art evolved and changed throughout his career, and has inspired many comic artists.
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