Peanuts-The Secret Life

I remember reading the newspaper every Sunday, and skipping straight to the Peanuts section. What a great comic strip. It was a strip that was purely American. Untouched by outside hands, Charles Schulz did everything on his own. From drawing to writing, it was uniquely his idea that was fostered for nearly fifty years before its end.
How many people can relate to the characters? Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus...all are easy to relate to because they are so REAL. Its hard to imagine the comic life before Peanuts, especially for those of us who grew up with it there. Before Peanuts, comic strips were not relative to the everyday man (or woman). The characters were so unrealistic, that they became more of a fantasy. They weren't bad comics however, just not very funny.
The humor in it is sometimes considered dark. How many times did Charlie run up at the football, only to fall on his back? How many of us laughed? The humor was dark in that sense, but funny because it was true. We all have experienced times like this and still managed to laugh. Except for the few of us who felt bad for him. No matter what, every week we'd read the comic and hope that maybe this once, his foot would connect and he'd feel the satisfaction of seeing that ball soar through the air.
The comedy was what helped Americans escape. The strip ran through wars, social troubles and economic issues; it poked fun at the events, but didn't state specific opinions on any of them. It gave people the chance to sit back and joke about the events, no matter how serious.
As I sit down every Sunday and read the comics, I still skip to Peanuts, even though I've read most of them. The reruns capture an amazing strip that revolutionized comics as they were known at the time. Comic strip artists would not have the success they have today if it was not for Charles Schulz's creation. I do read the other comics, but none seem even close to what Peanuts managed to capture. I only wish I could have read them at the time they were created, I would appreciate them so much more!