The Beagle Has Landed

(Peanuts Parade 22)

by
Charles M. Schulz

Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1978, 186 pp.
ISBN: 0-03-044781-X

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Comic Strip / Humor
Reviewed: 6/6/2010

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Comic Page

Synopsis

The Beagle Has Landed is a collection of Peanuts comic strips written and drawn by Charles M. Schulz. This book includes cartoons from the years 1977 & 1978. All of the comic strips appear in black and white.

This collection contains the following storylines: Charlie Brown Bites the Kite-Eating Tree, Snoopy Plays Golf, Sally's Report, Snoopy Plays Tennis with Molly Volley, Peppermint Pattie and Marcie Become Caddies, Peppermint Patty Needs a Watchdog, Snoopy Needs a Marriage License, Peppermint Patty and the Gold Star, Snoopy's Sandwich, Peppermint Patty the Ice Skater, and Sally Breaks a Ruler.

On October 2, 1950, Peanuts debuted in seven newspapers and ran until January 3, 2000 when Charles M. Schulz bid a fond farewell to all his readers in the final daily Peanuts newspaper strip. On February 12, 2000, Charles Schulz died on a Saturday evening, of complications from colon cancer in Santa Rosa, CA. He was 77 years old. On February 13, 2000, the final Sunday Peanuts newspaper strip appeared. "Charles M. Schulz (b. 1922) is the most widely syndicated cartoonist in history, with his work appearing in over 2,300 newspapers. He has published more than 1,400 books, won Peabody and Emmy awards for his animated specials, and is responsible for the most-produced musical in the American theatre, entitled "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown". And all this diversity and recognition and continuous success began over 50 years ago." (Illustration House)

Review

The Beagle Has Landed introduces a few new characters tot he world of Peanuts. Molly Volley is a hot-headed tennis player that Snoopy plays doubles with. Austin, Ruby, Leland and Milo are very small kids that Charlie Brown coaches when he runs away from home after biting the Kite-eating tree.

I was very pleased with the comic strips in The Beagle Has Landed. There were more than a few that made me chuckle and a couple that made me laugh out loud. While going back through the book again looking for the storylines, I noticed that quite a few of them revolved around Peppermint Patty. Now, I have never been a huge fan of Peppermint Patty, but I find that lately she is growing on me. On the other hand, I do love the dry wit of Marcie. They make a good young, female version of Abbott and Costello.

As a kid, I always enjoyed reading the smaller books that I had. As an adult, the strips may not be quite as funny as they were way back then, but sitting down with one of these books is like reading about a good friend. Peanuts has been a part of my life for nearly 40 years, and I hope that this gang of kids will for many years to come.

The Beagle Has Landed is another fine collection of Peanuts comic strips that made me smile. Every peanuts book is great. So, if you are looking for this book, look on eBay or Amazon. You will probably find it somewhere.