“Good Grief” always struck me as a bit of an odd catch-phrase for Charlie Brown, but it actually makes a hell of a lot of sense when you think about it. When is grief ever “good”?? Well, for a cynical little shit like Charlie Brown, who often suffers from clinical grief… maybe some grief is good-er than others?

It’s also the go-to expression of frustration in the world of Peanuts. We know that grief is a “cause or occasion of keen distress or sorrow,” so how can that be good, Charlie? If Marcie was on the case, the 33rd definition could be cited: “fairly large or great.” A large distress.

Lucy often tells Charlie Brown that she will hold a football while he comes running up and kicks it. Charlie Brown usually refuses to kick it at first, not trusting Lucy. Lucy then says something to persuade Charlie Brown to trust her. Charlie Brown runs up to kick the ball, but at the very last second before he can kick it, Lucy removes the ball and Charlie Brown flies into the air, before falling down and hurting himself. The gag usually ends with Lucy pointing out to Charlie Brown that he should not have trusted her.

Here is our Archive of all published Mousebear Comics. Marvel at how terrible the quality used to be (or still is). These are merely cynical musings of two cautiously handsome Schadenfreudes. That’s right, we are increasingly bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic. We welcome you to our accumulation of visual historical records organized over the lifetime of Mousebear Comedy. These comics have been selected for permanent or long-term preservation on grounds of their enduring personal value.