Charlie and the Gang are back at it in this touching issue on what it means to be a friend.

Story by: Charles M. Schulz

Adapated: Jason Cooper

Pencils: Vicki Scott

Inks: Paige Braddock, Alexis E. Fajardo

Colors: Nomi Kane, Denise St. John, Justin Thompson

Letters: Katherine Efird, Denise St. John, Donna Almendrala

$7.99

Publisher: KABOOM

This Peanuts comic is a compilation of 3 separate strips: “Dress to Depress,” “Sally Brown on Reading,” and “Daisy Hill Days.” As to be expected, the stories are charming and relatable to people of all ages. The Peanuts crew live in a small suburban town where they face the daily struggles of an elementary school student such as peanut butter getting stuck on the roof of your mouth, forgetting that important mid term paper, being picked last at the ball field, and talent show failures. Children, and adults alike, have been captured by the witty responses of these charismatic characters. The comic book didn’t fail to deliver with the same delightful dialogue as the comic strip did in the Sunday morning paper.

In “Dress to Depress,” Peppermint Patty is being forced to change her every day green shirt, shorts, and sandals due to a dress code change implented by the school board. This is not an uncommon story in today’s school system, where provocative clothing is being discussed with every new fashion trend. Peppermint Patty, like most kids, identifies herself by her clothes and what she enjoys wearing. Now, with the dress code change, she feels her identity is being questioned and with that begins her journey to “fight the power” and request to reverse the change.

In “Sally Brown on Reading,” Sally is giving a class presentation on the importance of reading. This strip is a wonderful example of the witty intelligent writing that catapulted Schulz’s work to the top.

In “Daisy Hill Days” Snoopy finds out that Daisy Hill Farms is being bulldozed to the ground and replaced with a shopping mall. Daily Hill Farms is the place Snoopy was born and grew up with his siblings until the fateful day that he was adopted by Charlie Brown and his family. As a way to get some closure, Snoopy contacts his litter mates Olaf, Andy, Marbles, Belle, and Spike to celebrate at Daisy Hills one last time.

Sprinkled amongst the main stories are a few short strips that include Woodstock, the Red Baron, the love story between Lucy and Schroeder, and a few more.

The art style never changed throughout the issues of Peanut strips due to Charles Schulz having been not only been the creator but also the writer, and artist during its original debut. Thanks to the adaption by Jason Cooper, who kept the same alluring caricatures that Mr. Schulz had created, the comic book readership gets to relish these personalities once more. Between holiday specials and a cartoon TV show, Peanuts has become a large part of American culture. With that said, it would only make sense that comic books would fall in line eventually.

In conclusion, the Peanuts gang never disappoints with their insightful commentary about every day issues and their quick witted problem solving skills. The art is pleasant and cute, and with the color usage sticking to primary colors the simplicity is appealing to the eye.

5 out of 5 Woodstocks!