Your Second Volume's Out, Charlie Brown!

If you order it through this Amazon link, they'll tell you that the second volume of The Complete Peanuts is not out yet. But I got my copy the other day and I'm enjoying it just as much as the first version, which I reviewed here. Pretty much everything I said about Volume 1 applies to Volume 2, except that it doesn't have as much text material and the foreword is by Walter Cronkite. It's still fun to watch Mr. Schulz's style and characters develop, especially in this one which covers 1953-1954 — years in which Schulz invented a lot of phrases, concepts and kids he used for decades. I've heard a few folks grumble that the books in this series are too small. They're forgetting that Peanuts was always intended to be run small. I've heard a few others complain about the art direction. They're nitpicking. And I've heard a few moan about how much it will eventually cost to collect them all. They're right, but it'll be worth it. End of review.