Boy, I'm a super star

Author: Schulz
Translator: Wang Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Peanuts Classic Comic Strip! For Snoopy, who was born in 1950, his last major turning point in life (as a dog) occurred in 1960. He bravely stood up and no longer walked on all fours without dignity. He began to think independently and was no longer the appendage of that round-faced little boy. He discovered that sleeping on the roof was easier to showcase his talents, and even if he fell, he could say such famous lines as, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." In the next 40 years, Snoopy contentedly embraced the role of "the greatest dog in the world." Except for extremely rare occasions, he generally believed that "dogs" were indeed a species unrelated to him. And he was the World War I pilot, the meticulous writer, the cool guy strolling on Sunday afternoons, and a verbose lawyer, though his activities rarely went beyond the backyard, with only four foolish birds as his followers. His dream of camping was merely to eat some instant white cake, but this didn’t stop him from going to the moon, organizing large-scale military offensives, or having a few drinks in a Parisian tavern. In short, apart from his deep-seated hatred for cats, he lacked any trace of being a "dog," and Charlie Brown had to despair of enduring his companion’s arrogance, heartlessness, and relentless determination. Look, even when starving at night, Snoopy still displayed a baronial dignity and pride. Over the past few decades, at least 350 million people worldwide have followed his life every day, yet it never affected his nonchalant attitude. For 50 years, the American Charles Schulz had been drawing Peanuts strips nonstop, idolizing Picasso but still it was a pipe dream to push him into the ranks of immortal artists. Moreover, for many years, this unassuming old man’s greatest wish was simply to be accompanied by these little men and dogs. The daily strips could not carry the true pursuit of intellect and emotion. He inherited the tradition of serial columns from Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, and Charles Dickens, but apart from talent, the form and space he had were much smaller. On those idle afternoons, those disheartened and lonely nights, there was nothing more comforting than reading about Snoopy. You watched these little guys’ troubled childhoods, frame by frame—Charlie Brown grieving over football and kites, a dog facing the eternal dilemma of wanting to be everything but ultimately just a dog. Though the plots were ordinary and repetitive, you never grew tired of them, just as Snoopy never refused another plate of cookies. What is it that entices us? Since the late 1960s, Schulz had intentionally restrained Snoopy’s brilliance, for this little beagle was so charming that he even guided the development of the comic strip. From Charlie Brown’s frustrations, we saw the reality of life, the helplessness and mediocrity of facing the world, but Snoopy turned daily life into a series of real adventures: a dried-up swimming pool became the English Channel, a pointed roof became a fighter jet. In the end, all the residents of Peanuts Village became supporting characters for Snoopy, their reason for existence being to highlight this unconventional little dog. With sunglasses on, Snoopy, like the blind Borges, practiced the idea that "strong imagination creates reality." Schulz preferred Charlie Brown, while Snoopy carelessly shone. Please put on your flying helmet, and we will follow our comic hero on an exciting adventure. Look at him—truly an amazing little dog.