Peanuts

Peanuts is an American comic strip created by Charles "Sparky" Schulz beginning in the 1950s, and spanning all the way to the 2000s. The strip was iconic for featuring virtually no adults, but just a close ring of normal kids. The characters are exemplified for their "long brooding thoughts and comic pathos" as opposed to the normal comic strips of the time with rebels and rascals.

This quality of the comic strips was the first thing I noticed when perusing through them. They were not portraying astronomical or life changing moments, but seemed to represent a casual stream of consciousness. Charlie Brown and his friends spend most of their 5 given panels making smart quips or mindful observations. The way the characters speak is also very candid and brusque, which is very reminiscent of how children of their age actually speak. They speak in very matter of fact tones, seemingly ignorant of judgement and consequences of their words in a way that just doesn't come across their minds.

The most interesting thing about the Peanuts comic strips is that they follow children without specific giant problems, but while their problems seems shallow, they are deeply sentimental for emotional needs. You can see this when Patty discusses her love life and her relationship with Charlie, feelings ranging from insecure when Charlie jokes to leaving her during a Halloween trick or treat to confident, and likewise with Charlie when Patty compares another boy to Charlie and he feels insecure. These situations you see feel like an average day, you question why they even need to be paneled out, but they reveal a surprising amount of depth upon their timeless pondering and critical thinking about life.