“Peanuts: Where Beagles Dare!” Review: The WWI Flying Ace Returns!
Anamaria Falcone ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
When Batman sees the Bat Signal, he hops into the Batmobile. When Spiderman is called into action, he uses webs to fling himself from building to building. When the World War I Flying Ace has a mission to stop the Red Baron, he flies his “plane.” Or he would, if it weren’t undergoing repairs by some lazy, bridge-playing mechanics. Never employ little yellow birds to do a man’s—or in this case, beagle’s—job.
In the Peanuts inspired graphic novel, Peanuts: Where Beagles Dare! Snoopy must find a way to transport himself around Charlie Brown’s neighborhood to defeat his unseen arch nemesis working for the Axis Powers. Luckily for Snoopy he’s surrounded by Charlie Brown’s friends, his own beagle family members, and some little birds willing to lend him a hand to carry out his duty. The lighthearted comic is delightful for the casual reader and the diehard Peanuts fan—if they don’t mind the difference in storytelling from the original Charles Schulz cartoons and author Jason Cooper’s take on the WWI Flying Ace’s adventures.
No one can match the exact style of writing Schulz was able to bring to the classic Peanuts cartoons, but Cooper comes pretty close in his take on Snoopy’s fantastic story. The only minor issue with this novel is the longing to see more of Charlie Brown’s friends. They appear here and there to help Snoopy along on his journey, but it would have been nice to see more of a spotlight on some of the favorite Schulz characters. Still, this is Snoopy’s story, not theirs and Cooper was able to squeeze in almost the whole gang for at least a panel or two. As for the artwork, artist Vicki Scott mirrors Schulz original work very well, making it look like it was almost drawn by his hand. Printing this novel in eye-catching colors also helps distinguish this work from the earlier black and white cartoons that appeared in newspapers in the past.
The best part about Peanuts comics is that they can bring a smile to anyone’s face while reading it. From seeing Snoopy flirt with young “mademoiselles” in French to watching Lucy yell at him for destroying her garden to make war trenches with his brother Spike, it’s a real challenge not to crack a grin. In addition, this novel is timed perfectly with the upcoming Peanuts movie coming to theaters this November. This of course means that we’re not going to be seeing the last of Snoopy for long. KaBoom! Studio’s print of Peanuts: Where Beagles Dare! is the perfect start to the upcoming reboot of the Peanuts craze for a whole new generation.
Rating: 8/10
Peanuts: Where Beagles Dare! is published by KaBOOM! Studios for the price of $9.99
