Charlie Brown and Charlotte Braun, together again

Fantagraphic Books, a leading comics publisher, has revealed its cover for Free Comic Book Day on May 5. (h/t - Nat Gertler of AAUGH.com)

The character on the right is easy to identify - Charlie Brown. But the character on the left, Charlotte Braun, has up until recently been the source of trivia questions and the like.

Braun was introduced in Peanuts on November 30. 1954. She was supposed to be a female Charlie Brown of sorts, except that she was loud and noisy. Although she looks very much like Brown, she also ressembles the character Frieda and has traits that are similar to Lucy.

But Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, quickly tired of his new character. He claimed to have "run out of ideas" for Charlotte Braun, and didn't feel her mannerisms were fully developed. Thus, she was removed from the comic strip on February 1, 1955 after a grand total of 10 appearances.

In 2000, an AP news article revealed that a fan of Schulz's, Elizabeth Swaim, wrote to the cartoonist with some friends asking for the removal of Charlotte Braun. Schulz - who was already tired of the character - wrote back to Swaim on Jan. 5, 1955, stating "I am taking your suggestion regarding Charlotte Braun and will eventually discard her."

Schulz went on to say, "Remember, however, that you and your friends will have the death of an innocent child on your conscience. Are you prepared to accept such responsibility?" And at the bottom of the handwritten letter is a drawing of Charlotte Braun with an ax in her head.

The original letter was donated by Swaim to the Library of Congress two months after Schulz died. It can be seen here. And in an unusual twist of fate, Swaim died three weeks later.

For the most part, Charlotte Braun was a forgotten character in Peanuts. However, the reprint of the strips in The Complete Peanuts, Volume 2: 1953-1954 and The Complete Peanuts, Volume 3: 1955-1956 - both published by Fantagraphics - generated new interest. Hence, the cover displayed in this blog post.

One wonders if Charles M. Schulz is rolling in his grave.