Tag: charles schulz

Charles Solomon, the animation historian and author of books such ”The Art of Toy Story 3,” drops by the Hero Complex today to review a new entry in the “Peanuts” library.   The prospect of a new “Peanuts” film sounds especially welcome in these tense times. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” et al. provided some of most beloved moments in the history of TV animation. Sadly, “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown,” which has just been released on DVD falls down on the job, not unlike a would-be placekicker we all know and love. More than a decade after the death of Charles Schulz, his strip remains popular in reruns, and the characters are still ubiquitous. But virtually all of the key artists involved in the classic specials have died — not only Schulz, but director Bill Melendez (who also provided Snoopy’s ...

Brian Walker’s two books on American newspaper comics, “The Comics Before 1945” and “The Comics Since 1945,” have been combined in a new and lavish omnibus edition, “The Comics: The Complete Collection” from Abrams Books. Walker surveys more than a century of strips and the book is jampacked with more than 1,300 images, including rare examples provided by the artists themselves. All of it is organized by decade and interspersed with creator profiles and trenchant analysis of the different genres and trends. More than a pop-culture scholar, Walker is a creator himself — since 1984 he has been part of the creative team that produces the “Beetle Bailey” and “Hi and Lois” strips. I caught up with the Connecticut author to talk about the glorious past and uncertain future of the great American comic strips. GB: As far as craft and just pure talent, ...

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip “Peanuts.” The adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy (who was introduced to the strip two days later), Lucy, Pigpen and the rest of the gang began rather quietly — they appeared in only seven American newspapers. The Minnesota native had introduced the strip in the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1947 as “Li’l Folks” but it was renamed in 1950 when Schulz sold it to the United Features Syndicate. The characters evolved in personality and visage, and eventually became familiar to millions through syndication, the celebrated television specials, toys and clothes, advertising, parade floats, stage shows and countless licensing ventures. Schulz died 10 years ago in Santa Rosa, Calif.,  but the strip appears (in reprint form) far and wide. A  lavish new coffee table book, “The Peanuts Collection” by Nat Gertler, has just hits stores, ...