In this issue:
* PEANUTS BOOKS NOW SHIPPING
* PEANUTS BOOKS IN YOUR FUTURE
* LOOK! IT’S A MAGAZINE!
* PEANUTS AT THE SAN DIEGO CON
Yes, yes, it’s been a fair while since the last of these
newsletters, and this one is fairly lean. I have been and
continue to be hectic with projects, Schulz-related and
otherwise, and the newsletter is always something that can
be moved to tomorrow. It’s amazing how many tomorrows there
can be.
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PEANUTS BOOKS NOW SHIPPING
Since the last newsletter, they’ve started shipping the
kids board book COLORS:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689869983
…the storybook GO TO SCHOOL, CHARLIE BROWN:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689868189
…and the “Robbie Reader” biography of Schulz, aimed
at school libraries (which we should have a review of
next newsletter):
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?1584152893
As always, you can see our entire list of upcoming Peanuts
books at http://AAUGH.com/upcoming.htm
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PEANUTS BOOKS IN YOUR FUTURE
Recent additions to our list of upcoming Peanuts/Schulz
books are:
-September, 2004-
MERRY CHRISTMAS, SWEETIE! WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!
This has Beagle Claus strips mixed in with quotes from
famous folks. Includes a cardboard doghouse for you to
construct and decorate.
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0740746480
THE GREAT PUMPKING STRIKES AGAIN
A storybook for kids
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689873395
-OCTOBER, 2004-
I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN
For kids, an adaptation of the animated special
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689868863
-MARCH, 2005-
IT’S PAR FOR THE COURSE, CHARLIE BROWN
A hardcover strip collection, presumably of golf-themed
strips.
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?034546415X
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LOOK! IT’S A MAGAZINE!
The latest edition to the AAUGH.com reference library is a
copy of the July 22, 1958 issue of Look. Now, for those of
you who don’t know from Look — it was basically the
second-string version of Life magazine, a broad, photo-heavy
magazine that never got the respect of that other series,
sometimes for reasons that are easy to see — the big cover
story of this issue is Bob Crosby, Bing Crosby’s brother,
writing about how he hated being Bob Crosby, Bing Crosby’s
brother.
Now, I’m not a collector of Crosbyana, so there must be some
other reason I’m bringing up this magazine…. and it’s on
pages 66-68. There is a three page piece on Schulz, mostly
made up of photos of him playing with his kids (including
some of him flying a kite and — surprise, surprise — it
gets stuck in a tree!) Some of them are nice photos from a
period where we don’t have too many photos of Schulz.
But the real find in this for the insane Peanuts collector
is an original Peanuts strip drawn for the issue, one that
to the best of my knowledge has never been reprinted. And
it’s not a single panel gag or even just a daily strip,
but a full 11 panels (printed sadly small) with most of
the main characters from the time. And the magazine’s
caption explains the strip: “In this strip, drawn exclusively
for Look, leading Peanuts characters behave in typical
fashion. Girls pick on Charlie Brown, so he seeks to share
the security Linus gets from his trusty blanket.” The
girls in question are Violet, Lucy, and Flavorless Patty.
I continue to hope that at some point, a Peanuts Apocrypha
volume can be offered, collecting all of these odd and
lonesome strips that were not in the papers.
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PEANUTS AT THE SAN DIEGO CON
One of the things keeping me hopping at the moment is
preparing for the Comic-Con International: San Diego,
which is the U.S.’s biggest comics convention… although
these days, it’s more a comic-centric mass-media convention,
with plenty of movie and TV stars there to push their product.
Running from Thursday July 22 – Sunday July 25 (with a preview
night on Wednesday open only to those who plan to stay for
the whole thing), it’s a great chance to mix with a whole
bunch of comics folk.
This year’s con features a couple of Peanuts-oriented panels,
both on the theme “Why We Love Peanuts”
Friday 3:00-4:00 —It’s one of the most ambitious comic strip
reprinting projects ever: Fantagraphics’ chronological reprint
of the complete Peanuts by Charles Schulz. This endearing strip
is at the heart of a lot of cartoonists’, well—hearts and
stands as a major influence in many lives. Gary Groth of
Fantagraphics, artist Gilbert Hernandez, writer/editor/designer
Chip Kidd, and Jean Schulz will talk about why we love Peanuts!
And hang around for tomorrow’s installment featuring top comic
strip artists! Room 3
Saturday 12:30-1:30 —The National Cartoonists Society presents
a panel of comic strip artists who will share why Charles
Schulz is their hero. And Jean Schulz will appear to reveal
what Schulz thought of his peers. Panelists include Patrick
McDonnell (Mutts), Kevin Fagan (Drabble), Bill Amend (Fox Trot),
Michael Jantze (The Norm), Paige Braddock (Jane’s World),
and Greg Evans (Luann). Moderated by San Diego television
personality Jack White. Room 3
I’m not slated to be on either of the panels this year. If you want
to see me on a panel, you’ll need to hit this one:
Friday 12:00-1:00 24 Hour Comics—Why would a cartoonist try
to create a 24-page story in 24 straight hours? Concept
creator Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics), 24 Hour Comics
Day founder Nat Gertler, comics shop owner Atom! Freeman, and
cartoonists Christian Gossett of The Red Star, Josh Howard of
Dead@17, and Ryan Browne of 24 Hour Comics Day Highlights 2004
talk about their 24 hour comics experiences. Room 1B
Of course, if you want to say “hi”, the easiest way is to stop
by the About Comics booth — booth 2003, right across from
the booth with the palm tree. I’ll be there selling existing
About Comics publications, talking up our upcoming publications,
and generally having a good time.
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Thank you all again for your patience. There will of course
be more news and more newsletters to come!
Let me know if you have any problems, questions, or changes
of email address.
–Nat
nat@aaugh.com
