The Forewritten Foreword

A quick note on the already-printed, soon-to-be-released The Complete Peanuts: 1987-1988:

This volume boasts a foreword by Garry Trudeau, creator of “Doonesbury”. It is a very fine piece of writing. However, on the off chance that you’re buying this volume primarily for the foreword, you should know that it’s not a new piece of writing. It’s a reprint of an essay that first appeared in the December 19, 1999 Washington Post, as a reflection on Schulz’s retirement. Peanuts book completists will already have it in Tribute to Sparky, a volume published by the Schulz Museum in 2003.

But if you’re only buying the book for the foreword: what? Two years of Peanuts strips isn’t good enough for you?

Upcoming releases
A book I’d not expected to resurface

Back in 2011, Schulz’s granddaughter Dena Hodges issued the first two chapters of  a memoir called In the Shadow of the Family Dog. As I noted in my review at the time, the chapter and the description of the project made it clear that the focus was her relationship with …

Upcoming releases
A box of squares

This May, Fantagraphics is collecting the various small square Peanuts books they’ve published into a new box set, Peanuts All Year Round Mini Collection. This includes: A Valentine for Charlie Brown — Valentine’s Day and romance strips Batter-Up Charlie Brown! — baseball strips Waiting for the Great Pumpkin — Halloween …

Upcoming releases
Game Day returns

Back in 2020, Fantagraphics dropped Game Day, a boxed set of sports-themes Peanuts strip reprint paperbackss, as a Costco exclusive. Next June it’s coming back, this time in hardcover and available through the usual sources. Designed as a Father’s Day gift, it should be good for anyone who likes Peanuts …