In which Snoopy turns into Al Franken, I suppose

Upcoming releases

I went to check Hallmark’s Peanuts books, to see if they have anything new. They’re offering the cool light-up, pop-up adaptation of theĀ Great Pumpkin special which I ran a video of back in 2016 – only that’s an old cover, the new one was added in 2021.

But not quite available yet, but coming this month, is…. The Nightmare of Franken-Snoopy!

Written by Joey Benevento and drawn by the ever-able Rich LaPierre, this story is set in Charlie Brown’s dreams, so Franken-Snoopy himself is non-continuity. But if you think that’s going to keep Hallmark from making some merch, ahh, you haven’t met Hallmark!

The book itself has a “surprise” pop-up at the end, common with recent Hallmark storybooks. That makes it either a regular book with a nice little surprise, or a weak pop-up, depending on your expectations going in.

(By the way, if the reference to former Senator Al Franken in the title of this post has you remembering that there was some kind of Franken/Snoopy link, you’re right. Back in 1999, before he entered the political arena, Franken put out the novel Why Not Me?: The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency, in which he contemplates himself running for president and how badly things go. In the novel, his campaign his heavily backed by the insurance companies, and with MetLife’s backing, Snoopy appears in his ads. This use of Snoopy is touched on repeatedly in the book.)

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 …

Upcoming releases
An unauthorized? biography

In the past, I’ve talked about the Charles Schulz biographies that are produced as part of bulk lines of biographies for school libraries, very brief, photo-heavy things meant to give kids something to write book reports about. Well ABDO, a company that has produced just such a biography in the …

Upcoming releases
The Peanuts books keep a-comin’

We’re getting into the period when “75th Anniversary” books should be being announced. I don’t know if either of these will be branded that way. Coming in May, 2025 is Happiness is Peanuts, which seems to be an attempt to capture the magic of the Happiness is a Warm Puppy-style …