On March 20th, The Charles M.
Schulz Museum will be unveiling its newest exhibit: ‘Mad about Peanuts,’ showing some of the many Mad Magazine parodies of Schulz’s work that were published over the years. I just thought people should know this, because that’s pretty great.
This exhibit will coexist with the permanent exhibits at the Schulz Museum, including a black & white mosaic of Peanuts characters composed entirely of black & white Peanuts panels by Japanese artist Yoshiteru Otani; and a wall, painted by Schulz, that was removed from a home where he and his young family lived in 1951. There are photo documentaries on the making of the mosaic here, and of the wall removal here.
Anyone with a passing interest in comics history has probably heard that indie publisher Fantagraphics Books has scored the license to reprint every Peanuts strip, ever, in chronological order. For the next 12.5 years, Fantagraphics will be releasing two volumes a year, each containing two years worth of strips. The first volume, due on April 1st, is of particular note to collectors:
“Although there have been literally hundreds of PEANUTS books published, many of the strips from the seriesí first two or three years have never been collected before, in large part because they showed a young Schulz working out the kinks in his new strip and include some characterizations and designs that are quite different from the cast weíre all familiar with. Thus The Complete Peanuts offers a unique chance to see a master of the artform refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day…”
Those interested in the intracacies of Schulz’s development will also be thrilled to learn that the Schulz Museum has gone ahead and published a collection of Mr. Schulz’ pre-Peanuts strip: ‘Lil’ folks. ‘Lil’ Folks – Charles M. Schulz: Li’l Beginnings‘ is available exclusively from the Schulz Museum. The first printing is already sold out, but they expect more copies in April.