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THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1955-1956
“Charles M. Schulz was an innovative genius, creating a fantasy world that connected to kids as well as
adults and all based on powerful iconic characters who express deep feelings of loneliness and resentment
and despair. The feeling that everything is against us. The craving for love. An enormous earnestness
for doing the right thing. There is not much in Peanuts that is shallow or heedless.”
— GARRISON KEILLOR
“I was surprised by how insanely funny the early strips were.” — AARON MCGRUDER
“I suppose there are some people out there who will think I’m a foolish old romantic, possibly even a
little nuts, to have such an association with, even to the point of talking to, an inanimate object [like
Snoopy]. Peanuts fans know better. [They] know that the greatest of Charles Schulz’s magic tricks was
bringing life to all those wonderful folks with which he peopled our world and brightened our days.”
— WALTER CRONKITE
Seattle, WA, 03/22/04 — 50 years of art. 25 books. Two books per year for over 12 years. One of the
most acclaimed and ambitious publishing projects in history continues this Spring with the complete
reprinting of Charles M. Schulz’s American classic, the comic strip Peanuts. Considered the most popular
comic strip in the history of the world, Peanuts is, for the first time, being collected in its entirety,
in a series published by acclaimed independent publisher Fantagraphics Books and designed by the
cartoonist Seth (Clyde Fans, It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken) and produced in full cooperation with United
Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz’s widow, Jean Schulz. The third
volume in the series will be released in April, with an introduction by noted cartoonist and Simpsons
creator Matt Groening.
“I dug Peanuts from the time I could reang about the Peanuts
gang. I was excited by the casual cruelty and offhand humiliations at the heart of the strip. Peanuts was
not only funny, it was emotionally real.” — MATT GROENING
The third volume in our New York Times best-selling series takes things into the mid-1950s as
Linus learns to talk, Snoopy begins to explore his eccentricities (including his hilarious
. rst series of impressions), Lucy’s unrequited crush on Schroeder takes . nal shape, and
Charlie Brown becomes...well, even more Charlie Brown-ish. Over half of the strips in this volume
have never been printed since their original appearance in newspapers a half-century ago! Even the
most dedicated Peanuts collector/fan is sure to . nd many new treasures.
The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two books
a year (ending in 2016!). Every single strip from Charles M. Schulz’s 50-year American classic is
reproduced better than they ever have been before. This volume includes an introduction by Matt
Groening (The Simpsons) as well as the popular Complete Peanuts index, a hit with librarians and collectors
alike, and an epilogue by series editor Gary Groth.
Fantagraphics Books co-publisher Gary Groth said that publishing The Complete Peanuts represented
the apex of the company’s 27-year commitment to publishing the best cartooning in the world. “Peanuts
is a towering achievement in the history of comics,” said Groth. “I can’t think of a better way to
honor Schulz’s artistic legacy than to make his oeuvre available to the public in a beautifully designed
format that re. ects the integrity of the work itself.”
The genesis of the project began in 1997 when Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth approached
Charles Schulz with the proposition of publishing Peanuts in its entirety. After Schulz’s death in January,
2000, Groth continued discussing the project with Schulz’s widow, Jean Schulz. “It’s safe to say
that this project wouldn’t have happened if Jean Schulz weren’t as enthusiastic and supportive as she’s
been,” said Groth. Added Jean Schulz: “This seemed like an impossible project, considering all the
‘lost’ strips, but Gary’s determination never . agged, and we are so happy with the aesthetic sensibility
of the Fantagraphics team.”
The aesthetic sensibility Mrs. Schulz describes is one that respects the sophistication of Schulz’s
work by creating a package that is both austere and direct, re. ecting the quiet and melancholy of the
strip in a package that shows the proper respect due one of America’s greatest artists in any medium.
The Complete Peanuts offers a unique chance to see a master of his art form re. ne his skills and solidify
his universe, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month. Peanuts is arguably the most towering
achievement in the history of the medium as well as one of the most acclaimed strips ever published.
In 1999, a jury of comics scholars and critics voted it the 2nd greatest comic strip of the 20th century
— second only to George Herriman’s Krazy Kat, a verdict Schulz himself cheerfully endorsed. Schulz’s
characters — Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and so many more — have become
American icons. A poll in 2002 found Peanuts to be one of the most recognizable cartoon properties
in the world, recognized by 94 percent of the total U.S. consumer market and a close second only to
Mickey Mouse (96 percent), and higher than other familiar cartoon properties like Spider-Man (75
percent) or the Simpsons (87 percent). In T.V. Guide’s “Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-
Time” list, Charlie Brown and Snoopy ranked #8.
ABOUT JEAN SCHULZ
Jean Schulz is the founding board president of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center,
which opened in August 2002. She is a former semi-professional tennis player and trapeze artist and
holds a pilot’s license with commercial and instrument ratings.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Fantagraphics Books has been the leading proponent of comics and cartooning as legitimate forms of
art and literature since it began publishing the critical trade magazine The Comics Journal in 1976. Since
the early 1980s, the company has been at the forefront of the burgeoning movement to establish comics
as a medium as eloquent and expressive as the more established popular arts of . lm, literature,
poetry, et al. As we begin the 21st Century, comics are . nally cemented as a legitimate form of expression,
even though this was largely unheard of when Fantagraphics began publishing the works of Daniel
Clowes, Peter Bagge, Joe Sacco, Chris Ware, R. Crumb, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez,
Jim Woodring, Jules Feiffer, and so many others; perhaps that’s one reason Fantagraphics was named
one of the top . ve most in. uential publishers in the history of comics in a recent poll by an industry
trade newspaper. The company was the only independent publisher on the list, and the only contemporary
publisher named alongside corporate behemoths Marvel and DC.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Seth has been regarded as one of North America’s . nest cartoonists for over 10 years. His comic book
series Palookaville and graphic novels It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken and Clyde Fans (both from Montreal
publisher Drawn & Quarterly) are regarded as modern classics of the form. Born Gregory Gallant
on September 16th, 1962 in Clinton, a small town in south Ontario, Seth is an emotional observer,
deeply moved by the forgotten details of everyday life. A fan of Peanuts since childhood, Seth attended
the Ontario College of Art in Toronto in the early 1980s. While at school he discovered the provocative
work of the underground comix generation and the cool, wry wit of the great mid-century New
Yorker
cartoonists. Drawing deeply from this disparate group of inspirations Seth has distilled one of the most distinctive and recognizable illustrating styles of the past decade and his sophisticated style
has been sought by The Washington Post, Details, National Post, Spin, The New York Times, Saturday Night, and the New
Yorker. His books have been translated and published in German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. Yorker
Seth lives in Guelph, Ontario with . ve cats, a huge collection of vintage records, comic books, 20th
Century Canadiana, and a very patient wife indeed.
ABOUT UNITED MEDIA
United Media (UM) is a worldwide licensing and syndication company that focuses on building
brand equity around a wide range of creative content. The company recently signed on to manage
D.I.C.E. and Tamagotchi Connection, two new properties from industry toy giant Bandai America,
Inc. United Media licenses and/or syndicates other properties, including, Peanuts, Precious Moments,
Copyrights at United Media (The World of Beatrix Potter, Paddington Bear, etc.), Raggedy Ann
& Andy, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Arthur, and Dilbert. United Media is an E.W.
Scripps Company.
ABOUT CHARLES M. SCHULZ CREATIVE ASSOCIATES
Though Charles M. Schulz passed away in 2000, his work lives on through the efforts of Charles M.
Schulz Creative Associates, which was established by Charles M. Schulz to oversee the creative and
business management of Peanuts worldwide licensing programs, in conjunction with United Feature
Syndicate. Creative Associates provides creative art direction to over 900 Peanuts worldwide licensees
and processes over 24,000 product approvals each year. Creative Associates is located in Santa Rosa,
CA, where Charles M. Schulz maintained his studio, the Redwood Empire Ice Arena (“Snoopy’s
Home Ice”), and Snoopy’s Gallery and Gift Shop.
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