Schulz's Golden Legacy

On February 12, 2000, the world lost the creator of one of the best-loved comics strips ever to grace the pages of the newspaper. Fortunately for us, Charles Schulz decided before he died to create a Peanuts biography in which he would comment on the birth and growth of the strip. This volume is Peanuts: A Golden Legacy.

The books begins with The Early Years, in which Schulz describes his childhood and early adulthood and explains the early influence of comics on his life. His nickname, Sparky, was given to him as an infant, in reference to the horse in the Barney Google comic strip. It was only the beginning of a lifelong interest in this artistic media. In kindergarten, Schulz was told by his teacher upon her viewing of a picture he had drawn, "Someday, Charles, you're going to be an artist." She was right.

The next section, The Beginning of Peanuts, deals with Schulz's creation of the strip which he had hoped to call L'il Folks. He would have to settle for a name he didn't like. Several of his earliest strips are featured here, and the characters are barely recognizable in their initial stages. As each new character emerges, Schulz makes commentary in the margins. Lucy, the "fussbudget", appeared in 1952. Linus made his debut several strips later. November 16, 1952, marked the first time Lucy pulled away the football. Pigpen showed up in 1953, Linus began dragging around his security blanket in the mid-50s, and Lucy set up her psychiatric booth in 1959. Later that year Charlie Brown's sister Sally was born, and that Halloween the Great Pumpkin was first mentioned. By the end of its first decade, Peanuts had basically assumed the shape it would retain for the rest of its life.

Hundreds of Peanuts strips are featured in this book, both in black-and-white and color. Nearly every page contains some sort of commentary by Schulz, and these side-notes are fascinating to read. Also included is a discussion of the Peanuts television specials, of which there have been over 75, and the Broadway production You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. One section features a display of comic strips which have parodied Peanuts; another provides a sampling of letters, both complimentary and complaining, written to Schulz. Strips through August of 1999 are included, and the book ends with a note from Schulz in conclusion. He ends his remarks by noting, "To create something out of nothing is a wonderful experience. To take a blank piece of paper and continue drawing with the same pen and materials as when I started the strip in 1950 is a real privilege. To draw characters that people love and worry about is extremely satisfying. I am happy that I have been allowed to do it for 50 years."

It?s a shame that he couldn't go on doing it for another 50, but he has left an incredible legacy behind him. This book is only the tip of the iceberg, but its 250 pages are a treasure trove of classic strips and memories and will be greatly appreciated by anyone who has grown to love Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang.