Peanuts

Discuss any comic strip that has appeared in a newspaper over the years. Andy Capp, Rupert, Hagar, Fudge etc

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stevezodiac
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Peanuts

Post by stevezodiac »

I don't remember the Peanuts strip ever being discussed on this site. In the Review section of the Daily Telegraph a few Saturdays back it was the cover story as there is a new book celebrating the strips 60th birthday plus there is a new film based on the strip. I used to have a large collection of the paperback books but got rid of them for reasons of space. The new book looks a bit like the large History of the Beano book with original drawings etc. I'll look out for some cheap Peanuts books in the flea markets and charity shops as I'd like to read them again.

Raven
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Re: Peanuts

Post by Raven »

The best way to enjoy Peanuts is with the high quality Complete Peanuts series, published by Fantagraphics in the US (and available over here) and by Canongate in the UK (identical versions).

The first is 1950-52 and the rest each cover two year periods, reprinting every single strip from each year, including the big Sunday strips.

Example here - watch the video at the bottom:

http://www.fantagraphics.com/peanuts10/

Both US and Uk versions tend to cost £16.99 per volume or cheaper online.

Should be 730 strips per volume. The old paperbacks many of us grew up with reprinted only a very small sample of the strips, so each Complete Peanuts should contain hundreds of strips you've never seen before. They're consistently good.

It's a great way to read them. They're well into the '90s now.

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stevezodiac
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Re: Peanuts

Post by stevezodiac »

I have quite a few American Sunday Funnies sections with the large Peanuts strips but for reasons of space I can't buy big chunky volumes. I can buy the paperbacks, read them and then take them back to the charity shop or pass them on to someone else. I saw the Telgraph Review section this morning and its actually 65 years since Peanuts began (as Little Folks?)

Raven
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Re: Peanuts

Post by Raven »

Well, they're more like small chunky volumes - long and thin, about 326 pages! If you like the strip, it's worth considering getting at least one from your favourite period, as it's a real pleasure to read a complete two years' worth of consecutive strips. Those paperbacks miss so much out.

I think the Observer's magazine used to run the triple length Sunday strips in colour over here.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Peanuts

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

yes I have the first volume of this series on hardback and yes it is a quality item........the very early strips are more elaborately-drawn, and quite different from the later-seen versions of the characters that has a much higher profile.


I have to say I am not really a fan of the introspective humour in this strip, but I am outnumbered by Millions of fans.


I was ih the USA last year and it is clear that the PEANUTS cast of characters have a saturation in USA culture far beyond these shores: everything from miniature elaborate dioramas of the cast to large-scale inflatable motorbikes seating Snoopy, parked outside folks' houses.....

---no wonder Schulz was pulling in 30 million dollars a year at his peak [at 70s prices, no less].

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Peanuts

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

Just realized that this forum automatically converts USA spelling to British..


---here, I will attempt to write the US version of our word 'humour', without the 'u' as widely seen in the States:





humour


---see! Told ya!

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Digifiend
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Re: Peanuts

Post by Digifiend »

Just that word. I typed all of these without the U: humour rumor color

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Peanuts

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

wow: wonder how 'humour' slipped through, then, Digi?

maybe the program writer had a sense of hu mor.....

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stevezodiac
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Re: Peanuts

Post by stevezodiac »

I saw one of the volumes in Waterstones at Greenwich yesterday. Didn't realise they would be in black and white. The Sunday funnies are in full colour don't know about the original daily versions.

Raven
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Re: Peanuts

Post by Raven »

The original dailies were in black and white.

Fantagraphics' Peanuts Every Sunday books are reprinting all the Sunday strips in order, in colour:

"Since their original publication, Peanuts Sundays have almost always been collected and reprinted in black and white, and generations of Peanuts fans have grown up enjoying this iteration of these strips. But many who read Peanuts in their original Sunday papers remain fond of the striking coloring, which makes for a surprisingly different reading experience.

It is for these fans (and for Peanuts fans in general who want to experience this alternate/original version) that we now present a series of larger, Sundays-only Peanuts reprints, which more closely duplicate that delightful, Sunday-morning reading experience and brings a splash of real color to Schulz's cast of colorful characters."

http://www.fantagraphics.com/series/pea ... ry-sunday/

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Peter Gray
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Re: Peanuts

Post by Peter Gray »

I have the 1950's up to late 70's...the first 25 years are the best for me...

DavidKW
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Re: Peanuts

Post by DavidKW »

I must admit I was a bit of a fan way back when of the Peanuts cartoons.

I used to cut them out of the Daily Mail when my parents had read theirs and from the Observer magazine on Sunday and make Peanuts scrap books.

I did have a number of Coronet books too - always interesting to see how they developed in appearance.

Another book I had was called "Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Me" in which Schultz talks about himself, the strips deveolment and where he got a lot of his ideas from. It stung me into thinking that I'd like to be a writer someday. Still dreaming.

I collected from about 1977 to 1982, when I went off them and never to return.

I guess one thing is Schultz said the strip was about how children are and his observations. Only in my world the kids arounf me, including those who were much younger were more like South Park meets Lord Of The Flies.

I now consider these cartoons very dated, and even reading a 1965-66 collection in my library has failed to re-spark interest.

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stevezodiac
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Re: Peanuts

Post by stevezodiac »

A few weeks after the Daily Telgraph featured Paeanuts on the cover of its Saturday Review section the Times did the same. See if you can spot the similarity:

Image

Image

Phoenix
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Re: Peanuts

Post by Phoenix »

stevezodiac wrote:See if you can spot the similarity
Well Steve, if we are spotting the difference rather than the similarity, The Times has removed the shadows on the lad's shirt and his face that were present in The Telegraph. That's my starter for 10.

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Re: Peanuts

Post by Ginger »

stevezodiac wrote:I saw the Telgraph Review section this morning and its actually 65 years since Peanuts began (as Little Folks?)
Nope, it was never called Little Folks or anything other than Peanuts (unless you count the way Schulz always subtitled the Sunday comics 'featuring Good Ol' Charlie Brown') That's because he never liked the title Peanuts, of course, and wanted to call it Li'l Folk, but the syndicate insisted on Peanuts from the very beginning.

The earliest strips are now appearing on Gocomics as Peanuts Begins, and although they've been going a while now (probably started on the anniversary you allude to, Steve), you can go back through the archive to the very beginning if you wish. (If, like me, you really can't bring yourself to part with wads of cash for the Complete Collection when you already have a huge pile of Coronet paperbacks)

I've been following it out of interest, but the strips are really poor considering the brilliant strip Peanuts became later. Fascinating to see it evolve, though.

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