Francesco Matteuzzi

I remember eagerly awaiting each new paperback of the Peanuts collections in the 60’ and 70’s. Together my brother and I had most of them, and most were read to pieces.

But it was hard for me to imagine a biography done in this manner: 440 pages of comic strips done by the biographers to illustrate [[Charles Schulz]]’s life. Each page has two sets of black and white strips with the final panel giving a most Charlie Brown-ish gentle jab or twist. After each six day black and white daily cycle, there is full color Sunday style cartoon.

It’s a wonderful biography. I learned much about how Schulz and the Peanuts script revolutionized comics with their readily identifiable day to day events instead of the clownish adventures of earlier comics. I saw how the Peanuts characters were literally drawn from Schulz’s life. I enjoyed learning about Schulz’s faith and personal life. (I know I have a copy of [The Gospel According to Peanuts] tucked away unread – now I want to explore this).

When I first read a review of this, I couldn’t imagine how it could be done. Now I can’t imagine how his biography could be done any other way. Five stars for the astonishing creativity of this book.

As the Amazon description says: “Filled with affection, charm, and poignant insight, Funny Things imagines Schulz through the lens of the very world he created, inviting us all to meet the man behind the blanket.”… (mehr)

Fittingly, this dramatized biography of the creator of Peanuts is told in comic strip form -- six dailies and a Sunday page, over and over -- and filled with melancholy humor and relentless self-examination. It's also conveniently sized to fit next to Fantagraphics' "Complete Peanuts" collection on your bookshelf.

Sure, the facts and timeline get a little fuzzy, but a fascinating portrait of Charles M. Schulz emerges, a talented man of immense arrogance and raging self-doubt. It hits the highlights of his career and personal life, but leaves you hungry to learn more.

It pairs well with Bill Griffith's recent Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy.… (mehr)