The Beloved Beagle Completely Transformed During Peanuts’ Half-Century Run — Occasionally Deliberately
A comic artist is never completely in charge over their creation. The sketching tool might shake and quiver and veer instead of zag — uniformity stands as a wish, not a rule. Additionally, an absolutely lively figure will in time guide the artist, instead of the opposite. It was perpetually the way the Peanuts artist the illustrator explained the reason Snoopy, his rambunctious invention, evolved from his debut in the mid-20th century and his final strip showings at the turn of the millennium.
“As my illustration method became freer, the beagle managed to do more things,” the creator remarked back in 1975. “And when I finally developed the method of employing his creativity to dream of being many heroic figures, the strip took on a completely new dimension."
Tracking the progression of his visual style and individual nature might seem tedious in different Schulz archives, yet, luckily for cartoon lovers, it’s about to get a little easier. Scheduled for the 75-year milestone of the comic's run, The Essential Peanuts is a deluxe prestige art book from acclaimed author Mark Evanier that gathers the most recognizable Schulz's panels and showcases them alongside new historical and societal background. Designed by Chip Kidd, the book features an introduction from Jean Schulz, an introduction by Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell, along with contributions from a group of prominent experts (featuring a Snoopy-loving astronaut). Nestled within the edition are a number of keepsakes, such as postcards, art prints, a stitched emblem, stickers, and a reproduction original strip compilation.
Developing from their praised Peanuts series, this dedicated volume delves into Schulz’s creative ambition and the strip’s lasting impact throughout the arts, books, and everyday life. The result underscores how Peanuts has crossed age groups, and evolved as a greater phenomenon than the artist alone might ever assign to his early ideas.
Below, there appear unique spreads from this definitive collection, particularly examining the transformation of Snoopy during the initial period.
In his commentary, included in the pages, Evanier emphasizes that every one of Schulz’s characters finally developed by ongoing iteration and exploration, featuring Snoopy as the standout case. During the 1950s' end, the character had evolved more elongated and ever more inventive, morphing into various roles like animals to alter egos including Joe Cool. It's a stunning depiction of a craft that has declined with the print media fades, but clearly deserves a spot in the records of visual-art history.
The Definitive Volume, priced at seventy-five dollars, arrives in bookstores on Oct. 7.
