An Epiphany about A Charlie Brown Christmas

Tonight while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, I noticed something that has escaped my attention for the past three decades. Early in the episode, Charlie Brown goes to Lucy at her psychiatrist’s booth. Realizing that Charlie Brown needs some direction in his life, she suggests that he should be the director of the Christmas play.Continue reading “An Epiphany about A Charlie Brown Christmas”

On Things I’ve Been Reading

Charlie Brown’s Christmas Stocking Fantagraphics Books Written and Illustrated by Charles Schulz While BOOM! Studios publishes new stories of the Peanuts gang in a monthly comic book and occasional graphic novel, Fantagraphics Books is reprinting Charles Schulz’s classic comic strip in their Complete Peanuts hardcover collections. This month, Fantagraphics released something unusual, a reprint ofContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”

On Peanuts Christmas Music and Specials

My mom loves Christmas, and she always has. She puts up four or five Christmas trees each year, and each tree has a theme. There’s a Santa Claus tree, a Candy Cane tree, a fruit tree, a tinsel tree, and a couple of other themes besides. She also watches the Hallmark Movie Channel frequently, andContinue reading “On Peanuts Christmas Music and Specials”

On Things I’ve Been Reading: Peanuts #0

Peanuts #0 BOOM! Studios/kaboom! Created by Charles Schulz Written by Ron Zorman & Vicki Scott Art by Zorman, Scott, and Paige Braddock Earlier in the year, BOOM! Studios published Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown, a hardcover graphic novel adaptation of the most recent Peanuts animated special, which was based on a number ofContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading: Peanuts #0”

On Peanuts Coffee Mugs and Rerun

I went to Big Lots today, not because I needed anything but because it was a lovely afternoon and I wanted to get out of the house and go for a drive. So across the reservoir I drove, and to Big Lots I went. I found myself looking at coffee pots. I had a veryContinue reading “On Peanuts Coffee Mugs and Rerun”

On Keeping Calm with Charlie Brown

I have to be honest. I don’t understand the fad over “Keep Calm and Carry On.” I see the phrase all over the place, and I know that it comes from an unused World War II British morale building poster (as I’ve had to write about it at work), and I know that it’s alsoContinue reading “On Keeping Calm with Charlie Brown”

On the New Peanuts Special, Happiness Is A Warm Blanket

For this Peanuts fan, yesterday was a doubly significant day — not only did Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown come out on DVD, but I discovered 3eanuts, a “Garfield Minus Garfield”-esque reworking of Charles Schulz’s comic strips. 3eanuts takes the classic four panel Peanuts comic strip, then tosses the fourth panel out theContinue reading “On the New Peanuts Special, Happiness Is A Warm Blanket”

On Peanuts and Sudoku Puzzles

I like Sudoku puzzles. I love Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. And, curiously, there is a book that combines them both — the Peanuts Sudoku Comic Digest. I say “curiously,” because there’s nothing intrinsic in Peanuts that lends itself to Sudoku. Schulz had passed away before the Sudoku craze became a craze, and there are no PeanutsContinue reading “On Peanuts and Sudoku Puzzles”

On Peanuts Comic Books

Today, BOOM! Studios made two announcements. One, they are renaming their kids imprint, formerly BOOM Kids!, to Kaboom! Two, they are going to be doing something with Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. What, precisely, BOOM! intends to do with Peanuts is unclear, though the teaser image certainly offers a tantalizing clue. Observe the “Peanuts” logo. It’s notContinue reading “On Peanuts Comic Books”

On Mid-Week Errata

I’ve had Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train” stuck in my head today. My day actually began with Jethro Tull. My Tull collection is not large — Aqualung, the Christmas album, a greatest hits album. While working this morning, I needed something different to keep me going, and “Locomotive Breath” from Aqualung seemed auspicious. Which made meContinue reading “On Mid-Week Errata”