The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972 [Hardcover]

Charles M Schulz (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Peanuts | Publication Date: April 29, 2009

Peanuts surges into the 1970s with Schulz at the peak of his powers and influence. Sally Brown - school phobia, malapropisms, unrequited love for Linus and all - elbows her way to center stage, at least among the humans, and is thus the logical choice for cover girl... and in her honor, the introduction is provided by none other than television, Broadway and film star Kristin (Pushing Daisies, Wicked) Chenoweth, who first rose to Tony-winning fame with her scene-stealing performance as Sally in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Speaking of introductions, Peppermint Patty's new permanent sidekick, the one and only Marcie, makes her debut, and then there's the birth of one Rerun Van Pelt! Also, Snoopy as Joe Cool, Woodstock in worm school, and much more!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Snoopy continues to dominate the proceedings in these 1971–72 installments of the classic strip as he bonds with new friend Woodstock, appears for the first time in the guise of Joe Cool, serves as Peppermint Patty’s attorney when she violates the school dress code, and has Linus’ security blanket made into a sports coat. Also, Lucy and Linus welcome the arrival of baby brother Rerun. Actress Kristin Chenoweth contributes an introduction, in which she discusses her Tony-winning portrayal of Charlie Brown’s little sister Sally in the 1998 Broadway revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. --Gordon Flagg

Review

[A] towering comic-strip masterpiece...as you turn the pages, you can feel Schulz finding his rhythm. There's a restless intelligence there, pacing behind the panels… An extraordinary publishing project. (Time )

It's no exaggeration to call Peanuts the most successful comic strip in human history. (Michelangelo Matos - Seattle Weekly )

A “must have” for collectors of Charles Schulz’s work, highly recommended. (James A. Cox - Midwest Book Review )

With elegant simplicity and deftly constructed shorts, the esteemed author captured so much of what life is about. (Nik Mercer - Anthem Magazine )

Beautifully designed by comic artist Seth (Palookaville), the volumes already out are a spectacular tribute to Schulz's work....Peanuts remains surprisingly fresh and timeless. Although Charles Schulz wrote these strips over 20 years ago, the ongoing popularity of the made-for-TV holiday specials means that the Peanuts gang continue to remain relevant in popular culture. It would be a pity, however, to relegate Peanuts to special occasions only—Schulz's work should and can be enjoyed all year round. (Ewa Beaujon - ExpressNightOut.com )

Sally gets the cover in this 11th volume of The Complete Peanuts... Schulz is still in top form here in my opinion. There are few books I laugh at more, or enjoy more thoroughly than these fine collections. Highly recommended! (Todd Klein )

Reading [The Complete Peanuts 1971-72 and 1973-74] in one fell swoop, I've kind of come to the conclusion that this period is really the apex of Schulz's career. ...he was never as consistently hilarious or as poignant as he was in the early to mid-70s. If you're only buying two volumes of this series, it should be these two. (Chris Mautner - Robot 6 )

[S]hows Schulz's staggering talent in the prime of his career. (Jonathan Kuehlein - Toronto Star )

These hardcover editions are produced with such love and reverence that it's fun to just pick them up and page through them, at least for a bibliophile like myself. Not to be missed. (Greg Hatcher - Comic Book Resources )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (April 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606991450
• ISBN-13: 978-1606991459
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 8.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles M. Schulz was born November 25, 1922 in Minneapolis. His destiny was foreshadowed when an uncle gave him, at the age of two days, the nickname Sparky (after the racehorse Spark Plug in the newspaper strip Barney Google).

In his senior year in high school, his mother noticed an ad in a local newspaper for a correspondence school, Federal Schools (later called Art Instruction Schools). Schulz passed the talent test, completed the course and began trying, unsuccessfully, to sell gag cartoons to magazines. (His first published drawing was of his dog, Spike, and appeared in a 1937 Ripley's Believe It Or Not! installment.) Between 1948 and 1950, he succeeded in selling 17 cartoons to the Saturday Evening Post--as well as, to the local St. Paul Pioneer Press, a weekly comic feature called Li'l Folks. It was run in the women's section and paid $10 a week. After writing and drawing the feature for two years, Schulz asked for a better location in the paper or for daily exposure, as well as a raise. When he was turned down on all three counts, he quit.

He started submitting strips to the newspaper syndicates. In the spring of 1950, he received a letter from the United Feature Syndicate, announcing their interest in his submission, Li'l Folks. Schulz boarded a train in June for New York City; more interested in doing a strip than a panel, he also brought along the first installments of what would become Peanuts--and that was what sold. (The title, which Schulz loathed to his dying day, was imposed by the syndicate). The first Peanuts daily appeared October 2, 1950; the first Sunday, January 6, 1952.

Diagnosed with cancer, Schulz retired from Peanuts at the end of 1999. He died on February 13, 2000, the day before Valentine's Day--and the day before his last strip was published--having completed 17,897 daily and Sunday strips, each and every one fully written, drawn, and lettered entirely by his own hand--an unmatched achievement in comics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty: the unlikeliest couple!, April 2, 2009

By 

Christopher Barat (Owings Mills, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972 (Hardcover)

I wouldn't go so far as to accuse Fantagraphics of misrepresentation, but... the heavy "Sally focus" promised on this volume's dust jacket (and teased by the preliminary interview with actress Kristin Chenoweth, who played Sally in the late-90s revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) can only be considered a minor theme in this latest collection. Sure, Sally is now a fully-paid-up cast member complete with enough hangups and neuroses to keep a platoon of shrinks occupied for weeks, but there are far deeper doings afoot than her struggles in school. Heck, she isn't even "Sweet Babboo"-ing Linus just yet. No, it's Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty who provide this volume's most memorable and poignant moments. Schulz may have made conscious efforts to be more "relevant" during this riotously incoherent cultural era, but the rock-solid virtues that had built PEANUTS' massive audience are still very much in evidence, above all Schulz' gift for characterization.

Peppermint Patty and her cast of friends -- Roy, Franklin, and, starting in the summer of 1971, Marcie -- are now established as regular players, albeit in a neighborhood that seems to be somewhat removed from the "classic" PEANUTS neighborhood. (Whenever Patty wants to get together with Charlie & co. for some reason, she still either has to meet him at camp or call him on the phone.) As pages flick by, however, Patty and Charlie begin to appear together more and more often, and their relationship begins to turn into something very unique and touching, reflecting the growing complexity in Patty's personality. Patty veers between exasperation at Charlie's inevitable gaffes, inadvertent disparagement (as during the classic game of "Ha Ha Herman!"), intrigue at the possibilities inherent in his presence ("you touched my hand, you sly dog!"), and, most painful of all, realization that she carries certain burdens that, while they are not as heavy as Charlie's, make the two of them kindred spirits of sorts. When Charlie tactlessly mentions the Little Red-Haired Girl during a trip to a carnival (a sequence that, while I don't believe it was ever reprinted in book form, did appear as part of the movie Snoopy Come Home), Patty stalks off in disgust. During a later trip to camp, though, Patty actually sees Charlie's would-be girlfriend and is overcome by sudden self-loathing. The long series of "treeside conversations" between Patty and Charlie commences, with each struggling to communicate deep feelings with decidedly mixed success. It is during this period, too, that Patty begins to clash with authority figures, including a run-in with the school administration over the dress code. The carefree, swaggering Patty of the late 60s is no more. Welcome to the psychological jungle, kid.

Speaking of well-developed characters, Snoopy continues to score plenty of memorable moments, though "Joe Cool" -- this era's attempt to hatch lightning from the same bottle from which Schulz had earlier decanted "The World War I Flying Ace" -- hasn't aged that well. Snoopy and Woodstock's quest to meet Miss Helen Sweetstory of "Six Bunny-Wunnies" fame (a fame that doesn't prevent one of her hippy-dippier, oh-so-early-70s tomes from being banned by the school board), Snoopy's attempt to read WAR AND PEACE one word at a time, and the migratory trip that leads ol' Snoop to the "six-story parking garage" that has displaced the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm are much more memorable. Linus rates a moment of triumph when, attempting to go "cold turkey" with his blanket once and for all by giving it to Snoopy for (chuckle) safekeeping, he actually succeeds -- until, alas, Charlie Brown takes pity on him and gets him "hooked again" with a new yard of outing flannel. Linus and Lucy's baby brother Rerun Van Pelt is, uh, sort of introduced herein -- he won't actually appear on panel for a while and won't become a major cast member until much later -- and, yes, even Sally does star in some of her most memorable gags (including the classic "I got a C in coat-hanger sculpture?" gag, which was probably clipped and saved by many, many art teachers back in the day). Take it from me, however, Charlie and Patty are the characters whose trials and tribulations will stick with you this time around.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sir, I think you also have a crush on Chuck", March 8, 2009

By 

take403 - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972 (Hardcover)

This book features the debut of Marcie who'd become Peppermint Patty's buddy and Joe Cool, one of Snoopy's alter egos. Of course, Snoopy carries on with his World War I Flying Ace persona and his vulture imitations (but almost gets clobbered when Lucy hears about the vulture on her snowman). Sally makes the cover and looks as if she's panicking since summer is almost over- "Holler in the streets!" Back to Marcie- she was a shy but sincere girl with glasses, who has a crush on Charlie Brown (whom she also calls "Chuck"). She's a little more honest about it then Peppermint Patty (who tactlessly denies it, unknowing that Charlie Brown has heard all). This was a gag used in the TV special There's No Time For Love, Charlie Brown. Snoopy steals Linus' blanket but when he threatens to toss the beagle's supper dish, he quickly returns it ("I never dreamed he'd fight dirty!" he ponders). Lucy threatens to run away to join a skating rink, albeit with ice skates as Linus quickly points out. Linus tries giving up his blanket with some "help" from Snoopy (the beagle uses the blanket to make 2 sportcoats- one for him and one for Woodstock). Charlie Brown tries to intervene but his help also isn't appreciated (Lucy gives some very true advice- "More harm has been caused by people who thought they were doing the right thing!"). Lucy tries "breaking up" with Schroeder and Schroeder keeps reminding her they never got together in the 1st place! He also promises her a kiss if she hits a home run (thinking the odds of her scoring a point are against it!). This was used in the TV special It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown. Cartoons appeared in You've Come A Long Way Charlie Brown, Ha Ha Herman Charlie Brown and Thompson Is In Trouble Charlie Brown.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peanuts...The Classics continue, June 10, 2009

By 

Tim Lasiuta "Comic Fan 42" (Red Deer, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972 (Hardcover)

Another year of Peanuts has arrived, and with it, several hours of great joy.

How else can you read a full year of frustrations, celebrations, Red Baron adventures, and blanket seizures than with the esteemed world of Schultz. With every season from New Years to Christmas, he intermingles wisdom with humor, joy with sadness, and laugher, with pain. Inbetween, he even inserts some of his own life, as with the Gordie Howe/Snoopy strip seen below. Today, we could add any `star' to the list, yet for a 38 year old comic, it is timeless.

I am highly impressed with the quality of the book, strip reproduction, and intelligent forewords for any of these books. To say that I have disliked any Peanuts annual would be a lie, and if Charlie Brown can't lie, neither can i.

Tim Lasiuta