"LOST" SCHULZ WORK TO BE PUBLISHED BY ABOUT COMICS

[MattBrady]

Press Release

Charles Schulz shows us “It’s Only a Game” Long-lost work by Peanuts creator collected for the first time

Charles M. Schulz is the most famous and most influential cartoonist ever, and his Peanuts comic strips have been reprinted in hundreds of books. Yet few people know that during the late 1950s, during a period of great creativity, Schulz was also doing another newspaper comics series. “It’s Only a Game” took a look at people and their pastimes, showing us how we win, how we lose, and how we play the game. This long forgotten work is now being put into a book for the very first time, as About Comics publishes the complete collection It’s Only a Game.

This treasure trove of lost Schulz material is being dug up at a time when interest in Schulz is running high. Such projects as The Complete Peanuts, Li’l Beginnings (reprinting Schulz’s pre-Peanuts series “Li’l Folks”), and Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz are focusing popular and critical attention on Schulz’s work.

People who know Peanuts know that sports was a favorite topic, with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the crew regularly involved in baseball, football, and hockey. “It’s Only a Game” was a single-panel gag feature that covered all that and more. “Schulz focused the comics mainly on participation sports and games, so there are strips about bowling, bridge, and fishing, as well as the big team sports,” explains Nat Gertler, noted Schulz bibliographer and publisher of About Comics. “In fact, it’s rather amazing how broad a range of topics is covered. Over the course of 255 cartoons the series covers everything from Monopoly to rodeo.”

Fans are in for an extra treat, because “It’s Only a Game” features mainly adults. Since “Peanuts”, “Li’l Folks”, and Schulz’s illustration work focused on kids, this is a rare chance to see his talents applied to older characters.

Schulz created the series himself and initially did all the work on it. After the series had run for a while, cartoonist Jim Sasseville to do the finished artwork based on Schulz’s sketches. Sasseville provides the book’s commentary, as well as access to some special materials. “Working with Jim was great,” explains Gertler. “Not only do we get a lot of insight into how the strip was put together and what it was like working with Schulz, he also gave us access to some of Schulz’s roughs for cartoons that were never used.”

Schulz’s widow Jean expressed her enthusiasm for this project. “It is wonderful to see the entire run collected and to read Jim's reminiscences. Sparky [Charles M. Schulz] spoke highly of Jim's drawing ability and in this book I can see what he meant.” Sasseville is no less effusive about Schulz’s work on the strip, referring to him as “the best cartoonist ever,” a view of Schulz that is common in the cartooning world.

Contributing an editorial hand to the book is Derrick Bang, the editor of Charles M. Schulz: 50 Years of Happiness. Derrick also provided the acclaimed commentary for Li’l Beginnings.

It’s Only a Game (ISBN 0-9716338-9-4) is a 240 page 5.5”x6.5” black and white paperback with a color cover. Priced at $14.95, it will be distributed to the comic book stores (by Diamond Comics, FM International, and Cold Cut) and to the bookstores (by Diamond Book Distributors) in November. It can be found on page 197 of the current Previews catalog.

[Nat Gertler]

Those of you who look at the Previews order form may see this listed as "volume 1". I do want to clarify that there will not be any further volumes -- the entire run of the strip is collected into this one.

[OM]

***SWEEET!***

...Now, all we need are a collection of the sketches he did for the Apollo cuff checklists, and we'll *really* be complete!

[mpg]

wow. i had no idea charles schultz did this

this is a must have to me

[OM]

Originally posted by mpg
wow. i had no idea charles schultz did this

...I'd heard of it years ago, when Sparky mentioned it in an interview and how he'd like to see it collected someday, just for nostalgia's sake. I'm really looking forward to this release!

[Nat Gertler]

We should have a photocopy of this book on display at the Baltimore Comic Con, should folks want to check it out. (And yes, retailers, we will be exhibiting it at the Diamond Retailer Summit as well.)

[Derrick Fish]

I'm really excited about this. I'm embarrased to admit that I never knew he did anything but PEANUTS. I can't wait to see more.

Though seeing him draw ACTUAL ADULTS is WEIRD!

[Nat Gertler]

Just a heads-up: this book hits comic book shops today.