Along with tens of millions of people worldwide, I am a lifelong, diehard Peanuts fan.
Some of my earliest memories are of buying the paperback editions of Peanuts collection from the local second-hand store for 10 and 20c each and settling back into the delightful world of Charlie Brown and his gorgeously dysfunctional friends for hours at a time.
As far as I was concerned, then and now, Charles Schulz, who sadly died in 2000 after writing arguably the most loved comic strip ever for 50 years, could do no wrong and Peanuts was, artistically and thematically, a triumph that would last the ages.
And apparently IDW Publishing agree, announcing via a press release at New York Comic Con, that they would be releasing an artist’s edition of Charles Schulz work, the first comic strip featured in the prestigious line, which re-creates an artist’s original work in the same size as it was originally produced.
That means you get in effect a behind-the-scenes look at the artist’s process as JK Parkin noted at robot6:
“DW’s Artist’s Editions are printed the same size as the original art. While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art-for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.”
There’s no word yet on when the edition will be released nor which strips it’s going to feature, but I can guarantee you I will lining up, along with many others to get my hands onto this unique inisght into the masterful work of Charles Schulz, a man who made my childhood an infinitely rich and heartwarming place.
Here’s the press release in full (via outhousers.com) …
Charles Schulz’s Long-Running Classic Heads To IDW
‘Peanuts’ To Join The Artist’s Edition Library
San Diego, CA (October 12, 2013) – The esteemed entertainment property, Peanuts, will be returning this winter due to a newly formed partnership with IDW and Peanuts Worldwide—but you’ve never seen Charlie Brown & the gang quite like this! Presented in the acclaimed Artist’s Edition format, Charles Schulz’s revered comic strip will be a welcome and important addition to the Artist’s Edition library, and the first one devoted entirely to a comic strip.
Peanuts, with its cast of iconic characters, has become an American institution. Debuting in 1950 and running until 2000, the strip was framed around the life and interactions of the lovable blockhead who never gives up, Charlie Brown, and his charming array of companions. Written and drawn by Schulz, the strip was translated into 21 different languages, and syndicated in over 2,600 newspapers. The diverse characters of Peanuts became mainstays of pop culture: from Lucy’s psychiatric stand, Schroeder’s piano, the kite-eating-tree, Snoopy’s doghouse, and Charlie Brown’s eternal quest to kick that football—these are images as compelling today as when Schulz first created them a half century ago.
”Having grown up with Charlie Brown, Linus and his blanket, Snoopy and the Red Baron…I could not be happier about bringing them into the IDW family,” said Ted Adams, CEO and Publisher of IDW Publishing, “In the world of comic art, it does not get any bigger than Peanuts.”
Charles Schulz spent the majority of his career writing and drawing the Peanuts comic strip and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations throughout his life for his influential work. Schulz is “arguably the most influential comic strip creator of the second-half of the 20th century, his importance to comics and comics history cannot be understated,” said editor Scott Dunbier. As Editor of the Artist’s Editions, Dunbier, along with the rest of IDW, are honored to publish the timeless creations of Charles Schulz.
What is an Artist’s Edition? Artist’s Editions are printed the same size as the original art. While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art-for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.