What Cartooning Really Is

Peanuts is beloved by countless readers worldwide for its iconic characters - such as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Lucy van Pelt - gentle humor, and emotional resonance. The artist behind Peanuts shares the same name recognition as his beloved characters, but among critics and historians, he is far more than a celebrity - he is recognized throughout the world as one of the greatest cartoonists who ever lived. To better understand the man and the artist, Fantagraphics is proud to present four extensive conversations with Schulz conducted by film critic Leonard Maltin, novelist Laurie Colwin, Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth, and comics historian Rick Marschall. These interviews delve deeply into the moral, aesthetic, and intellectual foundations of Schulz's worldview and his art. They reveal a man at once humble and self-deprecating, but also assured of his talents and success. Some days he feels like the hopeless, downtrodden Charlie Brown, while other days he revels in being an artist made rich and famous through the sheer mastery of his art. Copiously illustrated with Peanuts strips and other comics andillustrations, What Cartooning Really Is humanizes the complex and charming man who drew Snoopy.