The Beloved Beagle Entirely Evolved Over Peanuts’ Five-Decade Run — Sometimes Deliberately
An illustrator is never completely in charge over their creation. The artist's hand may waver and quiver and swerve instead of zag — uniformity is a hope, not a certainty. Moreover, a genuinely dynamic persona will eventually lead the creator, rather than the reverse. It was perpetually how Peanuts cartoonist Schulz explained the reason Snoopy, his energetic brainchild, evolved from his debut in 1950 through his concluding panel features by the year 2000.
“As my drawing style grew more relaxed, Snoopy could to accomplish more,” the artist stated back in 1975. “And as soon as I ultimately created the technique of employing his creativity to imagine himself as various valiant characters, the series adopted a totally different aspect."
Tracking the progression of his visual style and personality might seem tedious across Peanuts collections, but thankfully for comic fiends, it’s about to get somewhat simpler. Timed to the 75th anniversary of Schulz’s strip, The Definitive Peanuts serves as an exquisite prestige art book by award-winning writer Evanier that curates the most recognizable Peanuts strips and presents them with fresh historical and cultural context. Styled by artist Chip Kidd, the publication contains a foreword by Schulz's wife, a preface from Mutts comic artist Patrick McDonnell, and essays from sixteen distinguished voices (featuring a cosmonaut admirer of the beagle). Nestled within the edition exist various collectibles, including postcards, art prints, a stitched emblem, labels, and a facsimile vintage Peanuts issue.
Building on Abrams ComicArts’ acclaimed Peanuts program, Evanier’s tribute examines Schulz’s creative ambition and the series' enduring influence in various creative fields, books, and common experiences. The final product highlights how the strip has surpassed eras, and became something larger than the artist alone could possibly ascribe to his early ideas.
Underneath, you will see unique spreads from the new volume, focusing especially on how Snoopy changed during the initial period.
Through his analysis, present in the volume, Evanier highlights how all of Schulz’s characters ultimately evolved by ongoing iteration and finding, featuring Snoopy as the most dramatic example. By the decade's close, the character had evolved more elongated and increasingly imaginative, transforming into all sorts of creatures to alternate identities including Joe Cool. It's a beautiful representation of an art that has declined as the newspaper industry declines, but clearly deserves a spot in the records of illustration chronicles.
The Definitive Volume, retailing for $75, reaches shops this October.
