Kathryn's Inbox

A worthy instalment in the Great Comics Artist Series, A Charlie Brown Religion examines the complex spiritual life of Peanuts creator Charles M Schulz (or Sparky as he was known to his family and friends).  Spirituality is a huge theme within the Peanuts comics, as is philosophy and the struggle of well, being human. Through themes such as the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown's struggle with the commercialisation of Christmas and the occasional mention of Christianity, the comics often had a subtle religious flavour to them. This in itself has been discussed (and perhaps misinterpreted,) in books such as The Gospel According to Peanuts. But what was Sparky's real life views on religion and how did it influence his comics? The answer, according to A Charlie Brown Religion, is complex. Schulz was not raised in a religious family, but chose to embrace Christianity after he returned from military service in the Second World War. From there, the answers are varied and complex. Stephen...

Wishing you all a happy and safe Easter!

Just a little humour courtesy of Snoopy and Woodstock :-)

Lol

Lol!

At least Peppermint Patty meant well. Actually, this one is a great reminder of how the advice of adults can be so easily misconstrued by children.

Love this Peanuts comic

Another great Peanuts moment this week, this time featuring Peppermint Patty. Schoolwork has never been her forte, she's the kind of kid who takes more of an interest in sports and the outdoors, and finds it difficult to concentrate on other things. 

Just another Peanuts comic. Poor Snoopy!

Just sharing this Peanuts comic for fun. I love the fact that Charlie Brown is being well, a bit of a wanker, and then Snoopy gives him exactly what he deserves. 

One of the things that constantly amazes me about the Peanuts comic was how its artist and author Charles Schulz was able to say so much in one small square, with a simple, inked picture and a few words. This simple square captures perfectly some of the less pleasant feelings that we experience when we're in love with someone--stupid actions, barely thought through, followed by agonising moments of self-doubt.

Love this Peanuts comic. Snoopy's ability to think laterally always cracks me up. As does the somewhat exasperated expression on Charlie Brown's face.

Love this! Actually if you go on Twitter, Woodstock has an official account and will occasionally live tweet various important events. Lots of fun.

I found this clip from The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show on YouTube and I just had to share. The thing I am never quite sure about with Sally is whether she is a child genius who simply has difficulty communicating how she sees the world, or if she really is just that stupid. I suspect that Schulz himself could not make up his mind either ...

Every now and again, a book comes along and captures my imagination--and my heart--and refuses to let it go. My Life With Charlie Brown is one of those books. The concept is simple enough, it's a short book that consists of a number of autobiographical essays written by Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the infamous Peanuts comic, and a selection of Peanuts comics, all of which are entirely suited to the topics at hand. However, the writing style--intelligent and straightforward--and the authors explanation of the creative process are what makes this book a real winner. Anyone who reads this blog should already be well versed in the Peanuts universe, so I doubt that there is a great need to describe it here. However, I was amazed at the variety of facts about the comics--and their creator--that I learned from reading this book. In particular, Schulz hated the name Peanuts ! (Initially, the comic strip was to be called Lil' Folks , but this was too similar to another co...

Merry Christmas to all of my friends and followers. May the holidays and 2016 be great. May you all smile, laugh and be merry. May you all learn not to take life too seriously. ~ Kathryn.

And did the Great Pumpkin show up this year? In all seriousness, I love the way that Marcie gets this one wrong and suffers a severe reprimand from an already embarrassed and humiliated Linus, who has yet again missed out on seeing the Great Pumpkin. Basically a metaphor for a false belief based on greed, Linus believes that the Great Pumpkin will supposedly rise up one Halloween and deliver presents to all the children in the world. 

I think so too ...