Peanuts play in DC this weekend

GWU's got You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown running for 3 days this weekend. See "Directors tackle Charlie Brown, Godot," by Emily Katz, George Washington University Hatchet 4/16/09.

Here's the relevant details:

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," presented by Forbidden Planet Productions, will run from Friday, April 17 through Sunday April 19 in the Mitchell Hall theater. "Waiting for Godot," presented by Fourteenth Grade Players, will run from Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 18 in Lisner Downstage. Tickets for each performance are $5.

Express reviews Complete Peanuts 11

See "This One Goes to 11: 'The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972'," by Express contributor Ewa Beaujon, Express (March 30 2009). I think this was online only. Anyone know?

Weingarten on his comic strip, and the Post's

Gene W from the March 23rd chat:

Silver Spring, Md.: Re: Doonesbury CPOW - that's one thing that has always impressed me about that strip - he always seems to have a character already in place for any news event or trend or whatever that comes up. He can pick up a character and put he or she in the event without any problem or stretch. He has Joannie working on the hill, BD was set for any "hostilities", Bernie was perfectly positioned to be a high-tech mogul, Boopsie ended up in the movie industry. I loved it when Mike's youngish techie-wife turned out to be the Vietnamese orphan who had been adopted into the US years before.

Gene Weingarten: Obviously, this is not coincidence. Garry has more active characters than any strip ever, probably by a factor of five.

The strip my son and I are working on -- look for it soon, I hope -- is going to start with about 16. Absurdly high for a new strip, nowhere near Dbury.

_______________________

New strip: When your new strip debuts, can it replace Peanuts?

If you were able to, say, accidentally slip the email address of the comics editor, perhaps it may result that he or she is bombarded with enough requests to get rid of Peanuts repeats that his or her loins will be girded sufficiently to withstand the few complaint letters that will be mailed (from people who I don't think would folow through on their threat to cancel their subscriptions).

Gene Weingarten: I am beginning to think that no one will ever have the courage to replace Peanuts.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: AAAAAHHHHH! According to the notice on today's Style section, they're schwacking both "Pooche Cafe" and "Brevity" from the comics section. What's wrong with these people? They'll keep stale stuff like "Blondie," "Peanuts," "Mark Trail," "Family Circus," and "Dennis the Menace" but kill two of the comics that are actually, you know, funny? Isn't there anything we can do to stop this? AAAAAHHHHHH!!!

Gene Weingarten: They are also keeping Hagar the Horrible.

_______________________

Alex., VA: Do readers actually write in and support Peanuts?

Gene Weingarten: I don't know, but I doubt it. I think that newspaper comics deciders are loath to get rid of any strip so old that old loyal readers would miss it.

Very, very bad decisionmaking.

2006 Smithsonian lunchbox exhibit

In 2006 the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History had an exhibit of lunchboxes, many of which featured comic and cartoon characters, outside of its cafeteria. I've loaded the pictures on my Flickr site, but here's a few to whet your appetite.


Tom Corbett, Space Cadet - a tv show, but soon a Dell comic book too.


How many Peanuts lunchboxes have there been?


It looks like late-period Caniff, but Steve Canyon is still cool.


Walter Lantz's Woody Woodpecker is essentially forgotten now, but was big in its day.

More pics at the flickr link above...

Peanuts Animator Obituary

Bill Melendez, 91; Award-Winning 'Peanuts' Animator
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 4, 2008; B07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303840.html

The Peanuts Gang
By Matt Schudel Washington Post's Post Mortem blog September 4, 2008; http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2008/09/the_peanuts_gang.html?sid=ST2008090401641&s_pos=list

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown play is in town?

I believe Charles SCHULZ actually wrote Peanuts however.

Schulz bio cartoon in The Onion

"Kelly" (aka Ward Sutton) has a cartoon in the Onion on the stands now, "Happiness is a warm dose of truth (at last)" about the Michaelis biography of Schulz. Couldn't find it online though...

...so I'll describe it. People are throwing copies of Peanuts books in the trash can while Charlie Brown says "Suddenly I don't feel like such a LOSER after all," while holding up a newspaper headlined, "New Schulz Bio exposes cartoonist to be a lonely, pathetic philanderer" while 'Kelly' says, "Mr. Success, the original blockhead," in the lower right corner.

A Charlie Brown Christmas reflections in Times

See "An enduring Christmas gift," by J.T. Young, Washington Times November 27, 2007. The family's watching it right now, of course.

Futurama bits in today's papers

Both free papers ran articles on the direct to dvd return of Futurama. Scott Rosenberg wrote one for the Express - see "Back to the Drawing Board: 'Futurama'." The one in the Examiner was an AP story. The Express also ran a little feature on A Charlie Brown Christmas which is on in seven minutes.

Nov 20: Peanuts cartoons on tv

Peanuts cartoons are on tv at 8 pm. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is followed by He's A Bully, Charlie Brown. Writer's strike? What writer's strike?

Post reviews Michaelis' Schulz biography tomorrow

See "It's Your Life, Charlie Brown! A portrait of the anxious artist who taught Snoopy how to dance," reviewed by Julie Phillips, Washington Post Book World Sunday, November 11, 2007; Page BW04.

Steve Niles interview in The Onion

Scott Rosenberg's got an interview with Steve Niles who writes 30 Days of Night the latest comic book to become a movie. I imagine this is only in the paper copy since it's a local story. Also there's an article on food to eat while watching, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Oct 29: Good Ol' Charles Schulz on TV

9 pm on Channel 22 and 10 pm on Channel 26 - for more details on the PBS American Masters documentary, see "Schulz: The Good and The Grief", By Megan Voelkel, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, October 28, 2007; Page Y05.

I got to meet Mrs. Schulz this weekend - in fact I shared an elevator with her - but she was mostly talking with my buddy Charles. I couldn't call her Jean either, although she invited us too.

Oct 25: David Michaelis on Charles Schulz at Olsson's

David Michaelis will be discussing his new and controversial biography of Charles Schulz at the Olsson's on 418 7th St, NW at 7 pm. Bill Watterson highly recommended this and John Updike reviewed it as well. Unfortunately I'll be traveling to Ohio State for their comics symposium and will have to miss this.

Thanks to Ignatz-nominee Matt Dembicki for the tip!