Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, by David Michaelis

Growing up, I was a huge fan of The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes. Peanuts was always there on the comics page, but I didn’t care about it. The jokes were never laugh-out-loud funny and a lot of the strips had no jokes at all – just some slice-of-life observation or just a picture of Snoopy ice skating. That’s not a comic! That’s just a lunch box.

As I got older, I appreciated the strip more. What it lacked in bellylaughs it made up for with philosophical ruminations and some adorable art. So, while I wasn’t the biggest Charlie Brown fan, I was curious to know more about his creator.

Unlike a lot of famous people, Schulz didn’t have the ups-and-downs you usually associate with artists. He simply was good…and then everyone liked his stuff. And he got famous. And then he got more famous. And then he (spoiler alert) died. 

His life story is still interesting, especially if you like comic strip history. And easily the most shocking thing about his life are his extra-marital relationships with young women. The dude even slipped in thinly veiled notes to his mistresses in the comic strip! 

I like learning about comic strip creators because so many are reclusive and odd. Maybe it’s because they’re all busy trying to wrangle stressful daily deadlines. Or maybe they’re all socially awkward, sensitive souls who struggle to exist in the public eye because their brains and emotions absorb too much information. Or maybe it’s because they’re all in a secret cult that worships the Dark Lord Marmaduke! 

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