More on Peanuts, Because I Can

Comic Book Bin interviews Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics marketing guy, and Seth, indie comics artist, about their involvement with The Complete Peanuts. Reynolds has a lot of interesting things to say about how the series, which launches in April, will be promoted and about how the comics shops don't seem to "get it" yet. Seth is equally insightful about the artistic aspects, and shares his motivation for being involved:

Schulz was my most formative influence. No artist made me want to be a cartoonist more than Schulz (well, maybe [Jack] Kirby). I loved him as a child and his work spoke to me deeply even then. But, honestly, it was in my early 20's that I came to reappraise Schulz and look at him with the eyes of an adult. That's when I really began to collect all of his books and really study what he had done (and was doing)...[His] drawing was a real beacon to me. His simplicity of design and composition taught me a great deal. Combined with other influences like Herge, [Peter] Arno, [Charles] Addams, John Stanley etc. really made the core of what I wanted my artwork to be like. It was Schulz's profound honesty that made the most impression on me as a young cartoonist ([R.] Crumb also). I'm still deeply moved by much of what made up Peanuts.

Surprisingly, when I went to look up the Comics Journal interview with Charles Schulz, cited by Seth in the interview, it wasn't in their online archives; hopefully Fantagraphics will rectify that by the time the first book's out. But the Norman Rockwell Museum had this interview from 1988. The Charles M. Schulz Museum has a lot of information, and you can view strips online at the official Peanuts website.