The Complete Peanuts

Recently I purchased The Complete Peanuts 1957 to 1958 at Lemuria. This edition is the fourth volume of Fantagraphics' reprinting of Charles Schulz's classic comic strip. I thumb through all the books every so often. I've not read this particular book cover-to-cover yet. I'm content with savoring selections of his work.

When I was young, I voraciously read through the compilations of Peanuts, Pogo, Tintin, and Doonesbury. As I got older, I was reading Bloom County and Calvin & Hobbes.

I don't know why, but I've always liked cartoonists and cartooning. Fortunately face-to-face meetings have generally been positive. When I was living in the Bay Area, I met Garry Trudeau at a book signing nearly fifteen years ago. Nice guy. I bought Christmas presents for family and friends. One of them was named J.T. When I asked Garry to inscribe the book to J.T. He mentioned that's what he called his wife.

Many of my favorite cartoonists are now dead. Schulz. Geisel. Mauldin. Kelly. Hergé.

I guess that's why I take my time and savor what I read when I read Schulz's work. When I read and see the work of cartoonists who no longer produce strips or books, I can't help but reminisce about how they made me smile, laugh, and think when I was young.