My Inner Child Takes A Break – Review Of Peanuts #0

Ok, full disclosure – I once played Snoopy in a school production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” when I was 8. I was confronted with this fact in full 8mm glory recently. So, I was fully prepared to dislike Peanuts #0 and complain that it shit on my childhood. But, honestly, inasmuch as we tend to focus on the more adult oriented comics on this site, particularly in the wake of “T” and “T+” DC titles that may as well stand for “Tits” (or “Tits Plus!”) instead of “Teen/Teen +”” (Red Hood And The Oulaws, Catwoman, etc.), there are actually a lot of great books out right now that will bring enjoyment to readers of all ages. For example, Boom! Studios has started a kid friendly imprint called Kaboom! Studios. The titles range from licensed properties, such as Darkwing Duck and Chip And Dale Rescue Rangers, to original books such as Snarked! by Harvey Award winner Roger Langridge – who also did The Muppet Show comic book for Boom!. I loved The Muppet Show adaptation, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that I also loved the relaunch of Peanuts released this past week.

The Peanuts gang is back! Peanuts #0 is a preview issue in the form of a couple new stories: “Carnival Of The Animals” written and illustrated by Ron Zorman, “Woodstock’s New Nest” written and illustrated by Vivki Scott” and a preview of the graphic novel “Happiness Is A Warm Blanket Charlie Brown” edited by Matt Gagnon. These are cut with reprints of some of the classic strips. The tone of the stories and the art, if not pitch perfect to the work of Charles M. Schulz, is still true to the original in overall look and spirit. Take a look at this spread from “Carnival Of The Animals”:

Oh, Charlie Brown - you blockhead! Violet will always be an uptight...darn it, I was supposed to keep my captions kid friendly...

And this bit from “Woodstock’s New Nest” just made me giggle (and, really, that’s when I was won over by the book):

Snoopy makes a better World War I Flying Ace than a Realtor.

A longer preview of “Woodstock’s New Nest” can be found on Bleeding Cool.

Is Kaboom! (it’s just fun to type that – Kaboom!) breaking any new ground with this book? No? But if you’re looking for a book that will give you a few minutes to sit and smile or need something to share with small human who likes books, especially with pictures in between his or her chicken nuggets, pick up the new Peanuts.

Now, I’m off to impound a certain filmstrip before someone converts it to a digital copy that can find its way to YouTube.