Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz by Yuzuru Kuki [Udon Entertainment #NetGalley]

I am a huge Peanuts fan - in fact, I have every volume of The Complete Peanuts. So to be able to learn more about Charles M. Schulz, the creator of this beloved comic strip, was so much fun in manga form. I learned a lot more about the life through this book and fell even more in love with Peanuts, understanding more of its inspiration and origin. This is a fantastic biography to read about one of the best comic strip artists ever.

I loved learning about Charles M. Schulz, and seeing how Peanuts came to be. I always wondered where the name came from, and the history of the comics, and the way it was portrayed in the manga style was very digestible.

There's a lot more that could be written about Charles M Schulz, but every author has to choose a focus. This wonderful manga biography tells the story of how Schulz came to write comics, along with other details of his life. The tone was serious overall, which surprised me. The Peanuts comics are one of my favorite sources of great humor, and they are truly timeless. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

What a fun manga biography to exist! I hope there are more to come. This was a fun exploration of Schulz's life and a wonderful read for anyone who is a Peanuts fan!

The best biographical information I've read about Schulz has been the individual essays at the head of each Complete Peanuts collection (albeit I haven't read the massive Schulz and Peanuts tome) but this does as good a job as you could expect, and brings an international lens to the view of Schulz and his work. Kuki presents in a neat chronological order, the many elements in Schulz early that inspired Peanuts characters and scenarios, and the dramatic irony that underpins the work (the creation of the first Peanuts strip is presented against the backdrop of Schulz failed marriage proposal to the inspiration for the Little Red Haired Girl) that are somewhat bluntly stated in the text but not underlined or overworked.

However it misses many of the benchmarks of American culture and social conditions that are often considered powerful effects of Schulz work, like the creation of the Black character Franklin, his friendship with female tennis star and gender equality advocate Billie Jean King, and his humanist approach to his religion and religious depictions in his work. These are specifically American issues that may not have the same resonance outside of the US, so their lack of inclusion is unsurprising.

This is still a fun biography that would be great for kids, even if its a little anodyne.

This is a great step into manga for young readers, but if you are interested in the creation of the peanuts then this may be for you!

I grew up reading the peanut strips and watching the movies so I thought this would be fun to pick up. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned and the artwork is great. It kept me engaged and I would share it with my daughter as well.

This review of Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz by Yuzuru Kuki is courtesy of NetGalley
#MangaBiographiesCharlesMSchulz #NetGalley #Peanuts #Snoopy

Rating 5/5
Publication Date: Oct 1, 2024

I'm a huge Snoopy fan and when I saw a bigography of Charles M. Schulz in manga style I had to get a review copy. Initially, seeing the disclaimer about historical accuracy on the table of contents bugged me, but after reading I understood. The manga/comic style depictions helped give color to Schulz's life.

Although I'd known parts of Schulz's history and the origin of Peanuts and Snoopy, I still learned things I didn't know and got to see pictures I hadn't. The book wasn't completely manga/comics and also included a fact section and printings of photos from his life I hadn't seen. Definitely a read that a Peanuts fan would enjoy.

ARC Copy...Honestly thought that was warm, cute and very informative. Oh I feel this would well both in west and east where Snoopy is still popular after some many decades! Impressed that Schulz was dedicated to his craft and the manga does a good job of portraying that. Fun fact, the newspaper that young Schulz's doggy gets published in is "Ripley's", the famous weird source of facts and often mention by them as "wild, retrospect" thing. Curious why "Ripley's" by name was not mentioned in the manga unless legal reasons is the reason.

Thank you Udon Entertainment for a copy of this manga biography of Charles M. Schulz!

Charles M. Schulz is the creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and many more wonderful characters who inhabit the world of Peanuts. Now, learn how a shy, young Schulz first became a cartoonist and how he spent nearly 50 years drawing the beloved newspaper comic strip which has captivated the hearts of readers worldwide.

Perfect for fans of Snoopy and Peanuts! I enjoyed reading about the development and creation of my beloved comic strips / cartoon. After finishing this, it made me want to revisit my Snoopy collection. :)

This beautifully illustrated manga follows the life of Charles M. Schulz from his early life to death. The story is very well told and the very efficient use of text combined with images guides the reader through the ups and downs of his life. It truly was just right.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book. This is my first time reading Manga. I really enjoyed this biography of Charles M. Schulz. I think it is concise and great for young readers.

As a lifetime lover of the Peanuts, I've always admired Schulz but I have to admit that I didn't know as much about him as the beloved characters he created. This book definitely helped rectify that! I will say that I'm not a huge manga reader, so this was a bit difficult to get into the groove of — but once I did, it was well worth the time.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Born on 26 November 1922, Charles ‘Sparky’ Schulz grew up to become one of the world’s most famous cartoonists. A childhood love of comic strips led Charles to creating Peanuts, which ran for 17,897 strips.

Charles was so dedicated to his work that he finished the weekday strips six weeks before their deadline and the Sunday strips ten weeks before theirs. He took his first vacation at 75! Yes, he worked during the vacation. He couldn’t help himself.

I’ve known Snoopy my whole life. The first stuffed toy I was given when I was a baby was Snoopy. One of my only childhood books that came with me into adulthood is a much loved Peanuts paperback. I learned what the characters sounded like watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown when I was a kid. One of my favourite cross stitches is of Lucy and her ‘the doctor is in’ sign.

“Charlie Brown is a boy who never loses hope, no matter how disheartened he is.”

Whenever I see a book collecting Peanuts strips, I am compelled to read it. The characters feel like childhood friends at this point but this is the first time I’ve spent time with them in a manga. It’s also the first time I’ve been introduced to the man behind the characters and I’ve got to say, I’m a fan!

I absolutely loved finding connections between Charles’ life and his characters. Charles’ childhood dog, Spike, became the inspiration for Snoopy. The mother of his childhood friend, Shermy, played Beethoven on the piano. Charles was unlucky when he was a kid. When he taught at the art school he graduated from, Charles’ coworkers included Linus and Charlie Brown. His first love became the inspiration for the red haired girl.

I’m keen to read a biography to learn even more about him.

Fun fact: Snoopy’s birthday is 10 August.

I wasn’t expecting to get all misty eyed reading about the creator of some of my all time favourite kids (and Snoopy) but the end got to me.

Charles announced his retirement on 14 December 1999. The final Sunday strip was published on 13 February 2000. Charles died in his sleep a few hours before it hit the stands.

I had the thought that the creator and creation were so intertwined after so many decades that they couldn’t live without each other. It struck me as so sad and strangely beautiful at the same time.

“That’s what Charles M. Schulz spent his life creating … a comic strip that showed the ups and downs of life, love, and friendship.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and UDON Entertainment for the opportunity to read this manga.

Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz The Creator of Snoopy and Peanuts is a heartwarming biography of Charles Schulz and his journey to becoming the famous cartoonist for the Peanuts comics. There is a disclaimer at the beginning that minor liberties were taken to make the story flow but it doesn’t detract from the story as well. It's my first time reading a manga biography, and I really liked it.

I really love all things Snoopy and Peanuts growing up, so I was excited to read this. The Peanuts comics is a worldwide phenomenon and much beloved in Japan, so this manga pays tribute to the beloved comics with its own style of manga art. The biography goes into detail on Schulz’s childhood, his trials and tribulations and how they reflect in his work, and the inspiration behind many of the Peanuts characters. It was also interestisng to connect together how many characters unrequited love within the Peanuts gang, and so much fun learning about the different facts about each of the main characters (like how much the artwork of Snoopy changed over the years to become the classic character we know and love today). After reading this biography, a lot of things made so much sense to me that I noticed while growing up. Like how Schulz helped create an ice arena in his hometown and how ice skating is prominently featured in the comics (and Knotts Berry Farm, especially during Christmas time!).

Overall, the artwork and story ties together really well for a touching and behind-the-scenes look of the world of Charles Schulz. A must read for any Peanuts fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for providing an ARC for review.

This was a really cute and fun read. I of course knew of snoopy and the peanuts but I’ve never really read anything. I was honestly shocked to read that Schulz published almost 18.000 strips… that is an insane number. I thought this was a great way to learn something about an artist I previously knew nothing about.

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I grew up reading the funny papers. As a child, both my grandparents and parents subscribed to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. My grandparents subscribed to the daily paper; my parents subscribed to the weekend editions. My parents worked full time when I was a kid and subsequently I was taken over to my grandparents’ house at 5AM each morning. One of the first comics I would read was Peanuts.

I grew up with Charlie Brown and his dreams, his dreams of hitting the football that Lucy never allowed him to kick, yanking it away from him at the last second. His dreams of loving the red headed girl were (I think) never realized, if I remember right. However, he had a dog, Snoopy, and he had friends. That made all the difference.

When I scrolled through the list of upcoming books and saw Manga Biographies Charles M. Schultz, I shrieked with happiness. Not only could I review this, but I thought about the thousands of kids who might read this and decide to read Peanuts for themselves.

I have never read a manga before, but it was pretty easy to figure out you were supposed to read each page from right to left.

I had never really known Schultz’ story. It is amazing to me how they treat this biography as a little movie. It opens when he is a child, loving to draw, and hoping one day to become a newspaper comic writer and illustrator. We see the work he puts in every day and the challenges he has to face.

The illustrations in this manga pop off the page. You are inside Schultz’ life and you are seeing his triumphs and downfalls. I also found out the inspiration for each of the Peanuts characters.

This is TRULY a must read if you are a fan of Peanuts. I loved reading every page of this biography. I hope they publish other biographies with equally interesting people.

Charles M. Schulz is the creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and many more wonderful characters who inhabit the world of Peanuts. Now, learn how a shy, young Schulz first became a cartoonist and how he spent nearly 50 years drawing the beloved newspaper comic strip which has captivated the hearts of readers worldwide.

Thank you Udon Entertainment for making this book available on Netgalley as a Read Now book! I’ve been a Peanuts fan since I was 19 years old and I really enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this Manga to anyone who is a Peanuts fan.

This was such a cute format to read about Charles M. Schulz, I knew about him from Snoopy but this has given me new information with cute illustrations.

It´s been almost 10 years since the Peanuts movie, and this biographic manga of his creator, Charles M. Schulz is perfect for the fans and for those who don't know too much about his life.
When I was a child, I saw some of the movies in English (there was no Spanish dubbing) and it was interesting, but nothing more. It was the 2015 movie that touched my heart and I could identify myself with Charlie Brown.
This biography was made with the collaboration of the family. It takes some creative liberties for some parts of Schulz's life that well clearly there are no records of exactly how it happened, but the work in this biography is very nicely done, and I love the art by Yuzuru Kuki.
Definitely the part that brought some tears was about his death, just a day before his last comic strip was published.
What is interesting is that this book was first produced for Japan in 2019, and now it has been translated into English. I had no idea that Snoopy was so beloved in other places, but it couldn't be otherwise for all the love and effort Schulz put into the comic for so long.

Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz by Yuzuru Kuki, 168 pages. BIOGRAPHY, GRAPHIC NOVEL. Udon Entertainment, 2024. $13.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: FEW
Charles “Sparky” Schulz developed a love for the funnies in the newspaper as he read them with his parents as a kid. As he grew older, his dream to become a cartoonist never faded—even while battling self-doubt and facing rejection letters.
The biography of Schulz tells the story of a dedicated man who had insecurities and didn’t let those insecurities keep him from fighting to live his dream. He seems to be one of those genuinely good people you root for and sometimes doubt exists in nonfiction. Visually, the book is occasionally confusing because the story’s panels are supposed to be followed in the traditional manga right-to-left format but the Peanuts cartoons added are still in their original left-to-right format, forcing readers to switch back and forth as they read.
The majority of depicted characters are White. The mature content rating is for alcohol use.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen