Thursday, May 1, 2008

Holy Shlabotnik!

If you're anywhere near Santa Rosa, California between May 14th and November 3rd, you'll want to check this out:

Enjoy Charles Schulz’s epic baseball comics in this new exhibition featuring 66 original Peanuts baseball-themed strips at the Charles M. Schulz Museum running May 14 through November 3, 2008.

“On the surface many of Charles Schulz’s baseball strips appear to be a light-hearted look at the All-American pastime and can be enjoyed as such. However on another level, Schulz seems to be commenting on important life themes,” explains, Stephan Pastis, exhibition co-curator and cartoonist of comic strip, Pearls Before Swine. “The themes—hope, perseverance, humiliation, and leadership—can be found disguised in the Gang’s often ill-fated baseball games,” adds Pastis.

Schulz commented in an interview that when he created a sports-themed strip, he did not feel that it was dealing with sports. Instead, he said, “I use it as a springboard. Charlie Brown’s problems on the mound are emotional conflicts that everyone deals
with.”
Yeah, I know I'm just running a press release, but Peanuts was my favorite comic when I was young and, being a kid whose love of baseball far outstripped his ability to play it, I very much identified with Charlie Brown.

And now I'm bald too, so if anything, the affinity has grown.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've seen some pretty nasty "comebackers" in my day, but in every case, the pitcher remained fully clothed.

It must have been rough to be Charlie Brown.

TC said...

Love Peanuts, but when ESPN2 starts broadcasting competitive Calvinball, then, I'm totally tuning in. Until then...

Anonymous said...

I picked up a book full of baseball-themed Peanuts comics in Cooperstown a couple years ago. I will treasure it forever.