Despite quite a few internet commentators decrying the publication of new Peanuts stories after the death of Charles M. Schulz, this new limited series manages to capture the essence of the classic characters without updating or changing them to fit modern times.
The main story is a simple little story about Charlie Brown trying to avoid getting a sun burn while spending the day at the beach with his friends. The other stories range in length from one to six pages and feature the entire cast in various situations and all are very well done and amusing.
A standout is a five page feature where Charlie Brown teaches the reader to draw Linus Van Pelt and uses techniques unlike any other such feature of this type that you have read.
In addition, there are a number of smaller touches for the longtime Peanuts fan. An alternate Schroeder cover which features original Schulz artwork, a reprint of the daily newspaper strip from 1951 that introduced Schroeder, and a “From the Drawing Board” page devoted to classic newspaper strips along with a quote from Schulz about the strips.
It is very clear that from cover-to-cover the Kaboom staff has poured a lot of effort into capturing the flavor of the original comics and that they love and respect the history of the characters. The effort shows through on each page and I am sure that this comic book will delight readers of all ages.
7 out of 10
7 Word Summary: Great to see the classic characters again.
Peanuts #1
Kaboom! – $3.99
