Stephen Tillotson is an undeclared sophomore. He can be contacted at [email protected].I wouldn’t hesitate to say that newspapers, even in an age of computers, are pretty important for informing readers of the day’s news both locally and nationally. Newspapers are fairly inexpensive and are quite portable also.
Yes, newspapers are utilized for all of these reasons, but my favorite reason to read a newspaper is to see the comics.
Sounds childish, I know, but what’s not to love about a section of the newspaper devoted entirely to the joy of a good comic strip?
There are many to choose from, but I would say that “Peanuts” is my all-time favorite. When I was younger, I liked it mainly because of Snoopy and Woodstock. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the whole “Peanuts” gang and their humorous ups and downs.
Now, I realize that such a great comic strip and its lovable characters could only come from a great cartoonist. In this instance, that cartoonist is the late Charles M. Schulz, who passed away in 2000 after nearly 50 years of “Peanuts.”
Recently, a biography of Schulz, called “Schulz and Peanuts,” was released and I was immediately interested. Then I analyzed the situation and realized I didn’t want or need to read it.
I’m sure the author of the book put lots of time and effort into the biography, but I like who Schulz was without having to read a book about him. Biographies generally contain the inevitable revelations about the person’s divorce or affairs or personal demons. Schulz was such a great cartoonist that I like to remember him for the comics he drew and the smiles he put on people’s faces.
Sure, it might be interesting to know a few tidbits about how he drew the cartoons or what inspired him to draw for so long, but I could really care less about the rest of his personal life. Schulz’s job was to draw cartoons and that’s what he did best. His intentions were not to reveal the man behind the pen; his main focus was on giving people something to smile about and enjoying the creative process of drawing a comic strip.
I’m not discouraging people from reading the Schulz biography. People can read the book and decide for themselves what they think about him. My beef mainly lies with the people or companies that saturate the public with detailed personal histories of beloved, talented figures like Schulz.
I have not read the book, so I won’t judge this particular author. He could not be blamed anyway, because these archaeological digs into someone’s personal life have been around for quite some time.
Any time you go looking in people’s closets, you’re bound to find a few bones, if not a skeleton or two, that would be better left alone. There is no need to look in every nook and cranny for some salacious bit of information that will only get blown out of proportion as soon as it surfaces. Let’s all remember that Charles M. Schulz, the president of the United States or whoever it may be is only human. They are allowed to make a few mistakes here and there.
And I know Schulz made his share of mistakes, but he probably used them to make his legendary comic strip a little more legendary. He wasn’t perfect, and neither was Charlie Brown; that’s why his comics were so successful and heartwarming.