This was an incredibly cute biography of Charles “Sparky” M. Schulz’s life. This really developed a love of the Peanuts comics in me, especially as we were able to see them integrated into this manga along side the normal manga art. A really well edited and concise telling of Schulz’s life. I highly recommend.

Thank you to Yuzuru Kuki, the editor, publisher, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!

“No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from!” - Linus

It is no secret to those in my social circle that I love Peanuts—especially Snoopy (Schroder is a close second), of course. And yet, I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t know much about Schulz prior to receiving this ARC of “Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz - The Creator of Snoopy and Peanuts.” I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was learning and being entertained—a feat that only so many can accomplish!

The art style is cute, and keeps the original style of Schulz’ art of the ‘Lil’ Kids’ and ‘Peanuts.’ I liked how expressive the characters were; I could feel all of Schulz’ triumphs, grief, and pain. I learned more about a series that I adore so much. Even the pacing felt appropriate, running through since birth to his untimely death. However, I was looking for more towards the end of the book, like an epilogue of sorts.

I’m still left wondering that if Schulz didn’t want anyone to pick up Peanuts, how is it that I’m collecting new strips every Sunday and saving them? I know money talks and Schulz isn’t here to enforce his decisions, but I also know that Peanuts makes people happy all over the world. Knowing what I know now about Schulz, I believe he’d treasure that above any dollar amount.

The works of Charles Schultz, especially in their earliest years, can be seen as intensely American, but the media empire that grew up around him has crossed many borders. Thus, we have an English translation of an originally Japanese-language manga biography of Charles Schultz before us now.

The art is consistently interesting and makes good use of emotion-conveying effects in a story that is mainly about Schultz’s inner life. The main objection that can be made to the art, and indeed the book as a whole, is that everybody is beautiful. Yazuru Kuki’s rendition of the people in Shultz’s life are distinctive and clear but everyone-- the side characters, the old people, everyone at every stage of life-- is fresh faced and wide-eyed and cute. Even as Schultz ages though the latter third of the book the adjective ‘tousle-haired’ kept rising to mind. This is not a particularly large defect, and certainly Yazuru Kuki shows great skill, but I thought it worth mentioning, particularly after the shock I got seeing the actual photograph of Shultz as an old man in the final pages.

The narrative of Shultz’s life is told primarily through conversations, and the dialogue scenes are dynamic and human, conveying well the mostly subtle and personal events that shaped the his life pre-Peanuts. After Schultz begins Peanuts, almost exactly halfway through the volume, we are treated to a slightly more technical view of his life of thoroughgoing wholesomeness, which seemed to have been necessarily uneventful due to Schultz’s total dedication to his craft (we get to see his first vacation from the strip he took to commemorate turning 75). I seem to see a little extra care put into making sure the historical and geographical context of the events of Schultz’s life are laid out as clearly as possible, given that this was originally published in Japan, but I may be merely projecting since I have never read an American biography. Wherever that extra care in contextualization came from, I found it quite useful in coaching me through his life.

While it does well showing Shultz’s early life emotional struggles, I think the narrative might have derived more depth from focusing on Shultz’s struggles with anxiety after his success, but then again people talked little about mental health in Shultz’s lifetime and there might have been relatively little material to draw upon.

Overall, this is a slightly visually distracting but thorough and heartwarming account of a life dedicated to art.

This was such a sweet read. It definitely leans a bit in the romanticized (hagiographied?) direction—but it is a loving and thorough look at Schulz’s life. I learned a lot didn’t know: like that Schulz was a war veteran and that many of the Peanuts characters were inspired by real people in his life. It gives you a deeper appreciation for his work and how personal those little comic strips really were.

The art is lovely—classic manga style by Yuzuru Kuki—paired with actual Peanuts comic panels, which makes for a great visual blend.

Heads-up: because this is manga, it reads right to left.

If you’re a Peanuts fan or just curious about the quiet genius behind Charlie Brown and Snoopy, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Udon Entertainment | UDON Entertainment, and Yuzuru Kuki for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Peanuts lovers, rejoice! This thoughtful biography of one of the most influential men in comics is perfect for the middle grade crowd. The author managed to balance being informative with being entertaining, a hard feat.

This is absolutely adorable and I love the illustration work. If your or anyone you know is a fan of Peanuts this manga is most definitely worth reading.

This is an interesting combination of genres. It's hard to find good contemporary biographies for younger readers. This is accessible to many types of readers. I'm not sure how the anime aspect of it will translate for my patrons, but I know they love oldschool cartoons like Peanuts, so it's worth a try.

This is an easy read where kids can learn something and enjoy some quality cartooning.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh how i loved this!

Like many people, I have been a fan of Peanuts, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy since childhood (I was a very proud owner of a set of Charlie Brown's Encyclopedia!) and when I saw that this was available to request at Netgalley, I just had to to read it.

I will say that I knew absolutely nothing about Charles M. Schulz before this, but I really enjoyed reading through the highlights of his life in manga form. True, it is romanticized and clearly aimed for younger readers, but I felt the full impact of what happens towards the end so I guess the idealized depiction of almost 50 years of cartooning still got to me.

I now have a greater respect for Mr. Schulz. The consistency of daily drawing + the reliability of submitting everything three to six weeks before the deadline was especially mind blowing (could never be me, LOL). I'm also very inspired to keep going with my creative endeavors bec wow, I related so hard to the self-doubt, second guessing, and imposter syndrome of it all.

Reading this also made me want to fall into a rabbit hole of the actual historical facts of his life, so that's probably what I'll be doing for the next two to five hours. LOL

Loved the art style and pacing of this manga and I seriously think fans of Snoopy and Peanuts, however casual of a fan they may be, will like this.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I’ve read “Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography” by David Michaelis and it was a good read. This was another great read about Schulz. The drawings were great along with the interesting facts.

As a fan of Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, I was excited to get this as a e book. I was not disappointed. The illustrations of all the Schultz members combined with the dates and stories of those times. The emotion behind the words. The evolution of how Charles Schulz became a cartoonist and brought peanuts to life. This book..... AMAZING!!!

I'm a huge Peanuts & Charles Schulz fan and his biography is the only one I read willingly as a child. This manga version is much more young-reader-friendly than the book I actually got as a kid and I still learned something new! The personalities of the people are simplified but it is a great brief overview of the life and career of Charles Shulz. Plus, an iconic cartoonist deserves a comic-style biography, it just makes sense!

As someone who enjoys the Peanuts comics quite a lot I was curious to learn more about their creator. This manga gave some interesting insights into Charles M. Schultz’s life. I enjoyed the art style. The only thing that bothered me a little was that Schultz got a little too idealised for my liking. I was almost expecting for a halo to appear above him.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As an artist, I absolutely loved this beautifully crafted manga biography of Charles M. Schulz. The layout and illustrations bring his story to life in a way that is both engaging and inspiring. One of the highlights for me was the character biographies and the treasured insights into the beloved Peanuts gang—learning how they all came to be and the inspirations behind them made this an even more special read.

This book is a fantastic resource for aspiring artists, illustrators, and cartoonists, offering a glimpse into the creative journey of one of the most influential figures in comics. Whether you're a longtime fan of Peanuts or discovering Schulz’s legacy for the first time, this is a must-read.

A huge thank you to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for allowing me an online preview of this fabulous book.

Thank you to Udon Entertainment and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. If you are looking for an accessible biography of Charles M Schulz, this manga is for you with some beautiful art and added real photos throughout. There's also a timeline at the back of the book if you need a concise explanation. I would say if you're a big Peanuts fan like myself and wanted to know more about the creator and his process this is for you. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars

I love peanuts and this biography is extremely interesting and very cute. I loved the drawings and there are a lot of informations and interesting facts.

***ARC from NetGalley***

As a long time Peanuts fan, I was curious to see what a manga biography of the creator's life would look like.

This is a beautifully drawn and easily accessible book. The author walks the reader through Schulz's life from birth to death and covers the evolution of both his career as a cartoonist, but also as a father and member of his community.

I would highly recommend this to Peanuts' fans and young artists looking for inspiration and motivation to follow their dreams.

As a manga and introduction to the man behind the creation of Peanuts, I think this is a well-executed and easy flowing manga. The artwork is cute, the panels are easy to follow, the narrative builds easily on itself. It would be fine for a younger reader. However, it does not seem to include a truly accurate picture of the author. It's very clearly idealized, and the way he's portrayed as a character in this does not seem to match up with most other biographical information I've read about him. I wouldn't go as far as to say any of the information itself is inaccurate, but I did feel as though it deliberately left out/avoided facts about his life or descriptions about him that would undermine the happy-g0-lucky sweet guy he's shown to be here. It's worth reading though, especially if you're trying to get a younger or reluctant reader who enjoys manga into non-fiction.

Such a sweet read! As a Peanuts fan who didn’t know too much about the history of its creator, I really enjoyed this look into the life of Charles M. Schulz. I’d definitely recommend this book (or any in this series) to any junior readers interested in biography- a really great introduction to the genre as well as a look at a more unconventional way to write a biography.

The mix of the creators art with Schulz’ work was lovely, and I enjoyed seeing the key works and how the characters evolved, as well as how they relate to and reference his own life.

Overall I really enjoyed this! Thank you to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up loving snoopy and reading this gave me a whole new insight into the mind behind the cute character and universe of peanuts and snoopy.

I really enjoyed seeing the manga format of this biography. It was such a fun read that always helped me calm down from my usual heavier themed reads.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for sharing this eARC with me!

A graphic novel that allows the reader to step into the life of Charles M. Schulz to learn who is was and how he developed the Peanuts cartoon. A book that peaks into his personality, his determination, and his accomplishments.