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

I have never read Manga before but I am a huge fan of Snoopy and the Peanuts comic strip. I was very interested to learn more about Charles M. Schultz so i decided to check it out.i am so glad i did.

I loved the Manga format - it made what might have been a boring and tedious biography into something that is fun to read. You will lean about Charles M. Schultz’s life and the beginnings of the strip as well as his entire life. There are Peanuts comics sprinkled throughout the book which makes the journey even more appealing.

By reading this book, it is like meeting Charles M. Schultz. There are little tidbits of fascinating information, like fun facts that you will learn, such as how Snoopy got his name and what he was almost called. When Mr. Schultz was in the hospital, he drew a mural on the wall of Snoopy and it has been preserved to this day.

I highly recommend this book to Manga fans, Peanuts lovers and anyone else interested in the life of a legendary cartoonist. The Manga format is a great way to appeal to a wider audience and I hope there are more Manga biographies like it in the future.

Thank you to Udon Entertainment/Manga Biographies and NetGallery for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

One thing you need to know about me? I LOVE Peanuts. I own a vintage Woodstock stuffed toy wearing Christmas pyjamas, for God's sake. So I knew I just HAD to read this manga biography of Charles M. Schulz!
I quite enjoyed this sweet, somewhat romanticized recounting of Schulz's life, which was pretty exhaustive. I will say it was a bit too straightforward and earnest for it to read like a true to history biography, but the ending did get me to tear up a bit, so it was definitely successful. The art was also very nice.
I'd definitely recommend this book to younger Peanuts readers who might be curious about the author, and to superfans who can't help but consume anything and everything Snoopy & Co.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I only know the character Snoopy and never dive into Peanuts myself but through this book i was introduced into the world of the author himself, from his childhood to the creation of the famous Peanuts and Snoopy. It delivers Schulz's journey and his passion in drawing cartoon slash comic in a beautiful heartwarming way. The drawing is amazing. They even added actual documentation of Schulz's places and achievement. Aside from the fans of Peanuts/Snoopy, i think this book would be a great read as encouragement in pursuing your dream!

This was a really fun little book! Biographies have never really my genre, unless they were for a school report. This book presents the facts of Schulz's life in a way the flows very naturally, almost like it's a fiction story, and it never felt dry to read. There are also a lot of fun little extras along with the main story: trivia, timelines, and a source list. I hope there are more in the pipeline, because I would have loved reading these as a kid, and was pleasantly surprised by it as an adult!

This was a cute manga biography of Charles M Schultz. A great book for Peanuts lovers and people who want to learn more about Charles and his popular comic book. This one was perfect for younger readers, this version made it easier and more fun to read.

This is a very cute, easy to understand biography for kids... in manga form! I had heard about this upcoming manga biography actually recently, so when it showed up on NetGalley I grabbed it right away! Charlie Brown and friends are such iconic legends that this little book with its timeline not only on Charles M. Schulz' life but the evolution of Peanuts itself is a good little primer for anyone interested in cartooning or just general pop culture/entertainment history.

Thank you to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for the eARC for early revie!

“I'm gonna be a cartoonist, and a great one at that!”

Charles M. Schulz the creator of Peanuts, is a wonderful example of how many great artists, authors, and storytellers start out as small underdogs that dream big and work hard to achieve their goals.

Charles, AKA Sparky, grew up as a shy but talented artist with the big dream of becoming a cartoonist and getting his art published in the newspapers.

Although denied many times, Sparky persisted, and eventually, backed by the support of family and friends, he was able to get his comic into the paper.

And the rest is history.

A manga biography about the creator of a comic strip. What a time to be alive.

This was such a beautiful and simple way to tell the story of the creation and journey of the most beloved comic strip ever crafted.

I honestly couldn't recommend this manga enough. It's fairly easy to read, tells a great story, and even has some bonus content at the end of the book.

This was an eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Everybody loves Snoopy and the Peanuts gang! All over the world they are a household name. And you'll definitely love this manga biography of the creator! It's a celebration of the life of the Charles M. Schulz and his beloved comic strip. From his childhood to his death, you'll get to know "Sparky". Him creating Peanuts gets the cake here. I like the flow of the story. It's a brief book so scenes of his parents passing away are swift ones leaving just a sprinkle of emotion. His divorce, surgery and death are not highlighted enough. It's more focus of his joy and success is more on the spotlight. Still an enjoyable read.

I do related to Sparky because like him, I'm an introvert too. There are moments in the comics when those "introvertness" kicks in that (specially the ones with Donna and how he abhor the name "Peanuts") I can find myself in that.

The artwork really fits with the story. It a Josei style, nothing exaggerated or crowded. It's clean and minimal but eye catching. I would like to mentioned how cool they include some Peanuts strips in the later part of the story.

Stay for the extra features in this book because it's reeking with more trivia and photos that you might not read on the manga. If you're wondering about the hospital Schulz did the mural (which was in the manga), then it is featured in this bonus material and many more. You'll really enjoy this whether you're a fan of Peanuts or not. So I can say this is highly recommend!

Manga is the perfect way to recount this artist’s life! Loved learning about how Charles Schulz became a famous cartoonist. His background story and art come together to tell the story of hard work and determination. An inspirational tale—well written and illustrated!

A fantastic way to present biographies to readers of all ages. This book is wonderfully drawn and the pacing is fantastic. The book is very respectful of Mr. Schulz and seems to hit on all of the public moments of his life. A great read, highly recommend it to any fan of comics.

Before reading this book, I knew nothing about manga and everything about Charles M. Schulz and "Peanuts". I have been a fan of his comic strip since I was a small child, and have read probably every biography on him. I must say this book did a most excellent job covering his entire life. It concentrated on both his many successes, as well as his failures. Manga obviously wants readers to not be defeated by any roadblocks they encounter in their lifetime. Manga is also supposed to be read from right to left, which I soon realized. The drawings are incredibly sweet, too. Charles Schulz probably would have loved this colorful biography of his life.

This was such a cute biography for Charles Schulz, and I'm glad to see more manga for younger audiences! This was definitely written for a younger audience, but I learned a lot about the creation of Peanuts.

i really enjoyed this manga! as a fan of snoopy and knott’s berry farm, it was so interesting to see the backstory of the peanuts characters and learn more about charles m. schulz. this was a quick read, and i loved the illustrations.