Exclusive Fantagraphics preview: Snoopy goes to war in Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron

2015 is a huge year for Charles Schultz’s Peanuts. It’s the 65th anniversary of Schultz’s comic strip and the 50th anniversary of the first Peanuts TV special, A Very Charlie Brown Christmas. The entertainment industry is celebrating with a major Peanuts push, both in and out of comics: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang are making their big-screen debut in a new computer-animated feature film from 20th Century Fox; designer Chip Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear have a new art book, Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz And The Art Of Peanuts, with over 300 pages of rare and unpublished original work from Schultz’s archives; and both KaBOOM! and Fantagraphics are celebrating with new comic releases.

This week, KaBOOM! has a new hardcover of original Peanuts stories, pin-ups, and strips done by some of the industry’s top creators and emerging talents, and next month, Fantagraphics continues its line of gorgeous Peanuts collections with Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron, spotlighting the imaginary wartime high jinks of the Snoopy’s alter ego, World War I Flying Ace. This preview of Fantagraphics’ collection showcases the sharp comic timing that has helped Schultz’s strips withstand the test of time, but they also have that slight tinge of existential dread that gives his work philosophical richness. Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron arrives just in time for the holidays, and it’s a great gift idea for both long-time Peanuts fans and kids that fall in love with Snoopy when they see him on screen for the first time.