Friday, March 18, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

Shehab Ji.


Brief History of Indian Comics Legends.Post_01


-:Shehab:-
While searching for the cartoonist/painters of the Indian comics of Golden Era, I came across the fact that there were such great artist who kept the world oblivious to their identity by just doing their work quietly. They never craved for name, fame, or money. There are still some artists whom I have met, who never like reliving their self, to the outer world. Though they have a complete family, they like to spend his their life in isolation. From years, true artist of our country, never chased fame or money. The great artist of Indian comics exact replica of the above statement.

My research for the Indian Artist, took me Delhi, Mumbai, Pune Meerut. So many places around the nation. Some Among them are such artist about whom I couldn’t get, satisfactory information.
One of such great artist were "Shekh Shahabuddin" who was addressed as "Shehab ji" while collecting information about him I came across places like "Daravi,Dongari" in order to know more about him but luck didn't favour me. I could not get any information. Then I found "Prakash Nerulakar" a calligraphy artist at "Indrajal Comics". There were some difficulties as during those days only artist, story writer were mentioned in the comics even editor got their position on the last page in very small fonts even calligraphy was not there.

during many conversation with `Prakash ji, Aabid Surti. information which I got about Shehab ji was a silent story full of addercity. Shehab ji was sincere man though he had  never shared his grieve with any one, still certain glimpse of his pain could be seen in his arts, Let’s take a quick visit through pages of his life.

                  He was born in Allahabad City. When he was 12 yr old, his Parent assassinated. His brother was a bus driver. Shehab ji couldn't complete his graduation after matrices in order to have some earnings, he worked as a carpenter. He did cartooning as free Lansing he created many cartoon characters like "Mangalu madari-Bandar Bihari, chhotu- lambu, Chimpu, Chaman Charli", Among these, his most popular character was Chimpu 1984, which was on the last page of comic "Indrajaal". Apart from this, there was one more character, "Chhotu Lambu" form "Parag", published in 1968. He even created many characters like Mangalu Madari-Bandar Bihari, Chaman Charli for Diamond comics. Apart from cartooning he was even a calligraphy artist. For 1cartoon strip he get Rs.5. 


It was a time when trams use to serve peoples as a medium of travelling in Bombay (Now Mumbai). there came a day, when he was taking his strip to Bennett Coleman company (Times of India),as train arrived he tried to enter in it, and he couldn’t . Just when the second tram arrived he tried to step on it but somehow his leg struck in it. This incident completely altered Shehab ji life even after losing his legs; he always faced difficulties without any grievance .But he continuously attached with cartooning. Now it seemed like there was a kind of invisible bond between him Dilemma. His cartoon strip Chimpu was a picture story without dialogues his immense sense of humor makes people laugh just by looking at that strip by seeing cartoons only , its was seemed that he was highly with Charli Chaplin  who without uttering a single word make people laugh. Even he named his one of character Chaman Charli. he spend his last few days of his life in such isolation that even his friends relatives were couldn't came to know that when this great artist has ended his beautiful journey.

In his short life span Shehab ji was completely devoid towards cartooning become immortal in the history of Indian comics. May be today he is not between us; his cartoon will always paint our live with motley colors.


(based on the conversation with Abid Surti and Prakash Nirulakar).
Avanika Rai,Usman Ali Khan.....:) 


If you feel the given information is incomplete or it can be modified then please inform me.






भारतीय कॉमिक्स सभ्यता की खोज  ''शेहाब जी ''

इंडियन कॉमिक्स के golden age के कार्टूनिस्ट /चित्रकारों और लेखको की खोज करते हुए मैंने जाना की कुछ आर्टिस्ट इतने महान है की वह चुपचाप अपना काम करते रहे .उन्होंने कभी नाम पैसा शोहरत की चाहत नहीं की  .जहाँ तक की आज भी कई ऐसे आर्टिस्ट हैं जिनसे में मिला हूँ ,वह कभी भी अपने आप को बाहरी लोगो के बीच लाना पसंद नहीं करते हैं.
पूरा घर-परिवार होते हुए भी एकाकी जीवन पसंद करते हैं.सदियों से हमारे देश में होता आया है की एक सच्चा और अच्छा आर्टिस्ट कभी भी नाम पैसा शोहरत के पीछे  नहीं भागता है.भारतीय comcis के इन महान आर्टिस्ट ने इसको बखूबी निभाया है.
भारतीय आर्टिस्ट को लेकर मेरी खोज मुझे Delhi,Mumbai , Puna ,Meerut और न जाने कहाँ कहाँ तक ले गई.इनमे कुछ आर्टिस्ट ऐसे हैं जिनके बारे में काफी कोशिश करने के बाद भी  मैं बहुत कम जानकारी जुटा पाया हूँ .
ऐसे ही एक महान कार्टूनिस्ट थे ''शेहाब''(Shehab).शेहाब जी का पूरा नाम ''शेख शहाबुद्दीन'' था.शेहाब जी के बारे मैं जानकारी जुटाते हुए मैंने मुंबई के धारावी ,डोंगरी के कई चक्कर लगाए. लेकिन मेरे हाथ कुछ भी न लगा .तब मैंने इंद्रजाल कॉमिक्स के एक कैलीग्राफी आर्टिस्ट ''प्रकाश नेरुलकर'' को ढून्ढ निकला .यह बहुत मुश्किल था क्यूंकि उस वक़्त कॉमिक्स में सिर्फ आर्टिस्ट और कहानीकार का नाम ही होता था .कैलीग्राफी आर्टिस्ट का नाम नहीं होता था .एडिटर का नाम भी कॉमिक्स के आखरी पन्ने में बहुत छोटे फॉण्ट में दिया जाता था.
प्रकाश जी और आबिद सुरती जी से बात करते हुए मुझे शेहाब जी के बारे में जो जानकारी प्राप्त हुई वह दर्द में डूबी हुई एक आर्टिस्ट की मूक गाथा है.शेहाब जी बहुत कम बोलने वाले इन्सान थे .उन्होंने अपनी जिंदिगी के दर्द को कभी किसी के साथ नहीं बाटा,हालाकि कभी कभी यह दर्द जहाँ -तहां उनकी आर्ट में बयां हो जाता है.
चलिए अब शेहाब जी की जिंदिगी में झाकते हैं.शेहाब जी का जन्म इलाहाबाद में हुआ था .जब वह १२ साल के थे तब उनके माँ -बाप का देहांत हो गया था.उनके एक भाई थे जो की बस ड्राईवर  थे.शेहाब जी ने मेट्रिक तक ही शिक्षा पाई थी .अपना गुज़ारा चलाने के लिए उन्होंने कारपेंटर का भी काम किया था.उन्होंने कार्टूनिग का काम फ्रीलांसिंग  के रूप में  शुरू किया था.उन्होंने कई कॉमिक्स Character की रचना की थी .जैसे -मंगलू मदारी बन्दर बिहारी ,छोटू लम्बू ,चिम्पू,चमन चार्ली .इनसब में सबसे ज्यादह मशहुर था उनका चिम्पू.चिम्पू 1984 में इंद्रजाल कॉमिक्स के आखरी पन्नो में हुआ करता था.इसके अलावा उनका एक और Character था ...छोटू -लम्बू जो की पराग में 1958 में publish हुआ करता था.Diamond कॉमिक्स के लिए उन्होंने कुछ कॉमिक्स भी बनाये  थे.जैसे -मंगलू मदारी -बन्दर बिहारी,छोटू लम्बू.कार्टूनिंग के साथ -साथ वह कैलीग्राफी भी किया करते थे.....उस समय एक कार्टून स्ट्रिप के उन्हें 5 रुपये मिला करते थे .
यह वह दौर था जब मुंबई में ट्राम चला करती थीं.लोग सुबह-सुबह अपने काम धंधो को जाने के लिए ट्राम का इस्तेमाल किया करते थे .ऐसा ही एक दिन रहा होगा जब शेहाब जी अपनी बने हुई स्ट्रिप को लेकर Bennett and coleman (Times of India) के दफ्टर को निकले थे.ट्राम आ कर रुकी और शेहाब जी ने चढ़ने  की कोशिश की लेकिन कामयाब नहीं हुए.कुछ ही समय के इंतज़ार में दूसरी ट्राम आ गई .....इसको पकड़ने के चक्कर में न जाने कैसे शेहाब जी के पैर ट्राम के नीचे आ गए .इस दुर्घटना ने शेहाब जी की जिंदिगी बादल डाली .दोनों पैर गवा देने के बाद भी शेहाब जी ने मुश्किलों से हार नहीं  मानी. वह कार्टूनिग से जुड़े रहे.मुश्किलों और मुफलिसी से जैसे शेहाब जी ने अब दोस्ती कर ली थी.शेहाब जी का कार्टून स्ट्रिप चिम्पू ,बिना dialogue की हुआ करती थी उनका गज़ब का sens of humer लोगो को सिर्फ चित्र देख कर हँसा देता था .उनके कार्टून को देख कर लगता है की वह कहीं न कहीं महान आर्टिस्ट  चार्ली चैपलिन से inspire थे .जो की बिना एक भी शब्द बोले लोगो को हँसा-हँसा कर लोटपोट कर देता था.शेहाब जी के एक कार्टून character का नाम भी चमन चार्ली  है.
          अपनी जिंदिगी के आखरी दिन शेहाब जी ने इतनी गुमनामी में गुज़ारे की उनके दोस्त और निकट सम्बन्धी लोगो भी नहीं पता चल पाया की शेहाब जी कब इस दुनिया को अलविदा कह कर एक अनजाने सफ़र की ओर बढ गए.अपनी छोटी सी जिंदिगी में शेहाब जी ने जितना भी कार्टूनिंग में काम किया वह भारतीय कॉमिक्स के इतिहास में उनको अमर करने के लिए काफी है.आज शेहाब जी आज हमारे बीच  नहीं है लेकिन उनके बनाये कार्टून हमारी जिंदगी में सदा ख़ुशी के रंग घोलते रहेंगे.
(आबिद सुरती और प्रकाश नेरुलकर के साथ हुई बात-चीत पर आधारित).
यदि आप को लगता है की दी गई जानकारी में कुछ कमियां है या इसको और भी बढाया जा सकता है तो कीर्प्या हमे ज़रूर बताए. .

Friday, March 11, 2011

Vimanika Comics teams up with Chetan Desai for a live action film on 'The Sixth'


''Chetan Desia''
Vimanika Comics teams up with Chetan Desai for a live action film on 'The Sixth'

After working with some award winning artists and writers Vimanika has now roped in Director, Chetan Desai from "Ramayana the Epic" fame to make a live action film based on one of the main characters from the comic series. Vimanika has been creating some of the most fascinating artworks in the comic series never before seen in India. It has now taken one step further joined hands with Chetan Desai to make a film on one of its most popular title The Sixth : Legend of Karna.
The story : A successful businessman is forced to go to India in search of the dark shadows that has been haunting him since his childhood days. The epic quest unfolds when he discovers that the he is in the midst of the greatest war of all time as a warrior himself. The twisted legend of his true identity with bravery, treachery, loyalty and respect is revealed in the mystery. The greatest warrior of all time shall fight the demons of the dark world, yet again.
One of India‘s finest animation heads, Chetan has produced over 2000 minutes of 3D animation. His talent as Animation and Visual Effects Superving director has been appreciated across both international and domestic industry and his work has been awarded in various forumsincluding BAFTA, GDC, Seagate and Screen Awards.Chetan‘s Ramayan The Epic was critically acclaimed and very well accepted by all age groups. Chetan has the technological distinction and the creative finesse to understand the nuances that we have painstakingly built over the last 5 years bringing out our comics", says Karan Vir, CEO and creative head behind the master epic.

"60% of the film will be shot with chroma screen and the film will retain the flavor of the comic book artwork look. It will almost be like the characters from the book have come alive on screen.
We will be using an advanced digital imaging system for high-end production workflow. This film has substantial amount visual effects and chroma keying work. It is a professional production tool, designed to take visual effects moviemaking out of the stone age to the next level of digital production in India.The film will be digitally shot with the latest technology - also used in the most recent Hollywood films like the Social Network and Pirates of the Caribbean-On stranger tides.
I believe that through this creative and artistic engagement with Vimanika Comics bringing together the art and technology, a story inspired for many years, we will bring in a new format of film making in India. Exploring this new medium, it will lift the bars for Indian films being compared to international films added Chetan Desai.Source:-http://www.animationxpress.com

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Brief history of indian comics legends.

BRIEF  HISTORY OF  INDIAN COMICS  LEGENDS.



Coming....SOON





Charles Monroe Schulz-Creator of Peanuts(Post_04)


Charles Monroe Schulz-Creator of Peanuts(Post_04)

Awards

Schulz received the National Cartoonists Society Humor Comic Strip Award in 1962 for Peanuts, the Society's Elzie Segar Award in 1980, their Reuben Award for 1955 and 1964, and their Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. He was also a hockey fan; in 1981, Schulz was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey in the United States, and he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.On June 28, 1996, Schulz was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, adjacent to Walt Disney's. A replica of this star appears outside his former studio in Santa Rosa. Schulz is a recipient of theSilver Buffalo Award, the highest adult award given by the Boy Scouts of America, for his service to American youth.
On January 1, 1974, Schulz served as the Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
On February 10, 2000, Congressman Mike Thompson introduced H.R. 3642, a bill to award Schulz the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor the United States legislature can bestow. The bill passed the House (with only Ron Paul voting no and 24 not voting) on February 15, and the bill was sent to the Senate where it passed unanimously on May 2.The Senate also considered a bill S.2060 (introduced by Diane Feinstein). President Bill Clinton signed the bill into law on June 20, 2000. On June 7, 2001, Schulz's widow Jean accepted the award on behalf of her late husband in a public ceremony.
Schulz was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2007.

Legacy

When the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota opened in 1992, the Amusement Park in the center of the Mall was themed around Schulz' "Peanuts" characters, until the Mall lost the rights to use the branding in 2006.
In 2000, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors rechristened the Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport in his honor. The airport's logo features Snoopy in goggles and scarf, taking to the skies on top of his red doghouse.
The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa opened on August 17, 2002, two blocks away from his former studio and celebrates his life's work and art of cartooning. A bronze statue of Charlie Brown and Snoopy stands in Depot Park in downtown Santa Rosa.
Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center
The Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center at Sonoma State University is one of the largest libraries in the CSU system and the state of California, with a 400,000-volume general collection and with a 750,000-volume automated retrieval system capacity. The $41.5 million building was named after Schulz, and his wife donated $5 million needed to build and furnish the structure. The library opened in 2000 and now stands as one of the largest buildings in the university.
Peanuts on Parade has been St. Paul, Minnesota’s tribute to its favorite native cartoonist. It began in 2000 with the placing of 101 5-foot-tall (1.5 m) statues of Snoopy throughout the city of St. Paul. Every summer for the next four years, statues of a different Peanuts character were placed on the sidewalks of St. Paul. In 2001, there was Charlie Brown Around Town, 2002 brought Looking for Lucy, then in 2003 along came Linus Blankets St. Paul, ending in 2004 with Snoopy lying on his doghouse. The statues were auctioned off at the end of each summer, so some remain around the city, but others have been relocated. The auction proceeds were used for artists' scholarships and for permanent, bronze statues of the Peanuts characters. These bronze statues are in Landmark Plaza and Rice Park in downtown St. Paul.
In 2006, Forbes ranked Schulz as the third highest-earning deceased celebrity, having earned $35 million in the previous year.In 2009, he was ranked 6th.According to Tod Benoit in his book Where Are They Buried? How Did They Die?, Charles M. Schulz's income during his lifetime totaled more than $1.1 billion

Religion

Schulz often touched on religious themes in his work, including the classic television cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), which features the character Linus van Pelt quoting the King James Version of the Bible Luke 2:8-14 to explain "what Christmas is all about." In personal interviews Schulz mentioned that Linus represented his spiritual side.
Schulz, reared in the Lutheran faith, had been active in the Church of God as a young adult and then later taught Sunday school at a United Methodist Church.
From the late 1980s, however, Schulz described himself in interviews as a "secular humanist":
I do not go to church anymore... I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in.
In the same interview, Schulz also acknowledged that he was not exactly sure what a secular humanist is. In the 1960s, Robert L. Short interpreted certain themes and conversations in Peanuts as being consistent with parts of Christian theology, and used them as illustrations during his lectures about the gospel, as he explained in his bestselling paperback book, The Gospel According to Peanuts, the first of several books he wrote on religion and Peanuts, and other popular culture items.Done... Dana... Done.....:)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Charles Monroe Schulz-Creator of Peanuts(Post_03)

Biographies

Biographies have been written about Schulz, including Rheta Grimsley Johnson's  Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz (1989), which was authorized by Schulz.
The lengthiest biography, Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis (2007), has been heavily criticized by the Schulz family, with son Monte stating it has "a number of factual errors throughout... [including] factual errors of interpretation" and extensively documenting these errors in a number of essays; for his part, Michaelis maintains that there is "no question" his work is accurate. Although cartoonist Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin & Hobbes) feels that the biography does justice to Schulz's legacy, while giving insight into the emotional impetus of the creation of the strips, cartoonist and critic R.C. Harvey regards the book as falling short both in describing Schulz as a cartoonist and in fulfilling Michaelis' stated aim of "understanding how Charles Schulz knew the world", feeling the biography bends the facts to a thesis rather than evoking a thesis from the facts. A review of Michaelis' biography by Dan Shanahan in the American Book Review (vol 29, no. 6) faults the biography not for factual errors, but for "a predisposition" to finding problems in Schulz's life to explain his art, regardless of how little the material lends itself to Michaelis' interpretations. Shanahan cites, in particular, such things as Michaelis' crude characterizations of Schulz's mother's family, and "an almost voyeuristic quality" to the hundred pages devoted to the breakup of Schulz's first marriage.
In light of David Michaelis' biography and the controversy surrounding his interpretation of the personality that was Charles Schulz, responses from his family reveal some intimate knowledge about the Schulz's persona beyond that of mere artist.

Death

Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years, almost without interruption; during the life of the strip, Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997. At its peak, Peanuts appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Schulz stated that his routine every morning consisted of eating a jelly donut and sitting down to write the day's strip. After coming up with an idea (which he said could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours), he began drawing it, which took about an hour for dailies and three hours for Sunday strips. He stubbornly refused to hire an inker or letterer, saying that "it would be equivalent to a golfer hiring a man to make his putts for him." In November 1999 Schulz suffered a stroke, and later it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had metastasized. Because of the chemotherapy and the fact he could not read or see clearly, he announced his retirement on December 14, 1999. This was difficult for Schulz, and he was quoted as saying to Al Roker on The Today Show, "I never dreamed that this would happen to me. I always had the feeling that I would stay with the strip until I was in my early eighties, or something like that. But all of sudden it's gone. I did not take it away. This has been taken away from me."[cite this quote]In his later years, Schulz also suffered from Parkinson's Disease. As a result, he experienced hand tremors that made his linework shaky. He admitted that the tremors sometimes were so bad that while working, he had to hold onto the side of his desk with one hand to steady himself.
Charles Monroe Schulz died in his sleep at home at around 9:45 pm on February 12, 2000. The last original Peanuts strip was published the very next day, on Sunday, February 13, 2000, just hours after his death the night before. Schulz was buried at Pleasant Hills Cemetery in Sebastopol, California.
Schulz indicated that his family wished for the strip to end when he was no longer able to produce it. Schulz had previously predicted that the strip would outlive him, with his reason being that comic strips are usually drawn weeks before their publication. As part of his will, Schulz had requested that the Peanuts characters remain as authentic as possible and that no new comic strips based on them be drawn. United Features had legal ownership of the strip, but honored his wishes, instead syndicating reruns of the strip to newspapers. New television specials have also been produced since Schulz's death, but the stories are based on previous strips.
Schulz had been asked if, for his final Peanuts strip, Charlie Brown would finally get to kick that football after so many decades. His response: "Oh, no! Definitely not! I couldn't have Charlie Brown kick that football; that would be a terrible disservice to him after nearly half a century." Yet, in a December 1999 interview, holding back tears, he recounted the moment when he signed the panel of his final strip, saying, “All of a sudden I thought, 'You know, that poor, poor kid, he never even got to kick the football. What a dirty trick — he never had a chance to kick the football!'”
He was posthumously honored on May 27, 2000, by cartoonists of more than 100 comic strips paying homage to him and Peanuts.Continue Next Post..... :)

 

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Charles Monroe Schulz-Creator of Peanuts(Post_02)

Personal life

In 1951, Schulz moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The same year, Schulz married Joyce Halverson.His son, Monte, was born at this time, with their three further children being born later, in Minnesota. He painted a wall in that home for his adopted daughter Meredith Hodges, featuring Patty, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The wall was removed in 2001 and donated to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California.
Schulz and his family returned to Minneapolis and stayed until 1958. They then moved to Sebastopol, California, where Schulz built his first studio. It was here that Schulz was interviewed for the unaired television documentary A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Some of the footage was eventually used in a later documentary, Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz. The original documentary is available on DVD from the Charles M. Schulz Museum.
Schulz's father died while visiting him in 1966, the same year his Sebastopol studio burned down. By 1969, Schulz had moved to Santa Rosa, California, where he lived and worked until his death.
By Thanksgiving 1970, it was clear that Schulz's first marriage was in trouble, and their divorce was final in 1972. Schulz married Jean Forsyth Clyde in 1973; they met when Jean brought her daughter to Schulz's hockey rink.
Schulz had a long association with ice sports, and both figure skating and ice hockey featured prominently in his cartoons. In Santa Rosa, he was the owner of the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, which opened in 1969 and featured a snack bar called "The Warm Puppy" Schulz's daughter Amy served as a model for the figure skating in the 1980 television special She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown.
Schulz also was very active in senior ice-hockey tournaments; in 1975, he formed Snoopy's Senior World Hockey Tournament at his Redwood Empire Ice Arena, and in 1981, Schulz was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to the sport of hockey in the United States.
In 1982, Schulz suffered a heart attack. During his hospital stay, President Reagan called him on the phone to wish him a quick recovery.
On Sunday, May 8, 1988, two gunmen wearing ski masks entered the cartoonist's home through an unlocked door, planning to kidnap Jean Schulz, but the attempt failed when the couple's daughter, Jill, drove up to the house, prompting the would-be kidnappers to flee. She saw what was happening and called the police from a neighbor's house. Sonoma County Sheriff Dick Michaelsen said, "It was obviously an attempted kidnap-ransom. This was a targeted criminal act. They knew exactly who the victims were." Neither Schulz nor his wife were hurt during the incident.
In 1998, Schulz hosted the first Over 75 Hockey Tournament. In 2001, Saint Paul renamed the Highland Park Ice Arena the Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena in his honor.Continue Next Post..... :)

 

Monday, March 7, 2011

Charles Monroe Schulz-Creator of Peanuts


Charles Monroe Schulz-Creator of Peanuts.(Post_01)
Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American Cartoonist , whose Comic Strip  Peanuts  proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.

Early life and education

 Born in Minneapolis,Minnesota , Schulz grew up in Saint Paul. He was the only child of Carl Schulz, who was German, and Dena Halverson, who was Norwegian .His uncle nicknamed him "Sparky" after the horse Spark Plug in the Barney Goole  comic strip. 

Schulz loved drawing and sometimes drew his family dog, Spike, who ate unusual things, such as pins and tacks. Schulz drew a picture of Spike and sent it to Ripley's believe It or Not; his drawing appeared in Robert Ripley's syndicated panel, captioned, "A hunting dog that eats pins, tacks and razor blades is owned by C. F. Schulz, St. Paul, Minn." and "Drawn by 'Sparky'" (C.F. was his father, Carl Fred Schulz.)

Schulz attended St. Paul's Richard Gordon Elementary School, where he skipped two half-grades. When he was in first grade, his mother helped him get valentines for everybody in his class, so that nobody would be offended by not getting one; but he felt too shy to put them in the box at the front of the classroom, so he took them all home again to his mother.
He became a shy, timid teenager, perhaps as a result of being the youngest in his class at Central High School. One episode in his high school life was the rejection of his drawings by his high school yearbook

Military service

In 1943, he was drafted into the United States Army  and served as a sergeant with the20th Armored Division in Europe. The unit saw combat only at the very end of the war. Years later, he proudly spoke of his wartime service.
After discharge in late 1945, he returned to Minneapolis where he took a job as an art teacher at Art Instruction,Inc .—he had taken correspondence courses before he was drafted. Before having his comics published, Schulz did lettering for a Roman Catholic comic magazine, Timeless Topix, while still teaching at Art Instruction.

Career as cartoonist

Schulz's first regular cartoons, Li'l Folks, were published from 1947 to 1950 by the St.Paul Pioneer Press.he first used the name Charlie brown  for a character there, although he applied the name in four gags to three different boys and one buried in sand. The series also had a dog that looked much like Snoopy. In 1948, Schulz sold a cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post; the first of 17 single-panel cartoons by Schulz that would be published there. In 1948, Schulz tried to have Li'l Folks syndicated through the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Schulz would have been an independent contractor for the syndicate, unheard of in the 1940s, but the deal fell through. Li'l Folks was dropped from the Pioneer Press in January, 1950.
Later that year, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate with his best strips from Li'l Folks, and Peanuts made its first appearance on October 2, 1950. The strip became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. He also had a short-lived sports-oriented comic strip called It's Only a Game (1957–59), but he abandoned it due to the demands of the successful Peanuts. From 1956 to 1965 he contributed a single-panel strip ("Younger Pillars") featuring teenagers to Youth, a publication associated with the Church of God.

Charlie Brown, the principal character for Peanuts, was named after a co-worker at the Art Instruction School; Schulz drew much more inspiration from his own life:
  • Like Charlie Brown's parents, Schulz's father was a barber and his mother a housewife.
  • Schulz and Charlie Brown were shy and withdrawn.
  • Schulz had a dog when he was a boy, although unlike Snoopy the beagle, it was a pointer.
  • References to Snoopy's brother Spike living outside of  needles, California were likely influenced by the few years (1928–1930) that the Schulz family lived there; they had moved to Needles to join other family members who had relocated from Minnesota to tend to an ill cousin.
  • Schulz's "Little Red -haired Girl " was Donna Johnson , an Art Instruction Schools accountant with whom he fell in love. Schulz was planning to propose to her, but before he got an opportunity to do so, she agreed to marry another man.
  • Linus and Shermy  were both named for good friends of his (Linus Maurer and Sherman Plepler, respectively).
  • Peppermint Patty was inspired by Patricia Swanson, one of his cousins on his mother's side.The name came from the candy "Peppermint Patty's..........Continue Next Post..... :)