Broken Frontier

For the first time in more than 40 years, good ol’ Charlie Brown and the entire PEANUTS gang will be featured in the traditional American comic book format, when Seattle’s Fantagraphics Books publishes THE UNSEEN PEANUTS. The last issue of Gold Key Publishing’s PEANUTS series, published in 1964, sold for 12 cents. On May 5, 2007, when THE UNSEEN PEANUTS is released, the price will be… FREE!

THE UNSEEN PEANUTS is one of the most exciting offerings in this year’s sixth annual Free Comic Book Day (FCBD). As the name implies, FCBD is a single day when participating independent comic book shops in the United States and some 25 other countries around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores. This year Free Comic Book Day is Saturday May 5th.

Several years after the passing of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, PEANUTS continues to be the world’s most popular comic strip, appearing in more than 1500 newspapers worldwide, with literally hundreds of collections having been published in the last 50 years.

Despite its seemingly ubiquitous status, hundreds and hundreds of PEANUTS strips, after their initial appearance in the daily or Sunday papers, have never been reprinted. Fantagraphics Books THE COMPLETE PEANUTS has been rectifying this, and THE UNSEEN PEANUTS is a special collection of over 100 of these rare strips. Fantagraphics will be presenting some of the most amusing and interesting "lost" strips that were "saved" by the first seven volumes of the COMPLETE PEANUTS (Vol. 7, although not released, will be out by the time THE UNSEEN PEANUTS is distributed), and in addition will also be previewing "lost" strips from the upcoming eighth book — strips that have NEVER appeared anywhere else since being originally published in daily newspapers four decades ago!

THE UNSEEN PEANUTS works as both a great introduction of the strip to new readers and as a fascinating trove of rarities to surprise and delight even the most diligent PEANUTS fan. It’s a perfect PEANUTS sampler for both neophyte and old hand, and an eye-opening "gateway"  into the delights of the best-selling COMPLETE PEANUTS series.

2007 also marks the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of original PEANUTS material in comic books (in Dell’s Nancy issue 146), and the 55th anniversary of the first appearance of PEANUTS in comic books at all (strip reprints in an issue of Tip-Top). THE UNSEEN PEANUTS is a wonderful and surprising addition to Charles M. Schulz’s brilliant legacy in the comics.

"THE UNSEEN PEANUTS provides a unique opportunity for re-discovering the sublime timelessness of ‘Sparky’ Schulz’s classic comic strip," 
said Joe Field, owner of Concord CA’s Flying Colors Comics and the founder of Free Comic Book Day. "I’m hoping this free PEANUTS comic book stirs a lot of people to exploring the diverse and entertaining medium of comic books."

Free Comic Book Day serves as opportunity for new and curious readers to experience comic books for the first time, while also calling back former readers and thanking current comic book fans. More information about the May 5, 2007 Free Comic Book Day event can be found at visit www.FreeComicBookDay.com — featuring a customized database listing participating stores worldwide.