CHARLIE BROWN SNOOPY PEANUTS ANIMATION MODEL SHEET TRANSPARENCY VINTAGE SHULTZ 2 – $149. Find it on eBay (affiliate links).
I don’t know what this Peanuts Comic Strip Transparency is, but I’m pretty sure it’s NOT what the seller wants them to be. Peanuts Animation Model Sheets would be pictures of the characters on their own in different poses, not comic strips. Perhaps this is from the early days of Peanuts animation, before a formalized model sheet was created. But wait! There’s more!
If we read past the “Animation” headline, we get into the body of the listing. That’s where the seller says this isn’t an animation transparency, it’s for printing NEWSPAPER Peanuts comics. Apparently, this Peanuts Comic Strip Transparency was used in the 1960’s to print the newspaper. What part of the newspaper making process is this from? It’s not the printing, since that would probably have used metal plates. All I can guess is that the seller suggests this is artwork to be used in the newspaper. In this state, I would expect that it would still need to be laid out for camera ready art. Since it’s still with other comic strips, this seems to suggest that it hasn’t actually been used. I’m no expert in newspaper creation! I did have to create old school camera ready art once in my college graphic design courses. I’m so glad we have computers now!
One other feature of this Peanuts Comic Strip Transparency makes me suspect it isn’t an animation cel or a newspaper cel. The seller has lots of these and they all seem to be messy. I can’t imagine having to create a professional newspaper from these. Part of the mess reminds me of photocopies. Those times when you put a book down to photocopy, but it doesn’t cover the entire printing area and part of it is arched, so you get that weird edge burnishing. This particular Charlie Brown and Lucy transparency just looks like the spine of the book is running down between the strips. My guess is these are photocopied transparencies, possibly for use on an overhead projector. Perhaps a teacher made them for their class, or a student for a presentation, or something like that. We may never know.
How much is a Peanuts Comic Strip Transparency worth?
How much would I pay for one of these? If I can’t turn them over in my hand, give them a good hard look at multiple angles and ask the seller about this estate sale he got them from, I don’t want them. It’s too nebulous for me to collect, and it’s too muddy for me to like as art. Even if I did like it as art, I could just pay $20 at Kinko’s and have my hand-picked comic strips done up. That actually might look kinda cool done right… If anyone wants to sponsor this art idea, please sponsor CollectPeanuts.com on Patreon and leave a note referencing this post.
Can you prove me wrong? Do you have more insight into how newspapers were printed in the 1960’s? Send an email to info@collectpeanuts.com.
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