THE COMPLETE PEANUTS: Dailies and Sundays, 1981-1982

by Charles M. Schulz, 346 pages, 6.5 x 8, landscape, b/w, Fantagraphics, hardcover, $28.99

The sixteenth volume in the projected 25-volume reprint monument to Schulz’s humanity and cartooning genius takes us through the first two years of the Reagan administration without mentioning Reagan, no small achievement when we remember than Reagan was shot at in the second month of his White House occupancy. But Schulz was never political in Peanuts: he was too busy being profoundly human. The Foreword for this volume comes from Lynn Johnston, who, as auteur of For Better or For Worse, another comic strip about the human comedy of the human condition, was one of Schulz’s most avid admirers. And a friend. She writes:

“The most memorable friends are the ones you learn from. Sparky [Schulz’s friends called him Sparky] taught me to expect the best of myself and to push myself hard. He taught me to give my audience something uplifting. There are too many negatives in the world, and we get far too much of it. He complimented, reinforced, and encouraged me when I lacked confidence, but his friendship said it all. It was what kept me going. If Sparky liked what I was doing, then I’d be okay.”

Perpetuating Seth’s low-key design, the book concludes with an index, of all things for a comic strip reprint collection, citing page numbers from “Aaugh!” to “zamboni,” and including along the way Cato the Elder, Citizen Kane, “A Man for All Seasons,” Sweet Babboo, and Billie Jean King. The index actually begins with a number — “5" (555-95472), which, it sez here, can be found on page 98, but I can’t find it there. Or anywhere else.

Billie Jean King, on the other hand, can be found mentioned on page 251 in Peppermint Patty’s rant about women athletes in which she lists 19 notables of the fair sex whom sports news programs routinely overlook. Page 251 is also where "A Man for All Seasons" is mentioned. Marcie, after patiently listening to Patty’s tirade attacking the chauvinism of tv sports reporting, changes the subject by suggesting that they watch some old movies on tv — choosing from among “The Men,” “A Man for All Seasons,” or “All the King’s Men.” Patty falls over and mutters: “I can’t stand it.”