In celebration of the cartoonist’s recent 100th birthday, Top Shelf Productions has announced Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz, an imaginative and tender-hearted tribute to the man behind Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang, created in the style of Schulz by Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi and scheduled for publication in August 2023.

Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz was arguably the most popular and influential cartoonist of the 20th century, and he poured many of his own emotions and experiences into the world of Peanuts over its iconic 50-year run. Now, internationally acclaimed creators Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi pay tribute to the master by telling the story of Schulz’s life in the medium that made him immortal: the comic strip.

Starting with the last days of his monumental career, Funny Things jumps back and forth in time to narrate both Schulz’s artistic achievements and the personal episodes that formed him as an author and human being, ultimately shaping him into the most beloved cartoonist on the planet. From full-color Sundays to black-and-white dailies, every strip provides a laugh as well as a piece of insight into his remarkable life story. Filled with affection, charm, and poignant observation, Funny Things imagines Schulz through the lens of the very world he created, inviting us all to meet the man behind the blanket.

Celebrate Charles M. Schulz’s momentous life from his earliest days as a youth nicknamed “Sparky,” through tragedies of war and personal loss, to his laborious breakthrough into the funny pages, and finally to his indelible legacy as creator of the world’s best-loved comic strip, whose unlikely round-headed hero and beagle best friend have captured hearts and minds across generations.