Peanuts: Scotland Bound, Charlie Brown

by Charles M. Schulz (Creator)

Charlie Brown and his friends head across the pond to Scotland where the gang plans to participate in an international music festival and Charlie Brown hopes to meet his pen-pal, Morag based on an unproduced, feature-length special, storyboarded by Charles M. Schulz!

Good Ol’ Charlie Brown has fallen in love with his pen-pal from Scotland! Now, full of unbridled enthusiasm and confidence, he’s convinced his friends Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, and his faithful dog, Snoopy, to accompany him on an international trip to meet her. Whether it’s golf, music, or the mystery of Loch Ness, everyone discovers something extraordinary about the legendary country…even Charlie Brown, who realizes he’s wishy-washy wherever he may be.

Discovered in the archives of the Schulz Studio, Scotland Bound, Charlie Brown is an original graphic novel adaptation of an unproduced, feature-length special, storyboarded by Charles M. Schulz and Bill Melendez; written by Jason Cooper and with art by Robert Pope. 

Genres: Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Manga, Childrens, Comics

112 pages, Paperback

Published May 4, 2021

About the author

Charles Monroe Schulz 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.
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 (1957–1959), but he abandoned it due to the demands of the successful Peanuts. From 1956 to 1965 he contributed a single-panel strip ("Young Pillars") featuring teenagers to Youth, a publication associated with the Church of God.
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.
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. 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. 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.”

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is based on an unused storyboard for a Peanuts animation. An entertaining read, obviously with stereotypes but it works, lots of Highland cows. My only quibble would be that Charlie Brown is maybe a wee bit too successful in it and does not suffer enough adversity. But then again maybe he's due a break every now and again after all these years.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so surreal seeing the Peanuts cast go international, but it's also still charming. It's a joy to see Snoopy pal around with sheep! Charlie Brown and his thing for redheads knows no bounds.

Love how this team manages to keep things new while never straying from the Peanuts formula/characterization.

4.5

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant graphic novel that channels the spirit of the Charlie Brown television specials rather than the Peanuts comic strip. There are some nice character moments and shout-outs, and a few laughs. The gang’s new Scottish friend Nell proves a welcome addition.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was quite good, respectfully done; based on an abandoned TV short that Schulz had stortyboarded. By no means essential nor even close to classic but not a failure. And sweetly attempted.

[Jude McAnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently, I suffered a mid-youth crisis (I think that's a thing) and began devouring everything peanuts, discovering episodes I'd never heard of, including "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown". Apparently, this was scripted as the follow-up, with a more complex storyline complete with audible adult characters. Mr. Schultz was really going out on a limb with this one, but sadly he died before beginning production on a Peanuts special that would've taken place in Scotland.
This book definitely aligns itself with previous peanuts media as opposed to moving forward with Schultz's vision (entire story of the Star Wars sequels, eh?) but also makes some unique story choices. Instead of traveling to Scotland as part of a school program, good ol' Charlie Brown has to raise the money for the journey to Scotland himself. We certainly get some classic peanuts reversals (the zoom panels on Chuck's horrified face when he reads the last letter is utterly priceless).
Snoopy's thought captions are thoroughly missed, but because this is meant to reflect the TV specials, the lone beagle works. The choice of supporting cast is an interesting one, Shroeder, Lucy, and Linus, but I suppose since Peppermint Patty and Marcie were players in "Bon Voyage", Schultz's executors felt a need to take a different route.
This adventure is delightful and intriguing, and Linus adding the Loch Ness Monster to his list of erroneous beliefs with the Great Pumpkin is too priceless to miss. Book appetite!

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested this book from my local library because reviews I read of it gave the impression it featured original work by Charles M. Schulz. It is based on a show that Schulz had started to work on with Bill Melendez but did not complete before he died. However, the only original Schulz artwork are some storyboards featured toward the end of the book. The story itself is illustrated by someone else.

The story itself is nothing special, though it will satisfy younger fans of Peanuts. Charlie Brown gets a Scottish pen pal and decides to travel there to meet her. This being Peanuts, nothing goes according to plan. There are some good educational bits about Scottish English, complete with a glossary to the words they use.

[Lisa Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting comic adaptation from a story boarded Peanuts special of the Schulz era that was never made. Although I am a purist at heart, I appreciate the artist and writer's respect for Schulz and his work. Rather than making the characters parodies or imitations, the creators make sure their versions of the Peanuts characters are true to the spirit of Schulz, and I commend them for that.

[Victoria Sigsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge Peanuts fan and came across this recently in a shop and had to buy it to add to my collection. It was discovered in the archives of the Schulz Studio and is the graphic novel adaptation of an unproduced feature length special. This is part of the information on the back cover.
I loved this. It's brilliant and well written with great humour but it is also a very cosy read. In conclusion, it's pure Peanuts.

[Thomas Murphree · Rating 5 out of 5]

💼💼 I reread this all the time! When Charlie Brown gets a letter from his pen pal in Scotland, Charlie Brown is determined to go to Scotland and attend the local annual festival. I love this book and the fact that it's based on an unproduced Peanuts special! This book is great for kids or anyone who loves Peanuts.🌍🌍

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Brown has a pen pal in Scotland. Charlie Brown tries to earn money to go visit her. seeing pig pen without the dirt was wild! The kids all put on a festival to raise money, complete with Snoopy wearing a loch Ness costume. it was fun seeing and learning about Scotland. I loved the cow. I liked Nell a lot.

[Arman Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT!!! It was a fun treat to see Charlie Brown and the gang again on an OGN adventure based on an unscripted special from from Schulz himself. Props to them for keeping it in style, like in Race for your Life, Charlie Brown and Snoopy: a Beagle of Mars.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graphic novel adaptation of an original, unproduced, feature-length special found in the archives of Schulz Studio and storyboarded by Charles M Schulz.

Charlie Brown and friends travel to Scotland to meet Charlie’s pen pal where they discover the mysteries of Scotland.

Loved it!

[Hákon Gunnarsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice adaptation of an unproduced TV special where the Peanuts gang take a trip to Scotland. There is one laugh out loud joke here, Linus finds a Scottish boy to talk about the Great Pumpkin with and the Scot talks about Nessie. The pair made me laugh. Other than that this is just a nice travelogue.

[Matthew Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story!

I wasn’t really sure if it was just going to be a “Scottish” Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown, and I was impressed how original yet classic feel it had to it!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually really funny and enjoyable.

[Cyndi McIntire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good Peanuts story??

[Sue Burden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone needs a little snoopy from time to time... 🐾

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very charming and cute. A nice easy read. Loved all the sights.

[Enzo]

Linus is spreading the Great Pumpkin gospel all across the world

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite liked following the Peanuts gang to Scotland. Very enjoyable.

[Umbar · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which Charlie Brown has a series of good days and only says good grief once