Peanuts, Pogo, and Hobbes: A Newspaper Editor’s Journey Through the World of Comics HC
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Release Date: June 15, 2013
Price: $39.95
Creator: George Lockwood
Format: 304 pgs., Full-Color, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-8156-1005-2
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 5 out of 5
 
Peanuts, Pogo, and Hobbes: A Newspaper Editor's Journey Through the World of Comics is author George Lockwood's take on the world of comic strips from the perspective of the managing editor of features; the man whose job it is to choose the strips that appear in your local newspaper.  But it's far more than that.  It's also the story of one man's lifelong love affair with the funnies and their creators.
 
A lot of books have been written about comic strips and, not to brag, but I've read most of them, but never have I read one from the point of view from someone whose job it was to actually pick the comics.  And in his long career in newspapers Lockwood accepted, and turned down, some of the most popular comic strips currently running, and you'll probably be surprised by which were the ones he turned down and why.
 
That alone would make this book worth reading but it also includes a great amount of rare promotional material from the syndicates as well as stories of his encounters with such artists as Charles Schulz (The Peanuts), Walt Kelly (Pogo) and Milton Caniff (Steve Canyon).  My favorite section though was undoubtedly his childhood reminiscences of reading his favorite strips (Dick Tracy, Terry and the Pirates, etc.).  And the hearts of comic book fans will break when they learn what happened to the author's copy of Boy Commandos #1.   In short, this is a book for anyone who cares anything about the comics
 
--Steve Bennett: Writer and retail services consultant.