The Woks
In the 1970s, I conceived a comic strip titled "The Woks" (later rebranded as "Potstickers"). Some likened it to a Chinese American counterpart of Charles M. Schulz's "Peanuts." The storyline revolved around a young boy named Chung, his younger siblings, friends, a dragon, and a philosopher named Buddha. Despite submitting it to major syndicates in the United States, the project faced rejection.
Eventually, in 1977, I secured a contract with TransWorld News Service in Washington, D.C. However, before the comic strip could be distributed, the news agency declared bankruptcy, leading to the unfortunate situation where I couldn't successfully resell it.
PEANUTS
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000)
Having established roots in Orinda, CA, during the early 80s, I actively sought connections with local cartoonists, graphic designers, and similar creative minds, often convening with them in small bars across San Francisco. Our informal get-togethers occasionally drew the participation of nationally renowned artists, including Charles Schulz, the visionary behind Peanuts. Schulz swiftly became a valued member of our spontaneous community.
We met Schultz many times and I remembered celebrating his birthdays twice and one of which took place at a place in Schultz's hometown in Santa Rosa, about 60 miles north of San Francisco. At the gathering, members of our group from Northern California Cartoonist Society had nice food and drinks. Of course our guest of honor, Mr, Schultz and his wife Jean, showed up and joined us for more funs and chuckles.
At the conclusion of the dinner, Schulz had a customary tradition where he distributed prints of Peanuts strips with the fourth frame intentionally left blank. Guests were encouraged to complete the strips in a competitive manner, and I had the privilege of winning one of the prizes. Below is the drawing which won a price, the signature is from Schultz, I'm not sure the signature would survive because it was done by felt tip pen which fade and disappear after a few years. So the digital copy of the drawing become the only suvived "original".
Schulz passed away in 2000, and by 2002, the Charles M. Schulz Museum was constructed in Santa Rosa, California.
In August of that year, I was graciously invited to the Special Preview of Schulz's Museum in Santa Rosa, just a couple of days before its official public opening. The museum, a contemporary two-story edifice spanning 27,384 square feet, encompasses permanent and temporary galleries. Among Schulz's creations, a standout feature is a 17-foot by 22-foot mural, expertly crafted by Japanese artist Yoshiteru Otani. This mural portrays Lucy holding a football for Charlie Brown and is comprised of 3,588 Peanuts comic strip images, each printed on individual 2"x 8" ceramic tiles.
After the preview, the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) orchestrated a dinner at Fountain Grove Inn in Santa Rosa. The gathering welcomed approximately 150 attendees, including numerous distinguished cartoonists. I felt deeply honored to be seated next to Mrs. Jean Schulz, and throughout the dinner, we exchanged stories and fond recollections of Schulz.
Later my editorial cartoon in Sing Tao Daily commemorating Schulz’s accomplishments was collected by the museum in 2002.
Dick, Rocky and Jean Schulz in Santa Rosa, CA. 8/15/2002
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A NEWS ARTICLE ON SING TAO DALY ABOUT MY CARTOON AND CHARLES SCHULZ MUSEUM.
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