Four Color #1015
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFour Color #1015 is the third and final Peanuts try-out issue Dell published before awarding the property its own standalone title — making it a direct narrative bridge between the experimental one-shot format and the ongoing Peanuts series (numbered #4 onward) that began in 1960. As part of Dell's broader Four Color strategy of using the anthology as a proving ground, this issue's commercial success helped confirm that Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang could sustain a dedicated comic-book line separate from newspaper-strip reprints. It also represents a transitional moment in the creative stewardship of the characters: the first Four Color Peanuts issue produced entirely without Jim Sasseville, marking Dale Hale's emergence as the principal ghost-artist on the Dell run. The issue contains what enthusiast researchers have identified as the first-ever comic-book story centered on Linus patting birds on the head — a small but characteristic example of how the Dell original stories occasionally explored character-specific gags ahead of or alongside the newspaper strip.
In "The Globe," Patty and Violet are determined to outdo Lucy’s bragging about her jumping rope skills, launching a neighborhood quest to find someone who can leap higher and faster. Written and drawn by Dale Hale in a rare all-in-one effort, this 1959 Four Color comic captures a small moment of childhood rivalry with charm and precision. The cover, by Charles Schulz, adds a playful touch with its distinctive style.
In "The Jump-Rope Conquest," Patty and Violet aren’t about to let Lucy’s bragging go unchallenged—determined to find a neighborhood jump-rope champion, they set out on a playful quest that turns a simple game into a full-blown neighborhood rivalry.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
When Dell Comics assumed the Peanuts license in 1957, the publisher moved away from strip reprints and commissioned entirely original stories — a significant editorial shift. Because Charles Schulz was overwhelmed by the daily and Sunday strip deadlines, plus book signings and media obligations, he enlisted former Art Instruction Schools colleagues to ghost the interiors: first Jim Sasseville, then Dale Hale and Tony Pocrnick. Sasseville departed in 1959 following a disagreement with Schulz, which is precisely why Four Color #1015 (on-sale October 1959, per GoCollect; cover-dated August–October 1959 by multiple sources) falls entirely to Hale as scripter and artist, working under the editorial oversight of Dell editor Chase Craig. Hale had met Schulz at Art Instruction, Inc. in Minneapolis, and the two maintained a collegial relationship throughout the Dell run and beyond.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Published by Dell Comics as part of the long-running Four Color anthology (Series 2, 1942–1962); the indicia title reads 'PEANUTS, No. 1015,' confirming its internal designation.
- The third and last Peanuts Four Color try-out issue, following Four Color #878 (1958) and #969 (1959); its apparent success led directly to Dell launching an ongoing Peanuts title beginning with issue #4 in 1960.
- All interior scripts and art are by Dale Hale, ghosting under Schulz's direction; the cover art is also attributed to Hale, credited on the indicia as 'Dale Hale [as Schulz].' Editor was Chase Craig.
- Contains four original stories: 'The Bird Patter' (Linus patting birds on the head), 'The Snicker-Snack Caper' (Charlie Brown's cereal-premium anxieties), 'Quest for Recognition' (Snoopy impersonating a wise owl, then a hunting dog), and 'The Jump-Rope Conquest' (Lucy's bragging about jump rope).
- Researcher commentary notes that 'The Bird Patter' is the first comic-book story ever built around the gag of Linus patting birds on the head, predating or paralleling its appearance in the newspaper strip.
- The issue sits within a broader Silver Age Dell context: Four Color ran 1,354 numbered issues total, functioning as a licensing showcase for licensed properties ranging from Disney characters to TV westerns.
- Gold Key Comics later reprinted the content of this issue as part of Peanuts Volume 3 #3, one of a four-issue Gold Key reprint series collecting Dell Four Color issues 878, 969, and 1015 alongside Peanuts v2 #4.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Peanuts #3 (1963), Peanuts Dell Archive #[nn] (2018)
Key issues in Four Color
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