''It's Only a Game'' was a sports-and-game-oriented comics panel by Charles M. Schulz, creator of ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

''. Stephen D. Becker, ''Comic Art In America''. New York : Simon and Schuster, 1959, (p.159, 366) This panel feature ran for 14 months, from November 3, 1957, to January 11, 1959. ''It's Only a Game'' was distributed by

United Feature Syndicate United Feature Syndicate (UFS) is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company, it was part of United Media (along ...

. Schulz and cartoonist Jim Sasseville (who also assisted Schulz on ''Peanuts'' stories for various comic books) produced this strip which appeared in newspapers four times a week, including Sundays. Schulz created the strip and produced the first few weeks worth of strips himself; after that, while Schulz was responsible for most of the written content and rough artwork, Sasseville was brought on board to provide some of the gags and all the finished artwork, done in Schulz's style (Schulz continued to receive sole credit for the comic). Despite the resemblance to the children in ''Peanuts'', most of the characters in these cartoons were adults. The comic focused on games, which could range from card games and board games to classic "sporting" games, or even recreational activities. Unlike most other sports comics, the sporting activities focused on many amateur sports, like golf and ping pong. The strip was modestly successful, although its unusual three-times-a-week publication schedule (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) may have limited its placement in many newspapers. A Sunday strip was also offered to newspapers, consisting of the three panels from earlier in the week, along with a bonus fourth panel in an elongated format. Given the growing popularity of ''Peanuts'' (along with his work on '' Young Pillars'') and the resulting demands on his time, Schulz canceled the strip after 63 weeks.

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''It's Only a Game''
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on April 13, 2012.

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Further reading