Episode 14: Spotlight on Popeye

In which I (finally!) address such questions as, what was Thimble Theatre like before Popeye? What made Popeye the Sailor so special? And what was really E.C. Segar's legacy for comic books? (Representing King Comics #6-12 in our chronological analysis)

[@janelane2595]

I love that there was a Castor Oil too and the action increases in the 30s. No Spinach at first interesting . Good video

[@johnpare63]

GREAT JOB!!!

[@stevenbogart169]

Thanks for the videos and the reassuring comments about Ham Gravy! Olive's kidnapping reminds of the short story The Ransom of Red Chief, where a kidnapped boy is so annoying that the kidnappers pay the boy's father to take him back. When was the switch in the catalyst for Popeye's powers (from the whiffle hen to spinach)? Any idea why? Thoughts on why Popeye remained popular for so many decades?

[@MelissaLovesComicBooks]

Thanks for that O. Henry source! That is almost surely the origin of the "bad guys give their abductee back" trope that I've seen in later comic books.

[@MelissaLovesComicBooks]

This web page - www.cbr.com/popeye-spinach-super-strength-first-time -talks about the transition from whiffle hens to spinach. At a guess, I'd say that the first reference to spinach was a joke, but then the cartoons ran hard with it because cans of spinach are easier to animate than live chickens.

[@MelissaLovesComicBooks]

I don't really have any speculation on why Popeye's popularity has endured, except to point out that once something becomes popular, there just seems to be a natural momentum to that; popular things tend to stay popular because people like popular things.

[@stevenbogart169]

Thanks. In an interview in this week's NY Times Book Review, author Brenda Wineapple answers, "What book would people be surprised to find on your shelves?" with "Brenda Starr, Girl Reporter." The Brenda Starr comic strip no longer runs but was around for many decades. I was happy to see the mention.

[@stevenbogart169]

Thanks for responding. You always have great references!

[@MelissaLovesComicBooks]

popeye.fandom.com/wiki/Popeye_the_Sailorpedia

[@MelissaLovesComicBooks]

patreon.com/user?u=88775775