Popeye Vol 1

by Robert Greenberger

We’ve all come to know and love Popeye, the world’s best known sailor. Some can even tell you that he debuted in Thimble Theatre, a popular comic strip crated by Elzie Segar. As the story goes, Popeye was introduced as a walk on player in the Oyl family’s ongoing saga, but shortly after he departed, the readers demanded his return.

The interesting thing is that Thimble Theatre had been running for a decade but never before had a breakout character. Segar’s dramatic tales eventually grew more comedic and the one-eyed, corn cob pipe-smoking sailor was initially hired by Olive Oyl’s brother Castor and her then-boyfriend Ham Gravy to help them reach Dice Island, home to a casino Castor hoped to profit at. During the storyline, things went awry, and Popeye was shot several times, but survived by rubbing the head of Bernice the Whiffle Hen. It was this magical act that conferred to him the superior strength, invulnerability and endurance he is famed for. The spinach aspect didn’t arrive until 1932 and was rarely seen in the strips although we all know it from the amazing Fleischer Brothers animated efforts.

Segar’s fame grew as did demand for more material and he hired on assistants, notably Forrest “Bud” Sagendorf (March 22, 1915 – September 22, 1994). The Washington native was still a teen when he came to work for Segar. “Segar had no idea of the popularity of the character,” Sagendorf told People. “He didn’t know people were quoting Popeye and Wimpy on the street.”

When the creator died in 1938, King Features Syndicate ordered work from Segar’s other assistants, Doc Winner and Bela Zaboly, and others before finally entrusting their important strip to Sagendorf in 1959. Sagendorf continued with the strip, which was finally renamed Popeye in the 1970s, until 1986. It was then he turned the dailies over to Bobby London while retaining the Sunday strip for eight more years. Historian Denis Giford noted in Sagendorf’s obituary, “although Segar’s original image of Popeye still has its admirers, it is Sagendorf’s version that is best-known to the public, decorating as it does the many spin-offs the sailorman has spawned.”

Four Color #113

Popeye’s comic book life began with reprints of the strips, but Dell’s Four Color #113 (July 1946) was the first to feature new stories from Sagendorf, who signed the feature with his own name. He continued to write and draw the sailor’s exploits as the series moved from its rotation spot in Four Color to his own title, which was continued after Dell ceased publishing with King Features and then Gold Key taking over. Sagendorf’s final comic book story, after over 250 stories, was in 1968.

While the comic strip endured, the comic book incarnation became a forgotten gem and thankfully, IDW has chosen to resurrect Sagendorf’s longer efforts in a brand new hardcover collection, Popeye Vol. 1: Best Stories by Bud Sagendorf. Edited by the ever-enthusiastic Craig Yoe, the book will collect some of the best stories from across the years. In addition to Popeye, you will also see his friends and enemies including the Sea Hag, Bluto, and, of course, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, and Sweepea.

Sagendorf proved to be both creative and prolific, filling each story with familiar and new characters. He’s credited with introducing readers to Granny, described by Giford as “a little old toughie who was also mother to Poopdeck Pappy”; and Dufus, a dope. When using the existing characters, he took Bluto, who appeared once in the strip but was immortalized in the cartoons, and brought him center stage. To avoid the Bluto/Brutus name confusion, he renamed him Sonny Boy, and established he was the Sea Hag’s son.

It was the artist who lobbied that Popeye once more wear the merchant sailor’s peaked cap that his mentor established as opposed to the cartoon-inspired white Navy cap.

Yoe and his crackerjack studio have been restoring the pages so the collection should be pretty vibrant to both look at and read.

The classic cover comes from the Grand Comics Database.