Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History

Booklist/RBB
"A good purchase"

Big Reel
"For the most thorough examination of Popeye, no other book comes close"

Pop Art Times
"Excellent"

Book Description
It’s a rare comic character who can make audiences laugh for well over half a century—but then again, it’s a pretty rare cartoon hero who can boast of forearms thicker than his waist, who can down a can of spinach in a single gulp, or who generally faces the world with one eye squinted completely shut. When E.C. Segar’s gruff but lovable sailor man first tooted his pipe to the public on January 7, 1929, it was not in the animated cartoon format for which he is best known today (and which would become the longest running series in film history). Instead it was on the comics page of the New York Journal, as Segar’s Thimble Theatre strip. Over the decades to come, Popeye was to appear on radio, television, stage, and even in a live-action feature film. This comprehensive and lavishly illustrated history is a thoroughly updated and revised edition of the highly acclaimed 1994 work. Animated series and films are examined, noting the different directions each studio took and the changing character designs of the Popeye family. Popeye in other media—comics, books, radio, and a stage play—is thoroughly covered, as are Robert Altman’s 1980 live-action film, and Popeye memorabilia.

About the Author
Cartoonist Fred M. Grandinetti, who does not like spinach, co-founded the International Popeye Fanclub. He lives in Watertown, Massachusetts.


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It's the rare comic character who can make people laugh for three-quarters of a century -- but it's a pretty rare cartoon hero who can boast of forearms as thick as his waist, who can down a can of spinach in a single gulp, and who faces the world with one eye squinted shut. E.C. Segar's gruff but lovable sailor man first tooted his pipe to the public on January 7, 1929, on the comics page of the New York Journal, as Segar's Thimble Theatre strip. Over the decades to come, Popeye was to appear in the longest running cartoon series in film history, and on radio, television and stage -- and even in a live-action feature film. This comprehensive and lavishly illustrated history is a thoroughly updated and revised edition of the highly acclaimed 1994 work ("no other book comes close" -- Big Reel; "comprehensive...dedicated Popeye fans will welcome it" -- Inks; "excellent" -- Pop Art Times). The different directions each studio took with the animated series and films are examined, as are the changing character designs of the Popeye family. Popeye's appearances in other media -- comics, books, radio, and a stage play -- are thoroughly covered, as are Robert Altman's 1980 live-action film and Popeye memorabilia.


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