Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Elzie Crisler Segar's Popeye

[Blow up of the last panel. See all four panels here]

Superhero Popeye
Segar's Popeye is a unique figure. Bill Blackbeard argues Popeye is the original first "superhero," predating Superman by years.( This assumption seems to be based on the supernormal powers Popeye can yield - - if so, then why is Popeye first? Why not Samson?)

Click to enlarge - Popeye 12-3-1933 by Segar

In his essay "The First (Arf, Arf) Superhero of them All," from the book All In Color for A Dime, published 1970, Blackbeard's description of the Popeye that Elzie Crisler Segar created back in January 17, 1929, is the best one I've ever read:

Segar's Popeye is a character compounded of vulgarity and compassion, raw aggression, and protective gentleness, violent waterfront humor and genuine 'senskibiliky,' thickheaded stubbornness and imaginative leadership, brutal enmity and warm friendship, who knock out a 'horsk' in a rage and nurses a baby carefully while it is suffering a fever that makes thermometers pop. He is no paranoid daydream, but a realistic, complex, often wrong but determined man of action who suffers continual agonies of decision, who pursues what he believes to be right far beyond the bounds of cop-interpreted law and order, who has to fight his very way to comprehensibility through the warp and woof of an English language that is often almost too much for him.(Page 94, paperback edition)

Blackbeard goes on to summarize the Popeye phenomenon of tha era by saying that the popularity of the little sailor far outstripped anything enjoyed by the costumed heroes that began to appear after him, and the Fleisher cartoon versions for movie theatres drew many more people than ever showed up for the Superman and Batman serials that played at local bijou's. All of that underscores how much America has changed, as Popeye has become a definitely fringe character in the current pop art character pantheons.

Click to Enlarge - Sappo 1934 by Segar

Segar also used his page space provided by Hearst to run an other strip titled "Sappo." In this space Segar also provided the artwork for the original reason Hearst brought him in: "Thimble Theatre" a miniature 'movie theatre' diorama, which was a substitute for a previouse strip series called "Minute Movies" by a different artist.

Thimble Theatre - Click to Enlarge

Elzie Crisler Segar was born December 8, 1894, and died October 13, 1938 at the age of 43 from complications of liver disease. Segar debuted his cartooning career with "Thimble Theatre" on December 19, 1919, the strip featured the characters Olive Oyl, Castor Oyl, and Ham Gravy. In a January 17, 1929 episode of the strip, the character Castor Oyl goes to find a sailor to navigate his ship to Dice Island: and so was introduced Popeye.

See a 1933 Popeye by Sega

See a 1934 SAPPO by Segar

See a 1937 Popeye by Segar

See a 1934 "Thimble Theatre"

amazon.com is selling Vol 3 fo the complete E C Segar Popeye - - approx $10.00 off retail

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Slightly related artwork relatign to the color green and how it connects Superman and Popeye:

Popeye Superman and the color green

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