by E.C. Segar
Fantagraphics, $29.95, 165 pages
“I yam what I yam”…was our beloved, iconic Popeye’s endearing catch-phrase. Or how about; “I’ll gladly pay you on Tuesday for a hamburger today” was Popeye’s sidekick; J. Wellington Wimpy’s most famous saying. Popeye could make kids eat their spinach in a time when no one else could. He appealed to kids of all ages and aspirations. E.C. Segar’s Popeye: Wha’s A Jeep? is a remarkable tribute to Popeye’s legacy and all the contributions of the players within his life. Segar (1894 to 1938), who was best known as the creator of the Popeye cartoons and movies first introduced Popeye in 1929. This homage in book form does well to give a narrative of the author’s short life and the far-reaching existence of our own Popeye the Sailorman, even to the point of including actual newspaper reprints of some original comic strips. The nostalgia oozes from this superb book encapsulating Popeye’s life in the comics from the early days of a not-so-definably black and white drawn creature, to what most of us Baby-Boomers know him as still today, in full color and character. Brace yourself for a blast of memories and lots of chuckles but until then; see you in the funny papers!