Popeye: Vol. 1 - "I Yam What I Yam"

Author: E.C. Segar

Popeye is not simply a gag strip--it is also an adventure strip with plot lines running for months upon months, each running in to one another. And it's really good.

Forget the cartoons. This Popeye doesn't rely on a formulas where Popeye is beaten until he gulps down his spinach and wallops the bad guy. There are develop storylines with each strip leading to a punchline, but also filled with physical comedy. Physical comedy in a comic strip depends largely on the art. Luckily, there's a cleanness and feeling of movement in Segar's work that really draws the reader along. It's clear that Segar has a good eye for movement from left to right, and he makes good use of his sparse panels.

There's very little more to say. You're either going to like this or you're not. There's absolutely nothing in the art to put the reader off, but if you're not that interested in physical comedy you might as well stay away. At the same time, physical comedy isn't usually my thing, but I find this entertaining --there's something so absurd and simple in what's going on on the page that it transcends the typical confines that modern comic strips run into when they attempt physical comedy.

At the same time, I can't see myself going any further with this series. I appreciate the craft in this work--the sweet simplicity of it all. There's very little need for more material.

Status: Bookshelf