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Popeye, Vol. 2: Well Blow Me Down! Hardcover – December 17, 2007

by E. C. Segar (Author)

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The second volume collecting the entirety of Segar's original Popeye (Thimble Theatre) covers 1930-1932 and introduces Segar's second greatest character: Wimpy, the most likeable lowdown cad ever to grace the comics page.

Fantagraphics's second volume (of six) of the acclaimed hit series collecting the entirety of E.C. Segar's original Popeye (a.k.a. Thimble Theatre) comic strips begins with a foreword by Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker and continues with an introduction by noted film and cartooning critic Donald Phelps. This second volume features work from 1930 to 1932, and most notably includes the debut of Segar's second greatest character: J. Wellington Wimpy. Wimpy stands as a one-of-a-kind icon some 70 years after his creation, the most likeable lowdown cad ever to grace the comics page. Popeye Vol. 2 includes the stories: "Clint Gore" (continued from the cliffhanger last volume); "A One-Way Bank," in which Popeye opens a bank that allows withdrawals but no deposits; an extended war story featuring King Blozo that begins with "The Great Rough-House War"; and "Skullyville," which wraps up the daily strips for this volume. A 2008 Eisner Award Nominee: Best Archival Collection/Project―Comic Strips; a 2008 Harvey Award Nominee: Best Domestic Reprint Project.

Color and black-and-white comic strips and illustrations throughout

Print length

168 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Fantagraphics
Publication date

December 17, 2007
Dimensions

10.5 x 0.8 x 14.8 inches
ISBN-10

1560978740
ISBN-13

978-1560978749
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Dale M. Houstman

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020

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E.C.Segar is one of the geniuses of early newspaper comic strips. His ultimate invention, Thimble Theatre, gave us such characters as the Oyl family; Castor and the marvel that is Olive Oyl. But the emergence of Popeye in the strip eventually made everyone supplementary. Segar had a grand narrative ability, a simple but evocative visual style, great gags, and a proclivity for epic tales and fantasy. Swee’Pea, the Sea Hag, the Goons (most notably Alice), the Jeep and the illustrious Wimpy. This is one of the most charming and amusing strips of the golden age of the strip. And these large volumes are a perfect vehicle with which to revisit this marvelous invention of the human imagination.

David SwanTop Contributor: Batman

Popeye Gets Even Better

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2008

Verified Purchase

Volume one featured the world's first introduction to Popeye. In this volume the character of Popeye continues to take shape. As the book progresses Castor Oyl slowly fades from the scene until Popeye and Olive are left standing as the undisputed centerpieces of Elzie Segar's Thimble Theater. Popeye's physical appearance improves significantly bringing him much closer to his traditional look particularly in his chin which looked kind of droopy in the first volume.

You can sense a bit of a moral dilemma on the part of Segar. On the one hand the humor of Popeye revolves around his violent nature and inhuman ability to take and deliver punishment. On the other hand Segar clearly wants to make Popeye a likable even admirable character. His solution seemed to be to always add at least a hint of obnoxiousness to everyone he punches so that one can make an argument that the recipient of Popeye's punishment had it coming to them. Although this means that Popeye's neighborhood (never referred to as Sweethaven as far as I've seen) is packed with men itching for a fight. Every once in awhile Popeye socks someone for no good reason like an American Indian who Popeye assumes might try and scalp him. In this case Olive Oyl acts as the voice of reason telling Popeye it's wrong to abuse American Indians. This also seems to be a way for Segar to let people know that he is aware that some of Popeye's actions are morally dubious. In this volume Popeye becomes an almost Mother Theresa type humanitarian, opening up a one-way bank using a $25,000 the reward he received. He ends up giving out money to the poor until he's left with nothing for himself. This seems to be a continuing theme with him repeatedly using money he earns to help out the poor. Popeye has also become a hero and protector of children and in one comic Popeye tries to help a small boy learn to fight. He does this by punching out random men walking down the street.

Volume 2 features some famous firsts. The first appearances of Wimpy and Roughhouse and the first time Popeye is shown powering up with spinach. It's difficult for me to express how much I loved these comics. Elzie Segar's Popeye is a surprisingly multidimensional character compared to his later incarnations. At one point, after a particularly harsh verbal barrage from Olive, Popeye slaps her to the ground. It's a shocking moment even more so because earlier in the book Popeye had financially assisted a woman who had been battered by her husband. When Olive scolds him for the slap Popeye replies, `I yam what I yam' but in that instant with his head held low he might as well have said, `I can't help what I yam'. Quite a difference from the cardboard hero he became as the years went by. Where else would you find a cartoon character wrestle with his own penchant for violence or later express such honest and heartfelt love for a girl?

Volume one was five star material but volume two is even better. I never would have expected a comic over seventy five years old to be this edgy and legitimately funny. It's also amazing how much Elzie Segar's drawings improve over a very short period of time. There is one strip in particular that had me laughing hard. Popeye has gotten himself involved in a war and, in one of his last appearances; Castor Oyl tells Popeye that King Blozo wants to see him immediately. Suddenly a cannonball flies up and smacks Popeye in the rear sending him sailing like a rag doll through the air, through a pole, through the castle wall landing him at the king's feet. Castor says something like, "It wasn't THAT urgent". The visual of Popeye sailing through the air is absolutely hilarious and the punch line was perfect

If you're reading this review you're likely debating whether you should get this book and if you're debating let me assure you, you should. The only downside is we have to wait until fall 2008 to get the next volume.

10 people found this helpful

Popeye is what he is (and that's pretty awesome)

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2011

Verified Purchase

The first volume in Fantagraphics' reprint of all of E.C. Segar's Popeye comic strips was a transitional period. Seagar, who was in his mid-30s at the time, had been doing his Thimble Theatre comic strip for a decade at the point when the one-off peripheral character Popeye (the sailor) was introduced. It's well known that Popeye was intended to simply stay around for one storyline only to return due to the tremendous feedback from fans, but even in that one storyline we see Segar becoming infatuated with the character of Popeye, pushing all the regulars to the sideline to give the sailor man a chance to shine. The rest of that volume is a bit of a cocooned caterpillar, as the strip original focused on the Oyl family metamorphoses into a starring vehicle for Popeye.

Volume 2 is where things really get good.

In this book Popeye is finally firmly established as the star of the comic, and he's settled into the familiar personality and character design that we all love. Not only did Segar create a truly unique hero in Popeye, but the addition of such a great character was just the shot in the arm that the man needed because once Popeye came in the picture Segar's game was raised exponentially! The stories and images he concocts in this second volume blow away everything we saw in the first. The thrills come faster and the laughs come harder as Popeye romances Olive Oyl, battles badmen in the wild west, travels abroad to fight in a (broadly satirical) war, and steps into the ring for more slapstick-infused prize fights (the first of which were the undoubted highlights of the first volume. Why didn't the cartoons do more Popeye as a boxer shorts?). Popeye rapidly accumulates some seller supporting cast members in this volume, including King Blozo, Rough House the chef, and that miscreant Wimpy!

One person found this helpful

I gets a big kick outta him.

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2009

Verified Purchase

This is the second volume of Fantagraphics Books series that plans to reprint the complete run of E.C. Segar's Popeye comic strip. This volume reprints the daily strips from December 22, 1930 to June 8, 1932 and the color Sunday strips from March 1, 1931 to October 2, 1932. They are printed in a nice big size that makes them easy to read. The daily strips and the Sunday strips do not follow the same storyline. The dailies have longer storylines, such as when Popeye helps a tiny European country win a war. The Sundays have shorter storylines, often involving Popeye in boxing matches. Olive Oyl's brother, Castor Oyl, quietly disappears from the strip during this time period (he was once the lead character in the strip). Notable characters introduced during this period are Rough House (the chef) and Wimpy (originally introduced as the referee of Popeye's boxing matches). These are great comic strips which are well reproduced. The only bad thing about the book is the introduction by Donald Phelps. It's an incomprehensible bore and it's only Part One!

4 people found this helpful

CLASSIC EARLY POPEYE

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2008

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For someone raised on early 20th century comics, the series this book is volume 2 in is a real treasure. Elzie Chris Segar was a comic genius on a par with Carl Barks, Mort Walker, and Charles Schultz. His original newspaper Popeye comics are some of the greatest created. Stories are original and ludicrously inventive and the humor is top of the line. It's not for everyone, but connoisseurs of really great comics will have to have this.

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S. Bentley

It takes more than a gun to keep Popeye down!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2008

Verified Purchase

I'm going to keep praising these oversized collections of the original Thimble Theater newspaper strips that introduced Popeye until everybody in the world has a copy or borrows one.

I can imagine there is a generation of kids out there who don't know who Popeye is, who didn't see the Fleischer cartoons that used to be on all the time when I was a boy. They're missing out! The strips aren't that much like the cartoons to be honest. The strips are humorous action strips with a bit of social commentary thrown in. Popeye doesn't need to eat spinach, he's naturally tougher than old boots, able to be shot a dozen times or drink poisoned water and still keep walking. Olive doesn't dote on Popeye, it's the other way around and Popeye has quite the eye for the ladies. Oh, and Olive is quite tough. There's a great scene in this collection where Olive has been kidnapped by desperadoes, and is being forced to cook for them. As each desperado comes in for food and insults Olive's cooking, she shoots them in the shoulder and dumps them in the cellar. That's the tone - good-natured violence and aggressiveness.

There is a mixture of black and white four panel strips and Sunday page long colour strips in the collection. A personal favourite story is the One Way Bank, where Popeye opens a bank that only gives out money. This was the depression era after all.

This is brilliant stuff, funny, biting stuff. You owe it to yourself to buy this!

5 people found this helpful

jamjams

Just what my 10 year old Grandson expected and I ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

Just what my 10 year old Grandson expected and I will be buying the next volume for him very soon.

Roberto Parolini

aimez vous popeye?-1

Reviewed in Italy on February 1, 2016

Verified Purchase

vi piace popeye? Compratelo! Comprateli tutti! C'e' tutto quello che non e' arrivato in italia - le storie e il linguaggio impagabile - e non si puo' fare una scelta, sarebbe come decidere quale dei canti dell'orlando furioso leggere e quale no. Comunque il contenuto preciso e' indicato nella presentazione - in inglese - di amazon

2 people found this helpful

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María

¡Me encanta!

Reviewed in Spain on November 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

Soy una gran admiradora de Popeye. Mi padre tenía varios de los antiguos cómics originales de Segar, pero no los tenía todos. Yo siempre quise encontrar los que le faltaban. Ahora, gracias a esta colección, puedo tener la colección completa de las tiras y las historias de E.C. Segar.

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