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This one might take some explaining, folks. Why did I take a break halfway through the big Moonlight Angel page to finish this drawing I'd done awhile ago?
The short answer is... I felt it was important.
Here's the thing about Popeye. Not only was Popeye a childhood hero of mine, but he was also the very first character I ever drew in my life as well, when I was three years old. Without those drawings all those many, MANY years ago, I might not be doing what I am today.
But it goes beyond that. While it's true that Popeye himself is a legendary character and a household name, I don't know if people truly understand how important Popeye has been to the world as we know it today.
Popeye the sailor is arguably the very first comic book superhero EVER; so much so that he was one of the direct inspirations for Superman, which first arrived nearly a decade afterward. But there's even more!
Check this out... Without Popeye, Nintendo's very own MARIO would not exist. I'm dead serious on this one. Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl were all direct inspirations for Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline. So much so that a mere year later, Nintendo licensed and made a Popeye arcade game as well.
Not only that, but Popeye as a character is one that embodies some of the most admirable qualities. He's strong and confident, but he's also extremely noble with a heart of gold. He is a pillar of not fighting back unless someone forces you to do so, yet still being willing to stand up to bullies and protect the innocent.
Even if you might feel a little silly doing so, I wholeheartedly recommend rewatching some of the old Popeye cartoons; particularly the standouts of the Fleischer era, such as Popeye Meets Sindbad the Sailor; a musical double-reel which does a great job showing just why people fell in love with the character over 90 years ago.
Popeye inspired kids to each their spinach (I was literally eating some while drawing this), has a successful fast food chain named after him (oh, and my father owns the original rubber Popeye figures the restaurant used to have), and has been referenced in pop culture from almost its inception to the present day.
He might have had some rough times with various watered-down incarnations that fail to grasp what makes him such a good character, but there is no disputing that Popeye is an awesome character, an important creation in American entertainment, and one of the main reasons I started drawing on a roll of my dad's unused butchers' paper 35 years ago.
Sing it with me: He's strong to the finish 'cause he eats his spinach. He's Popeye the Sailor Man! *Toot toot*
The short answer is... I felt it was important.
Here's the thing about Popeye. Not only was Popeye a childhood hero of mine, but he was also the very first character I ever drew in my life as well, when I was three years old. Without those drawings all those many, MANY years ago, I might not be doing what I am today.
But it goes beyond that. While it's true that Popeye himself is a legendary character and a household name, I don't know if people truly understand how important Popeye has been to the world as we know it today.
Popeye the sailor is arguably the very first comic book superhero EVER; so much so that he was one of the direct inspirations for Superman, which first arrived nearly a decade afterward. But there's even more!
Check this out... Without Popeye, Nintendo's very own MARIO would not exist. I'm dead serious on this one. Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl were all direct inspirations for Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline. So much so that a mere year later, Nintendo licensed and made a Popeye arcade game as well.
Not only that, but Popeye as a character is one that embodies some of the most admirable qualities. He's strong and confident, but he's also extremely noble with a heart of gold. He is a pillar of not fighting back unless someone forces you to do so, yet still being willing to stand up to bullies and protect the innocent.
Even if you might feel a little silly doing so, I wholeheartedly recommend rewatching some of the old Popeye cartoons; particularly the standouts of the Fleischer era, such as Popeye Meets Sindbad the Sailor; a musical double-reel which does a great job showing just why people fell in love with the character over 90 years ago.
Popeye inspired kids to each their spinach (I was literally eating some while drawing this), has a successful fast food chain named after him (oh, and my father owns the original rubber Popeye figures the restaurant used to have), and has been referenced in pop culture from almost its inception to the present day.
He might have had some rough times with various watered-down incarnations that fail to grasp what makes him such a good character, but there is no disputing that Popeye is an awesome character, an important creation in American entertainment, and one of the main reasons I started drawing on a roll of my dad's unused butchers' paper 35 years ago.
Sing it with me: He's strong to the finish 'cause he eats his spinach. He's Popeye the Sailor Man! *Toot toot*
Category All / All
Species Human
Size 1500 x 1000px
File Size 590 kB
Glad you enjoyed it! You can learn even more about how he came to be in this excellent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHUf0zNFN2M
Well, here's hoping. It was sidelined back in 2016 due to creative differences, but in 2020 Genndy said it had been picked up again.
And if this teaser is anything to go by, he really seems to understand what made him special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tNuM9XttM
And if this teaser is anything to go by, he really seems to understand what made him special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tNuM9XttM
Definitely.
I could just imagine myself in the Popeye cartoons, as a scientist that uses brain over brawn to fight Popeye, so I can capture him and figure out the source of his strength (no, I don’t think Spinach is the soul source, because even without the spinach he has crazy strength)
I could just imagine myself in the Popeye cartoons, as a scientist that uses brain over brawn to fight Popeye, so I can capture him and figure out the source of his strength (no, I don’t think Spinach is the soul source, because even without the spinach he has crazy strength)
I love Popeye! He comes from an amazing age of cartoons.
He is a very awesome character who is noble, strong and a joy to watch.
One of my favourite things about the Popeye cartoons are when he is mumbling his thoughts, I always find what he mumbles to be hilarious and adds to the humour of the cartoon. XD
"Do I know the size of my girl?! Of course I do! <<Hmm, I think she must be a 12 or a 15....>>"
"I am what I am and that's all that I am, I'm Popeye the Sailor man!"
Fun fact, Popeye Meets Sindbad is 1 of the 3 Popeye Arabian shorts to feature Full-colour and longer length. The others being Popeye meets the 40 Thieves and my childhood favourite Popeye in Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. They were done in full Colour, unlike the later on Paramount Popeye Cartoons, and they were very colourful.
"<<Oh gosh, yes yes. Oh boy this is so embaressking', I never confessed in Technicolor before...>>"
He is a very awesome character who is noble, strong and a joy to watch.
One of my favourite things about the Popeye cartoons are when he is mumbling his thoughts, I always find what he mumbles to be hilarious and adds to the humour of the cartoon. XD
"Do I know the size of my girl?! Of course I do! <<Hmm, I think she must be a 12 or a 15....>>"
"I am what I am and that's all that I am, I'm Popeye the Sailor man!"
Fun fact, Popeye Meets Sindbad is 1 of the 3 Popeye Arabian shorts to feature Full-colour and longer length. The others being Popeye meets the 40 Thieves and my childhood favourite Popeye in Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. They were done in full Colour, unlike the later on Paramount Popeye Cartoons, and they were very colourful.
"<<Oh gosh, yes yes. Oh boy this is so embaressking', I never confessed in Technicolor before...>>"
Jack Mercer's trademark improvised mumblings were absolutely classic. They were de rigueur for characters of the time, but he did it so well as Popeye that it became a sort of trademark of the sailor.
I am also a fan of the color double-reel trilogy. My personal favorite was Popeye Meets Sindbad the Sailor, but one of my favorite mumble lines was when he, Olive, and Wimpy were wondering in the desert and he was like "If I had some bread I'd make a sandwich if I had a witch." And another one later "Oh, it's giving way! It's giving way! ...Oh, that was me giving way."
Legendary.
I am also a fan of the color double-reel trilogy. My personal favorite was Popeye Meets Sindbad the Sailor, but one of my favorite mumble lines was when he, Olive, and Wimpy were wondering in the desert and he was like "If I had some bread I'd make a sandwich if I had a witch." And another one later "Oh, it's giving way! It's giving way! ...Oh, that was me giving way."
Legendary.
Popeye is up there with Micky in terms of importance. Besides being the Mario before Mario he is one of the first characters whos morals are driven on Virtue. He does the right thing because its the right thing to do and when he makes a mistake he learns from it, and uses it to better himself, and others around him, only going to violence as a last resort.
While many could argue Micky is a good character and he is but he tends to be the Clean sheet Paladin of the animation industry never doing bad intentionally in the first place. Where as Popeye has made some mistakes here and there but does come to owning up to the ones he makes.
I didn't grow up with him but I also cannot deny his importance to both many who are inspired by him and his importance to the many art/media industries as a whole.
While many could argue Micky is a good character and he is but he tends to be the Clean sheet Paladin of the animation industry never doing bad intentionally in the first place. Where as Popeye has made some mistakes here and there but does come to owning up to the ones he makes.
I didn't grow up with him but I also cannot deny his importance to both many who are inspired by him and his importance to the many art/media industries as a whole.
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