Description
Bobby London's Popeye Vol. 2
Book Summary
This second volume collects Bobby London's entire run on the daily Popeye strip, a period that began in 1986 and brought an unexpected twist to the iconic character. London, an underground cartoonist known for his work in magazines like Playboy and National Lampoon, managed to capture the irreverent and chaotic spirit of the sailor's earliest adventures. Readers will find here an exhaustive collection of strips that combine classic humor with a modern, transgressive outlook.
What is it about?
In 1986, King Features Syndicate surprised the comic world by commissioning the daily Popeye strip to Bobby London, an author whose best-known character was Dirty Duck and whose résumé included being one of the Air Pirates, the underground group that parodied Mickey Mouse and ended up in a lawsuit with Disney. Far from being an erratic decision, the choice reflected a deep knowledge of classic strips: London knew how to capture the free, unpredictable, and anarchic spirit of Elzie Segar’s original Popeye. This volume collects that entire run, where the sailor, Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea, and the rest of the Thimble Theatre cast live adventures that recover the chaotic tone and vitality of the character's early years, moving away from more sanitized versions.
Main themes
- Absurdist humor and chaotic situations characteristic of the classic comic strip
- Reclaiming the original spirit of Popeye and Thimble Theatre
- Influence of underground comics on newspaper narrative
- Iconic characters treated with irreverence and freshness
- Recovery of a graphic and narrative style predating censorship
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at collectors of classic comics and fans of the history of the newspaper strip, as well as Popeye fans who want to discover a lesser-known but essential period. It will also interest readers of underground comics and those who appreciate the work of authors like Robert Crumb or Bobby London himself, due to the connection between counterculture and tradition.
What this book offers
- A complete view of a unique and controversial period in the history of Popeye
- More than 370 pages of daily strips that recover the character's original tone
- Historical context on the transition from underground comics to the mainstream press
- Essential material for understanding the evolution of American graphic humor
- An opportunity to rediscover Popeye from a lesser-known perspective
Technical specifications
- Author: London, Bobby
- Publisher: Ediciones Kraken
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: GRAPHIC NOVELS, COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS
- Collection: POPEYE
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publication date: July 2015
- Number of pages: 372
- Weight: 830 g
Editorial review
This volume is of great interest both to specialists in newspaper comics and to readers looking for a different look at a universal character. Bobby London's run represents a bridge between the tradition of the classic strip and the sensibilities of the underground, offering a Popeye closer to Segar's original spirit. The hardcover edition and the 372-page length make this collection an essential reference for completing the history of the most famous sailor in comics.