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Published by: IDW Press / Yoe Books!
Writer: Bud Sagendorf
Artist: Bud Sagendorf
Cover artist: Bud Sagendorf
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“Boom! Boom!†or “Pirates is Rodents!â€â€¦Popeye hears on the radio that pirates have been attacking ships and that just rubs Popeye the wrong way. He hates pirates, and until now thought he freed the world of all pirates. Seems they have regrouped and off the sailor goes to take care of the problem. Unpacking all his pirate-killing gear, include a dull sword he sharpens with some spinach juice, he gathers his crew: Wimpy and Olive Oyl (who faints at the very word “piratesâ€, as she is so scared of them. Curious thing: she only faints the one time to hit home the joke). In round one, the pirates get the best of Popeye. After round two, they'll probably cower in fear when served spinach in jail.
In “Ship Shape!†Popeye hasn't had a customer to charter his vessel, The Good Ship Spinacher, in months and is hurting for money. He tells Olive that every time a potential customer boards the ship, he gets cold feet and Popeye loses the job. Determined to help, Olive boards the ship herself and sees why: the Good Ship Spinacher is more like a garbage barge. The reason for the mess is simple: Poop Deck Pappy is living on the boat. The old salt doesn't like Olive and the hatred is mutual. After some mean words and violence, Olive leaves the ship and vows not to speak to Popeye until he cleans it up. And when you are out to sea and have a boat full of trash, the only natural thing to do is throw it overboard. At least that's how the father-son team does it. Foiled by the law, they have to come up with another way to clean up the ship and all the bean cans. It isn't a very good idea though.
In the Bud Sagendorf original Sherm episode, “Snow-Fatherâ€, Sherm goes outside without a jacket to build a snowman in the freshly fallen snow. The boy genius realizes he can make faster work of it if he rolls the snow down off the roof, but in doing so he buries his father in the snow as the old man is exiting the house for work. Sherm climbs down, finishes the snowman, encasing his father and condemning him to a slow death. A missing persons report later, and a fat cop trying to impress Sherm with his pitching arm, dad is discovered, frozen stiff under the snowman snow. And his wife is a bitch about it, too. Nice family.
Yoe Books keeps plugging away at making sure those who want to read 1950s Popeye Comics reprints get what they want. These written-for-children comics include two Popeye stories and one of his own characters in action in their own tale. The books are fun enough so they warrant continued attention, but they really are pretty dumb. But I like dumb, so I'm going to keep reading Popeye reprints and spoiling the unknown for you. Yoe Books continues to release these one issue at a time, and then as a multi-issue collection. Why not just the collections, Yoe? These books read so quickly, too quickly for a $4 cover price. Give us some great bathroom reading in the form of a volume every so often instead.
