One of Toon Town’s oldest and dearest denizens gets a flipped out modern revamp from a staggering roster of contemporary comics artists in Popeye Variations, a new book project from Clover Press and Yoe! Books now on Kickstarter. The 10 x 10 hardcover will feature unique spins on E.C. Segar’s spinach-scarfing sailor created by more than 75 underground and mainstream cartoonists.
“We’re excited to publish this amazing collection of Popeye art, some seen in limited circles, but all deserving to be shared with Popeye fans around the world,” said Publisher Hank Kanalz. “Craig Yoe and Robbie Robbins have curated and designed a beautiful hardcover that must not be missed.”
Animation Magazine is delighted to debut three comic strips that will appear in the book, created by R. Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), Eisner Award winner Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook) and the stellar combo of Scott Shaw! and Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai.
Across over 100 pages, Popeye Variations will present more strips by the likes of Jeffrey Brown (Darth Vader and Son), Cat Farris (The Ghoul Next Door), Eisner-winning artist Erica Henderson (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl), National Book Award finalist Shin Ying Khor (The Legend of Auntie Po), Eisner-winning cartoonist Liniers, Roger Langridge (The Muppets), The Humans creator Tom Neely, writer Jeff Parker (Blighter), Sarah Winifred Searle (The Greatest Thing).
The collection also paints Popeye in a new light with pin-up pieces by animation and comics stars like director & painter Jorge Gutierrez (The Book of Life, Maya and the Three), Roz Chast (The New Yorker), Kelley Jones (Batman, The Sandman), Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell and Adventure Time storyboard artist Derek Ballard.
Popeye Variations also features many of the original variant covers created for IDW Publishing and Yoe! Books’ 2012 re-presentation of of the classic Popeye comic book series launched in 1948 by Segar’s longtime assistant, Bud Sagendorf. As a bonus to Kickstarter supporters, several of these covers are being offered as special tiers for the campaign.
Popeye is owned bye King Features, a unit of Hearst Newspapers. Follow along with the beloved sailorman’s latest adventures at popeye.com.
For updates on the project, follow Clover Press on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and Yoe! Books on Twitter and Facebook.
To support the campaign for Popeye Variations, visit Kickstarter.
