In early 20th Century theater and film, the “sissy” was the dreaded antithesis of two-fisted pulp hyper-masculinity, at best, and at worst was a stereotypical euphemism for what was unspoken in general culture, homosexuality. Wimpy, the dandyish, appetite-driven counterpoint to Popeye’s principled violence, is of course Popeye’s best tutor for all things “sissy.” To make this sexual dynamic even weirder we have Popeye’s Pappy bewildered by his prancing progeny. It reads like an unintended burlesque of Popeye “coming out”. Per a previous post, These dailies precede Popeye deceiving the underground demons to come up and fight.
It is important to note that this gender-bending sequence was followed immediately by another adventure cycle involving Popeye getting the crap beaten out of him in a land of highly muscled women. And this is all happening right after E.C. Segar’s death in October 1938. The strip was being continued unsigned by assistants for the time being.
- Markets Booming, Bullets Flying, Booze Flowing – Happy 1926!New Year’s Day in Chicago 1926 felt like peak 1920s. The common tropes of the “Jazz Age” congealed on the front page of Tribune: “Gay, Wet New Year’s: 11 Shot – Prosperous U.S, Forecast by… Read more: Markets Booming, Bullets Flying, Booze Flowing – Happy 1926!
- Historic Christmas Comics: A Holiday JourneyThe grand tradition of the Christmas-themed comic episode started pretty much with the modern comic strip itself. Topicality was baked into the newspaper format. But as recurring characters and extended storylines developed, artists found a… Read more: Historic Christmas Comics: A Holiday Journey
- A Merry Dick Tracy ChristmasChristmas always had a special place on the comic strip page. Many artists creatively wove Yuletide celebrations into their storyline or just broke the fourth wall for a day to send holiday messages directly to… Read more: A Merry Dick Tracy Christmas
- Shelf Scan 2025: That Modern LookTwo of my favorite books this year were not about comics specifically but about the larger visual culture in which comics emerged during the first half of the American 20th Century. Christopher Long’s overview of… Read more: Shelf Scan 2025: That Modern Look
- Gal Gangs, Femdoms and Queen Bees: Matriarchal Mayhem in the 1930sWomen-led “Amazon” worlds popped up in a ranges of comic strips during the 1930s and 40s, and they voiced a range of ideas about the prospects for matriarchal rule. In an earlier article we explored… Read more: Gal Gangs, Femdoms and Queen Bees: Matriarchal Mayhem in the 1930s
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