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.

• Scoundrels, Cons and Dupes: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 4June 10, 2026
  We round out our survey of comic strip baddies steeped in post-WWII American culture. As are our choices for standout villains. The funny papers followed popular culture into new Cold War mythologies around both heroism… Read more: Scoundrels, Cons and Dupes: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 4
• Cool and Calculating: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 3June 9, 2026
  As the 1930s progressed, comic strip adventuring matured its visions of villainy. And the times were changing, as world war was becoming a reality rather than a distant rumble. As we saw in Part 1… Read more: Cool and Calculating: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 3
• World-Class Malice: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 2June 4, 2026
  As we move more deeply into the 1930s and the peak years of comic strip adventure, some of the most recognizable and enduring cartoon fiends emerge. The villainy enlarges to suggest global criminal conspiracies and… Read more: World-Class Malice: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 2
• Evil Is As Evil Does: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 1June 3, 2026
  Villainy is, well, a necessary evil. At least so far as popular adventure is concerned. What is a hero without an antagonist, morality plays without sin? Whether it is the Satan of Genesis or of… Read more: Evil Is As Evil Does: 20 Favorite Comic Strip Villains – Part 1
• Li’l Abner’s Epic Gender Bender (1953)May 23, 2026
  Alert the gender police! Recruit the culture warriors. Al Capp’s Li’l Abner strip was bending gender norms more than 70 years ago. In fact, this 1953 story arc weirdly foreshadowed current skirmishes over cross-dressing, drag performance,… Read more: Li’l Abner’s Epic Gender Bender (1953)