Happy Birthday Popeye!

On January 17, 1929 the world famous Popeye the Sailor Man made his first appearance in E.C. Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre. The strip had previously been published for ten years establishing the town of Sweethaven and characters like Olive Oyl and her family. But it wasn't until Popeye showed up that it really hit its stride. He became so popular infact that the strip was officially renamed Popeye after a number of years and runs in syndication to this day. In 1933, Fleischer Studios adapted the character into a series of theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. These cartoons became some of the most popular of the 1930s, and the Fleischers, and later Famous Studios, continued production through 1957. After the theatrical shorts stopped, Popeye made the leap to television starring in several different shows over the years. In 1980, he returned to the silver screen famously portrayed by Robin Williams in the live action film bearing his name. Popeye continues to be a pop culture icon appearing on spinach cans, theme park rides, and a plethora of merchandise. Happy Birthday Popeye!!!

Max Fleischer Superman

It's no secret, I love Superman. Whether its comics, animation, or film, if its got Superman in it i'll eat it up. Some of the greatest Superman animation ever done were the first theatrical cartoons done by the Fleischer Studios from 1941 to 1942. These cartoons influenced the future looks of the phenominal Batman: the Animated Series and of course Superman: the Animated Series. Even the great Alex Ross sites these shorts as the influence for his take on the Man of Steel. These cartoons even introduced the famous lines "Look up in the sky, its a bird, its a plane..."etc. etc.





After fall out in the studio Superman made his way to Famous studios from 1942 till 1943 where the stories became heavy on WWII propaganda.


Well thats all for now. Until next time.
-Brian James Fichtner