George Wildman's Popeye

After Bud Sagendorf, my favorite Popeye artist is Charlton Comic’s George Wildman. Wildman’s work is instantly recognizable for its delirious wonkiness. In fact, the term “wonkiness” may very well have been created specifically to capture the feel of the artist’s work on Popeye.

Good pal Stephen DeStefano, knowing of my unabashed affection for the artist's work, recently asked me why there wasn’t more Wildman wonkiness on this blog. Well, let’s get this party started, Stephen! Like a train going off the rails, here come stories starring Popeye, Swee'pea, and Wimpy! Also, Wildman did the awesome cover! This is from Popeye No. 111, December 1971.

George Wildman's Popeye!

In comic books (not the newspaper strip) two artists dominated the drawing of Popeye the Sailor. The first and best known was Bud Sagendorf, whose wonderful work can by seen in Craig yoe's recent Popeye: The Great Comic Book Tales Of Bud Sagendorf. The other artist, who we will be enjoying today, was George Wildman, who drew the squinty-eyed sailor for Charlton Comics from 1969 until approximately 1978. I just love the heck out of Wildman's nice, thick line (and his Wimpy in the second story is about perfect!). This is from Popeye No. 100, February 1970.

Professor O.G. Watasnozzle (here spelled "Wotasnozzle") was a Segar creation - a kind of mad (more silly than mad) scientist whose madcap inventions fueled many stories, like the following:

This ad from the same issue. I can't say I ever considered freckles "disfiguring." I always thought they made a girl look cute!