It's sad watching formerly popular cartoon characters fade into obscurity. Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, and Woody Woodpecker used to be massive names in animation, but through no fault of their own have faded from public awareness. It's not as if any of the cartoons mentioned above possess ideas that are bound to a specific era. With the right artists and writers at the helm, there's no reason that cartoon characters from yesteryear couldn't make a massive resurgence. Case in point; look at Popeye the Sailor Man. Although Popeye has a few antiquated edges, modernizing the character isn't as tall of an order as it would seem.
According to Comicbook.com, King Features Syndicate feels like it's about time to revive Popeye for a whole new generation. To aid them in their attempts to wrangle a more modern manga-savvy audience, the company has enlisted the talented pencils of Marcus Williams- known as Marcusthevisual on Instagram.
You might think the world knows all there is to Popeye the Sailor Man, but that could not be further from the truth. Soon, publisher King Features Syndicate plans to prove that truth to fans with help from a special comic. After all, Eye Lie Popeye plans to bring the infamous sailor into the world of manga, and the exciting tale will pay homage to some of shonen's best series. A recent announcement by King Features Syndicate confirms Eye Lie Popeye plans to blend manga-inspired artwork with the cartoon character's quintessential style. Created by Marcus Williams, this ambitious new series plans on show readers just how Popeye lost his eye all those years ago. And as you can see below, ComicBook has been given an exclusive look at the comic's first two pages! "As a huge fan of both Popeye and manga, I'm looking forward to combining both passions and bringing fans an all new format and style to experience the iconic character's adventures. I'm thrilled that my Popeye Goku art led me here and am excited to infuse the traditional shonen style with a modern twist and explore the mystery behind Popeye's missing eye," Williams shared.