SEA SHANTY FUNNIES Publishing Schedule

This week, New Episodes of SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ are back on schedule and will be released on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings. Visit www.seashantyfunnies.com

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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ A Key Moment - Mini-Episode #4

 

From the Archive Journals... Popeye Joins the U.S. Navy

After POPEYE creator E.C. Segar passed away in 1938, the THIMBLE THEATER newspaper comic strip would continue under writer Tom Sims and artists Doc Winner (for a short stint) and then for a long stretch with Bela Zaboly. During the Second World War, Popeye enlisted in the U.S. Navy to help the war effort in a storyline that ran in the newspaper comic strips from December 13, 1943 to April 15, 1944 entitled "Popeye in the Navy".
 
But before joining the military in those newspaper comic strips, Max Fleischer Studios already had Popeye join the U.S. Navy in a cartoon released on November 14, 1941 (just three weeks before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor that officially entered the U.S. into World War Two) where for the first time he wore his classic all-white Navy "Crackerjacks" uniform with "Dixie Cup" sailor hat and knotted tie with the outfit that he would continue to wear in the Famous Studios cartoons for the next few decades as his legacy uniform.
 
Interestingly, the "enemy" in this cartoon was not portrayed with a national identity and the "enemy" sailors were not shown. Just their ships and airplanes. There is even a moment in the cartoon where a generic flag was shown with the words, "Enemy (Name Your Own)" was shown on screen. After the U.S. officially entered the war, the real world enemy was named. The Japanese were negatively portrayed in typical racial stereotypes of that era (i.e. "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap"). Later cartoons also took their swipe at the Germans, too... including one with Adolf himself (i.e. "Seein’ Red, White, ‘n’ Blue" from 1943).
 
In the THIMBLE THEATER newspaper comic strips circa June 1942 in the storyline "The Seagoosk", Popeye also entered the battlefield to fight "The blastid Yaps" with a "Y".
 
The scene in today's KEY MOMENT SPECIAL comic strip that I have illustrated is inspired by that first cartoon with him in the U.S. Navy and is taken from the animated short "The Mighty Navy". Popeye would continue serving in the Navy afterwards in follow up animated cartoon features during the Second World War. Popeye was used to help influence and inspire a positive portrayal of the navy to help the war effort and recruitment at that time.
 
(*Sidenote: Before the war, Popeye also served in the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1930s cartoons and was shown as a stationed Coast Guardsman (along with a sailor uniformed Wimpy) in the 1937 animated short "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" where they were "out hunting bandits".)
For those that care about "Behind the Scenes" stuff for my independent self-published comic series that you are reading here:
 
For continuity's sake in my "Alternate Retro Universe" that is SEA SHANTY FUNNIES, both these newspaper and cartoon stories from the Second World War era - for the most part in some way that makes sense to my head canon - happened in this timeline inside my own stories in my unofficial alternate universe take. I am absorbing them into the continuity. They mesh together if you can be flexible open to the idea that timelines merge. We're trying to keep this a retro timeline timeless in feel without pinning down actual real dates and thus I'm just generically referring to this time period in Popeye's life as "The War" where he is a war veteran that served in the Pacific. I'm also inserting into my timeline that he served in the U.S. Coast Guard for a brief stint (with Wimpy!) before "The War". I've already portrayed Wimpy once in his classic blue coast guardsman outfit in one previous comic strip earlier this year and think of him perhaps as in the Coast Guard Reserves.
 
Don't overthink it all. Maybe I'm overthinking myself and overwriting here an explanation, but you get to witness my ramblin' mind work in how I am "world building" Popeye's past history into my unofficial take in what I call "Earth-24C".
 
In my timeline for this unofficial Popeye comic strip that I am writing, Popeye is now in the U.S. Navy Reserves holding the rank of Chief Petty Officer currently where he could be called up if needed in the future. Popeye is a Master Diver with legendary Deep Sea Diver experience (partially thanks to his Uncle Davy Jones). 
 
But this scene portrayed comes from a pivotal moment in one of by Max Fleischer Studios from 1941. Enjoy!

Tune in tonight for a LIVE INTERVIEW with me on YouTube about SEA SHANTY FUNNIES



REMINDER:
F
eel free to join in and watch and post questions or thoughts. I've been invited to participate in an interview on YouTube tonight on the "Monitor Duty" YouTube Chanel to discuss my public domain-based POPEYE comic strip SEA SHANTY FUNNIES and perhaps some other comic book related topics by video podcaster (and Popeye fan) Mathew D. Rhys on his weekly show.

The show should go live 6 pm Pacific / 7pm Mountain / 8pm Central / 9pm Eastern this Wednesday night on May 27th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMrEATcl5ok

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ - Episode 117½

 

Popeye would like a word...

I'd be interested in your thoughts, too.
 
Here on my blog, I can get up to 2,000 visits a day from people reading my SEA SHANTY FUNNIES webcomics. YET, NOBODY HAS EVER ONCE RESPONDED WITH A SINGLE REPLY TO ANY OF THESE POSTS WITH MY WEB COMICS ON MY BLOG.
 
Why? I'm glad you're there and hoping you're enjoying, but a brother here would love some feedback and perhaps some evidence of acknowledgment that you're reading and perhaps even enjoying? 
 
Will SOMEONE out there just hit reply and respond? Pretty please? 
 
Hello, is there anybody out there?
 
First person that responds on this blog... I'll mail you a personalized Popeye sketch. Offer valid through June 1st. 
 

Monday, May 25, 2026

THIS WEEK for SEA SHANTY FUNNIES (New comics and a live stream interview)

 First, I will have new web comic strips this Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. So please check back.

 Also, something special...

Tune in to YouTube for LIVE Streaming Interview Chat with Me this Wednesday Night

I've been invited to participate in an interview on YouTube this Wednesday evening to discuss my public domain-based POPEYE comic strip SEA SHANTY FUNNIES and perhaps some other comic book related topics by video podcaster (and Popeye fan) Mathew D. Rhys on his weekly show.
 
His streaming YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/@MathewDRhys/streams
 

Sunday, May 24, 2026

SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ - Episode 117

 

And we're back!

Happy Sunday Fun Day. Thanks for the continued support!

I'll have more updates soon. I hope you enjoy today's comic strip.


Monday, May 18, 2026

Quick Publishing Schedule Update

This week, a New Episode of SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ will be released on Sunday morning, May 24th. It'll be the full Sunday Fun Day main storyline comic strip.

As many of you know if you're following, I had to take a bit of a breather the past two days at my wife Jennifer McCullar's request. I took last Saturday night off and also took all-day Sunday off to spend with Jennifer doing stuff. We went downtown to an art fair and I ended up with all those BEETLE BAILEY books by happenstance as we were browsing a nearby old bookstore.

I'm rested up and all is good. I'm ready to get back to drawing.

At this time, there are no new comic strip episodes planned for the weekdays this week (sorry about that) as I play a little catch up on drawing the big comic strip for Sunday. I'm also finishing up a few side related projects (including SEA SHANTY FUNNIES fan club stuff).

Thank you for understanding.

This week, I plan to resume and finish up the big Sunday Fun Day comic strip (Episode 117) as "Detective Week" reaches its conclusion (more as an epilogue and a launch to the rescue mission). I plan over the next three weeks to probably focus on just the main Sunday storyline to get that Sunday publishing schedule back on track. After I finish everything and if I have "spare time", then I may squeeze a few weekday short gag comic strips as I can.

I am also planning on finishing up the printing of the remainder of the trading cards and stickers for those that purchased the fan club package that have held me up. I plan on getting everything packaged up and out in the mail by the weekend. I had to make a few substitutions on paper cardstock being used for the cards which delayed things.

More updates when I can.

Here is Teaser #1: Next week, I've been asked to do a livestream video chat interview about Popeye, SEA SHANTY FUNNIES, perhaps my work on GREEN ARROW over at DC Comics or my other indie comic book series THRILL SEEKER COMICS, plus my love of comics in general, on Wednesday evening, May 21st. Details are forthcoming in a separate post we'll make.

And Teaser #2: Sometime coming up very soon in June... Jennifer and I are planning a trip to Chester, Illinois to pay our respects to the hometown of E.C. Segar and see the Popeye Museum and see each of the Thimble Theater related statues of Popeye and friends (& foes!) that are sprinkled throughout the riverport town.

We plan on taking some videos, photos, and seeing the sites. It will be my first time ever trip to Chester. We live driving distance (I'm in Springfield, Illinois). I'm really looking forward to the pilgrimage journey and seeing the Popeye sites.

Just letting you know where things stand in my plans for this week if all goes as planned... that is.


Scott

Sunday, May 17, 2026

SEASHANTY FUNNIES delay...

 

My wife Jennifer's post and directive from FACEBOOK last night...


FROM FACEBOOK

Apologies. Today's Sunday Fun Day comic strip has been put on hold and it will need to be rescheduled. I got a late start and began drawing it last night and my wife Jennifer asked that I put a hold on it. She said that she felt I needed to take a break from working in my studio. I guess I bit off more than I can chew this past week with all things and I needed to take care of myself and some matters on the home front. I do appreciate her looking out for me when I sometimes get a little blindsided with things that I lose track and need to take care of myself and others. I appreciate your understanding. 

We'll be back after this break. (But here is a sneak peek of one of the panels of the next comic strip...)

 




Please check back later for an update.

 

Thanks,

Scott and Jennifer 

Friday, May 15, 2026