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| POPEYE & Co. copyright KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, Inc. |
When I was at secondary school, my main claim to fame was drawing POPEYE. My classmates were always pleading with me in earnest tones, "Draw Popeye, Robson, draw Popeye!" They were entranced by the sailor's image coming to life on the page (in the back of a school jotter usually) with only a few deft scribbles. The celebrity status accorded me, the adulation bestowed upon my exalted self, the adoring awe in which I was held - it was almost intoxicating as I strode heroically through the school corridors.
"Look!", cried lesser pupils as I passed, prostrating themselves in obeisance, "Tis the Mighty Robson, he who is to be regarded as unto a god by we lowly mortals! All hail the Mighty Robson!" Even teachers aligned themselves with the 'Cult of The Robson' as it came to be known; I often used to hear them refer to me (in hushed tones and from a respectful distance naturally) as "a bit of a cult!"
Well, okay - I might, perhaps, have indulged in the slightest bit of hyperbole halfway through that little reminiscence, but only a tad. The reality was pretty close to how I recall. (Cough!)
Anyway, I've continued to draw Popeye from time to time over the years, and above is a picture I whipped up for someone-or-other in the mid-'90s. DUNN KWIK is one of many pseudonyms I use on occasion, the afore-mentioned being reserved for stuff produced in a bit of a hurry. Still - not too shabby, is it?
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When I first posted this on my other blog, one commenter (Martin) said "When I was at secondary school, I seemed to spend most of my time trying [to] avoid lads who bore an uncanny resemblance to Bluto."
To which I replied "When I was at secondary school, I seemed to spend most of my time trying to avoid girls who bore an uncanny resemblance to Bluto. Why'd they always seem to single me out?"
See? Commenting can be fun. Why not try it and see?
My classroom drawings tended more towards Snoopy and Fred Flintstone, if my crusty memory is to be trusted. But apparently i did have a love for Popeye that dates back much earlier. I'm told that i hated and refused to eat spinach until my parents brought in Popeye to convince me otherwise. It seems comics and cartoons were shaping my life before i even have memory of them doing so.
ReplyDeleteI remember John Buscema saying that he could never draw Popeye, either as a kid or an adult, which made me feel good that I could draw something that the great JB couldn't. Until I remembered that he could draw so many OTHER things that I couldn't, which brought me back down to earth a bit. I used to draw Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Scooby Doo and Pink Panther too, but Popeye seemed to be the one my classmates wanted to see.
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