The 2019 Popeye's Cartoon Club hits print for the first time in a new anthology book

(Image credit: King Features)

Clover Press and Yoe! Books have teamed up for Popeye Variations: Not Yer Pappy's Comics an' Art Book, a hardcover anthology collection of the classic character as interpreted by more than 75 comics artists.

The book measures 10" by 10", making it perfect for a coffee table, and it features more than 100 illustrations of the King Features-owned, spinach-eating sailor and his friends. It's currently being funded via Kickstarter.

This collection marks the first time work by the 2019 "Popeye's Cartoon Club" creators will be featured in print. Creator E.C. Segar used to share artwork drawn by fans at the end of his Popeye strips when the comic first started running, which he called "Popeye's Cartoon Club." And in 2019, King Features brought back "Popeye's Cartoon Club" by inviting cartoonists from all over the world to contribute a strip that would be published digitally on ComicsKingdom.com.

"Popeye's Cartoon Club" contributors include Box Brown, Ryan Estrada, Bones Leopard, Steve Lieber, Randy Milholland - who now draws the Sunday Popeye strip - Bianca Xunise, and more.

Popeye Variations will also feature strips by Cat Farris, Dean Haspiel, Erica Henderson, Jeffrey Brown, Shin Ying Khor, Roger Langridge, Sarah Winifread Searle, Scott Shaw, and more, as well as pin-ups by Derek Ballard, Roz Chast, Kelley Jones, Steve Purcell, and others.

In addition, Popeye Variations will feature variant covers from IDW Publishing's 2012 reprint of the classic 1948 Popeye comic book series by Bud Sagendorf, Segar's long-time assistant. Some of the original variant cover comics will be offered as special tiers for Kickstarter backers.

"We're excited to publish this amazing collection of Popeye art, some seen in limited circles, but all deserving to be shared with Popeye fans around the world," says publisher Hank Kanalz. "Craig Yoe and Robbie Robbins have curated and designed a beautiful hardcover that must not be missed."

"This special book is packed with illustrated eye-candy that we know fans will adore," adds King Features licensing director Christina Nix Lynch. "But we are particularly thrilled that the prolific talent responsible for the Popeye's Cartoon Club digital comics will have the opportunity to see their work live on through a new medium in this beautifully curated anthology."

Check out interior pages from Popeye Variations below.

Image 1 of 3

Popeye Variations: Not Yer Pappy's Comics an' Art Book will be on Kickstarter until Wednesday, October 19.

Don't miss the best video game comics of all time.

Samantha Puc (she/they) is an editor at Newsarama and an avid comics fan. Their writing has been featured on Refinery29, Bitch Media, them., The Beat, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction at The New School.