“EYE LIE POPEYE” FROM ARTIST MARCUS WILLIAMS TO DEBUT NOVEMBER 22
King Features Syndicate, home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters, today unveiled the first Manga-inspired style Popeye comic, Eye Lie Popeye. Penned by Marcus Williams, Eye Lie Popeye is an all-new “what if” style webcomic that tells the story of how Popeye the Sailorman famously lost his eye.
Eye Lie Popeye focuses on the mystery behind the iconic Popeye character and his missing eye, which is believed to have been lost in battle during an early voyage. In this new series, the Sea Hag seeks to retrieve a bejeweled “eye” that is in Popeye’s possession, thought to have been used as a replacement for his original missing eye. She sends “the temp” in disguise to source out the eye’s location by canvassing Popeye’s friends and family for clues as to its location and origin, resulting in varying stories of how Popeye lost his eye and replaced it with “the eye.”
The Eye Lie Popeye webcomic was inspired by a viral social media moment where the Popeye account engaged with Manga audiences. It then sparked a “Popeye Broke the Internet” fan fiction share of Popeye and Goku artwork, which was actually created by Marcus Williams. He was then chosen as the artist for Eye Lie Popeye, drawing from some of the best shonen-style Manga and infusing that into a modernized story for both Popeye and Manga fans to enjoy.
“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,” said Marcus Williams, creator of Eye Lie Popeye.
“We have been exploring the idea of a manga-inspired style for Popeye, and once we learned of Marcus’s manga-style Popeye fan art that quickly became a fan favorite across the internet, we knew he was the right person to bring this to life. Popeye has been a staple on the funny pages for over 90 years, and it’s incredible to continue telling new facets of his lore and connecting with fans in different ways,” said Tea Fougner, editorial director, comics, King Features.
Eye Lie Popeye will roll out in arcs, with the first available for a limited period of five weeks and delivered twice weekly. The content will be made available in “story” like fashion, with each page available for 24 hours on Popeye social before living on eyelie.popeye.com.
Marcus Williams is a writer, illustrator and current comic artist behind projects Tuskegee Heirs and Super Natural and the Popeye World Breakers fan fiction.
About Popeye
Sailor. Tough guy. Hero. Legend. That’s Popeye. An underdog with bulging forearms, a mean uppercut and a love of canned spinach. Unassuming, unsophisticated and undeterred by a challenge, from the minute he walked into the comic strip, The Thimble Theatre, and muttered his famous “Ja think I’m a cowboy?” line, Popeye the Sailor Man captured the hearts of millions of fans around the globe. As the star of his own comic strips and animated content on the big screen and small, Popeyebecame quickly ingrained in American culture, and today remains one of the most recognizable pop culture icons in the world. Popeye celebrated his 90th anniversary in 2019.
About King Features
King Features is a premier producer and distributor of the world’s most iconic intellectual properties and a leader in classic character licensing and franchise development. With one of the longest-running consumer products programs in the industry, King Features’ portfolio includes world-renowned pop culture brands such as Popeye®, Cuphead, Flash Gordon™, The Phantom™, Hägar the Horrible, Moomin, Prince Valiant® and Mandrake the Magician. King Features is currently producing The Cuphead Show! with Netflix Animation. As content syndication specialists, the company distributes beloved comics such as Blondie, Beetle Bailey®, Mutts™ and dozens of others as well as columns, editorial cartoons and puzzles across multiple platforms and content providers around the globe. King Features is part of Hearst Newspapers, which publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York), and operates local digital marketing services and directories.