This issue just has the Popeye story and it’s really more of a Wimpy story. Wimpy’s hamburger lust goes too far and he finds himself challenged to a boxing match over it. Popeye steps in to train him, with Wimpy resisting one every page.
The story’s got a great gag finish (though, surprisingly, Langridge doesn’t take enough time setting up the joke) and Tom Neely’s art is fantastic. There are a lot of settings–out on Popeye’s ship, around town, the boxing ring itself–and Neely impresses.
But what makes the issue outstanding is Langridge’s scenes. He builds up these long, involved scenes, with multiple comic strip payoffs but over extended periods. The first one, where Wimpy offends his nemesis, goes on for two or three pages and Langridge tells it on three layers, all building to the final panel.
Thanks to Langridge and the characters, of course, Popeye‘s exceptional.
CREDITS
The Phantom Crusher; writer, Roger Langridge; artist, colorist and letterer, Tom Neely; editors, Ted Adams, Craig Yoe and Clizia Gussoni; publisher, IDW Publishing.