Early Popeye and "A Farewell to Arms" among famous entities entering public domain
Source: CBS News/AP
December 16, 2024 / 6:13 AM EST
Popeye can punch without permission and Tintin can roam freely starting in 2025. The two classic comic characters who first appeared in 1929 are among the intellectual properties becoming public domain in the United States on Jan. 1. That means they can be used and repurposed without permission or payment to copyright holders.
This year's crop of newly public artistic creations lacks the landmark vibes of last year's entrance of into the public domain of Mickey Mouse. But they include a deep well of canonical works whose 95-year copyright maximums will expire. And the Disney icon's public domain presence expands.
"It's a trove! There are a dozen new Mickey cartoons - he speaks for the first time and dons the familiar white gloves," said Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain. "There are masterpieces from Faulkner and Hemingway, the first sound films from Alfred Hitchcock, Cecil B. DeMille, and John Ford, and amazing music from Fats Waller, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. Pretty exciting!"
A closer look at this year's crop
Popeye the Sailor, with his bulging forearms, mealy-mouthed speech, and propensity for fistfights, was created by E.C. Segar and made his first appearance in the newspaper strip "Thimble Theater" in 1929, speaking his first words, "'Ja think I'm a cowboy?" when asked if he was a sailor. What was supposed to be a one-off appearance became permanent, and the strip would be renamed "Popeye."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/early-popeye-farewell-to-arms-public-domain/
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The animation was far superior to the later color ones. Plus, Popeye was always saying things under his breath in the early ones. Robin Williams, during the filming of 1980's "Popeye", said it was like Popeye was swearing under his breath. 
Which includes the first appearance of Popeye in the comic (called "Thimble Theater"
is THE BEST of Popeye. The Max Fleischer cartoons of that era are fairly faithful to Segar's characters. The stuff from the 50s on was bland to insulting.
I strongly recommend the collection "The Complete E.C. Segar's Popeye".
