"Everyone has C.B. now."
Popeye #138 (January 1977) – art by George Wildman
Yes, it’s the special C.B. issue, and that cover lies! It lies to you, as neither Olive Oyl nor Wimpy appear in this ish. There is plenty of hot C.B. action, however.
This first page sets up the situation, with Popeye following a huge freakin’ bomb that, you’d think, they’d try to disguise a little to reduce citizen panic:
And for some reason, Popeye is more concerned with Swee’pea using his real name than with Swee’pea sitting on top of said huge freakin’ bomb.
Oh, and the name of the bomb as revealed in that first panel is what we call in the biz “foreshadowing.”
Enemy agents are afoot, however, and Popeye proves his worth with his observational skills:
Also in the mix is Bluto and/or Brutus (details here), whose sole purpose in this story is apparently to give Popeye crap over the C.B.:
…which apparently annoys Popeye so much that he violates all manner of physical laws to deliver a punch over the radio waves and through “Big Bee’s” receiver:
And yes, if only we could do that now, in this internet age. I’ve had a few e-mail punches I’ve wanted to deliver.
Anyway, the bad guys get a hold of the huge freakin’ bomb, and capture Popeye in the process. It’s then that Popeye learns the plan: apparently the bad guys are going to drop the bomb on King Willie’s country, while informing the country that it was in fact the king himself who dropped the bomb, thus clearing the way for the chief bad guy to step in as ruler. Yeah, okay.
Popeye manages to get free momentarily, and raises King Willie on the C.B.:
Afterwards, Popeye is forced at gunpoint to haul the bomb to the plane, which he now apparently seems perfectly happy to do, much to the consternation of Swee’pea:
The plan is in action! The chief bad guy prepares to inform everyone that the king is dropping his bomb on them, and thankfully there’s one guaranteed way to get a hold of everyone simultaneously:
But the joke’s on them…it’s inferred that, during their brief C.B. radio chat, King Willie informed Popeye of the true nature of the Happiness Bomb, thus explaining why Popeye was so willing to help out. The bomb explodes, revealing:
The bomb apparently contained an elaborate heating system for the hamburgers and hot dogs, plus a refrigeration system for the ice cream…the latter especially important given that, as seen at the beginning of the story, the big metal bomb was being hauled through a desert.
The somewhat disturbing conclusion:
Well said, Popeye, well said.
