Sorry…
…but it’s been a long day and I’m Too Pooped to Post™. So let me leave you with this image of the forthcoming Castor Oyl action figure:
…which I almost passed on ordering along with the Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl figures I was getting for myself from the latest Previews, until I saw that Castor had “Eugene the Jeep and Bernice the Whiffle Hen” included in his package:
Look, I know I’m weak. Also, did you know the Whiffle Hen predates Popeye his own self in the funny pages? IT’S TWOO, IT’S TWOO
Okay, definitely time for beddy-bye. See you pals on Monday.
Many people will claim that Popeye got his strength and nigh-invulnerability from Bernice the Whiffle Hen, but that is a serious misreading of the story (not that most of the people who make this claim have actually read the story; they are merely repeating other people’s summaries). The situation was actually this:
Bernice had the power to grant good luck to anyone who rubbed her feathers. Popeye did this several times while facing a gun-toting villain who intended to kill him, and he thereby survived being shot multiple times at close range. The way that Bernice’s luck manifested itself was not in making Popeye strong and tough–he was already that. It was in making every shot hit a non-vital spot. Popeye’s natural resilience allowed him to survive that.
I mean, yes, of course, being shot more than a dozen times anywhere would probably kill anyone, however tough. The shock and blood loss would do that, even if no organs were damaged. However, the simple fact that this story is centered around a whiffle hen is pretty clear evidence that it is set in a world where the natural laws are a bit different.
This book was my Popeye bible growing up. I read it sooo many times.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Popeye-First-Fifty-Bud-Sagendorf/dp/0894800663