SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ Comic Strip #2 - Happy Popeye Day on his 96th B-day!

Quick Update

I'm in the process of moving my art studio office into another part of the house - so my Intuous Cintiq is not set up at the moment. We're painting the new room this weekend that I'm about to move into as my den. 

However, I finished writing another comic script earlier today!

And I have a few more stories in mind.

Look for a new SEA SHANTY FUNNIES comic strip this Friday to celebrate Popeye Day.

I hope to return to production for the two THRILL SEEKER COMICS publications next month to finish up. Sorry for the delay, but family life got in the way a bit.

COMICS: Public Domain Popeye and his Spinach Debate

Yes, the Public Domain Popeye can eat his Spinach due to a loophole in which a 1931 copyright lapsed.

 

 

 

Full Article Here: 

 https://mashable.com/article/public-domain-day-2025?fbclid=IwY2xjawHsQb1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHU6DfBZmJq_A_YzHx5t1xL_kogqM1QmowluqupFNv3TWi-nP31wE-p-ZzA_aem_6ZgLIrwFMs0dqSmtn8DYfQ

Ouch! My tongue!!!

Accidentally bit my tongue last night and spit out about half a cup of blood. Hurt like hell. Lots of blood my wife almost fainted. Ran cold water and ice on it. Miraculously, bleeding stopped and healing began quickly. Amazed at the healing process. 24 hours later, just a little sore.

Social Media Update

I deactivated my LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads accounts this morning. I'm weening off of Facebook by the end of next month, but I have to take care of a few matters there first. It is time. 

I'm staying on the Blue Sky app for now. 

I'm moving my online presence to my personal websites and blog.

More later...

 

The Times They Are a Changin' on Social Media

I'm rethinking my approach to using social media and use of the Internet itself with all the changes going on in the world and out here in cyberspace.

I left Twitter/X a few months ago thanks to Elon Musk turning it into a shit pile.

I barely use Instagram.

I'm not and have never been on Tiktok. I never will.

I'm not on Mastadon or whatever.

I did open an account on Blue Sky, but it really isn't working to well for me to connect and/or interact with others.

Over a year ago, I got onto Threads. I didn't use it for most of the year. Then after leaving Twitter, I started using it more. I've met a few new online friends, but 97% of the folks on here I do not know and I have conversations for a moment and then poof, they are over. I've had some negative experiences there with some people. I don't know how much longer I can stay on there.

Which leads me to Facebook...

I've been on Facebook for almost 20 years. I was originally on there to connect with family and friends. Most have gone silent. It is mostly ads and groups now. The only reasons I've been on there was to keep in contact with my mother to interact and to promote my comic book projects. 

Which leads me here...

I'm thinking about leaving social media all together at the end of February and just making this website and blog my only online footprint out there for others to follow me or connect.

Anyone here reading this? If so, give me a shout out!

 

 

SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ Comic Strip #1 - Welcome Aboard, Swabbies!

Happy New Year!

 

Popeye enters the public domain today here in the U.S.

 

Yours truly decided that I would like to do my own take on this character that I've loved since childhood. I am writing and illustrating a comic strip called "SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™". There won't be any Rated-R slasher style stories here. No twisted takes to titillate or cause any controversy. I just want to do my own all-ages respectful ode to those classic stories that many of us have loved. Hope you'll enjoy.

 

“SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™” is in no way associated with King Features Syndicate, Inc., nor are any claims made against their trademarks. Popeye was created by E.C. Segar.

 

I have also launched a webpage today at https://seashantyfunnies.blogspot.com/ where I will post new one-page short stories sporadically in the future. .

 

 

SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ Blog: Quick Introduction...

 

Quick Introduction...

As I write this, the time is about four hours or so to midnight. I just wanted to say a quick hello and introduce myself. My name is Scott McCullar and I am the bloke who is presenting SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ just one minute after midnight when Popeye enters the public domain for fair use. 

I'm a Gen Xer about to turn 54 and I've been a lifelong fan of Popeye the Sailor since I was a wee lad. I grew up on watching all the Popeye cartoons and read the comic strips by E.C. Segar and Bud Sagendorf. I was in third grade when the late Robin Williams portrayed our favorite sailor in the famous film.

Popeye inspired me to draw as a child. I spent many many hours drawing him and Olive Oyl in my school notebooks. I dreamed of one day drawing the Popeye newspaper strip. Well, I figure that this might be as close as I get to achieving that dream. 

For those that don't know me, outside my day job these last 25 years, I've done some freelancing for various comic book publishers including DC Comics where I've either written and/or illustrated some comic books. Currently, I write and illustrate my own independent comic series THRILL SEEKER COMICS with my own self-publishing company Bandito Entertainment. When I was much younger, I went to art school at Illinois State University where I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. Working in comics was my dream, but life threw me curve balls these past three decades and so I create comics for fun and myself on my own time. 

SEA SHANTY FUNNIES™ featuring our favorite cast of characters who have entered the public domain from Thimble Theatre after 95 years is a respectful "nod'n wink" to the original comics and cartoons. There won't be any Rated-R slasher style stories. No twisted takes to titillate or cause any controversy. I just want to do my ode to the works of E.C. Segar, Bud Sagendorf, Tom Sims, Bela Zaboly, Ralph Stein, Bobby London, and Hy Eisman. As well as the classic animated shorts by Max and Dave Fleischer. Not to mention all the great voice actors and movie actors over the past century. (At some point, perhaps I will do my own little tribute to each here).

Let me also say that I highly recommend you follow the current Popeye strip written and illustrated by Randy Milholland that you can subscribe and read at https://comicskingdom.com/popeye/ . I am a subscriber myself at Comics Kingdom and love Randy's take as well as the classics that are reprinted.

Well, that's it for now. I will occasionally pop up here to post thoughts. I'm not sure how this will go and/or will be received. I'm doing this out of love for the comic. I'm going to attempt to post a strip about once a week as I can. Depends on what is going on in my life and my schedule, but this will be my sandbox to play and hopefully entertain.

Thanks for stopping by here!

Scott McCullar

Social Media Update: Deactivated my Twitter "X" Account. Now I'm on Bluesky and Threads

I joined the exodus and ditched the garbage heap "X" that Elon turned Twitter into. 'Nuff said. 

 

I just joined Bluesky this week and I'm now over at https://bsky.app/profile/scottmccullar.bsky.social

 

I'm also on Threads. I've been there for a while. I'm there at https://www.threads.net/@ryanscottmccullar