Local cartoonist celebrates Popeye's 80th birthday bash
Gary S. Angelo FEATURE REPORTER
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Features
Rocky is a wiry, two-fisted bar brawler, and labeled as the toughest man in Chester, Ill. He was the quintessential symbol of a macho man who was a laborer and a drunk. Although Rocky was kind to children, he did not take any abuse from the adult world.
Yambar continued his research by going through early Popeye newspaper comics and comic books.
"I wanted to make sure that the Popeye characters spoke with the right 'Popeyeisms,'" Yambar said.
Yambar wanted to realize the importance of Popeye as a character, research the comic's history and discover the reasons why Popeye is a cult icon.
"When I worked on 'The Simpsons,' I made sure that they spoke with the voice that is consistently recognizable to the fans," Yambar said.
Yambar's mission is to be as legitimate as possible with his characters in order to keep the concept recognizable to loyal fans.
"There is no worse insult to a fan than someone who does not research the character of Popeye," Yambar said.
Yambar gets bombarded with mail from fans encouraging him to continue his work with Popeye.
"When many people demand something, that means that I have done something right," Yambar said.
In February 2010, Yambar will celebrate his 10th anniversary of being a writer for "The Simpsons" comics.
"I love the characters I work with, and that's the way I roll. People have to love what they are doing, and do it well, because we only get one chance," Yambar said.
Yambar continued his research by going through early Popeye newspaper comics and comic books.
"I wanted to make sure that the Popeye characters spoke with the right 'Popeyeisms,'" Yambar said.
Yambar wanted to realize the importance of Popeye as a character, research the comic's history and discover the reasons why Popeye is a cult icon.
"When I worked on 'The Simpsons,' I made sure that they spoke with the voice that is consistently recognizable to the fans," Yambar said.
Yambar's mission is to be as legitimate as possible with his characters in order to keep the concept recognizable to loyal fans.
"There is no worse insult to a fan than someone who does not research the character of Popeye," Yambar said.
Yambar gets bombarded with mail from fans encouraging him to continue his work with Popeye.
"When many people demand something, that means that I have done something right," Yambar said.
In February 2010, Yambar will celebrate his 10th anniversary of being a writer for "The Simpsons" comics.
"I love the characters I work with, and that's the way I roll. People have to love what they are doing, and do it well, because we only get one chance," Yambar said.
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