95 years after his debut, the mystery of how Popeye the Sailor Man lost his eye will be answered in the manga-inspired Eye Lie Popeye

Elzie Crisler Segar’s two-fisted, spinach-munching Popeye turned 95 earlier this year. While that’s a ripe old age for any man, sailor or otherwise, the character is still going strong thanks to a dedicated fanbase. In fact, for the last year or so, writer/artist Marcus Williams has been working on a webcomic that presents a fresh new take on the character. Eye Lie Popeye is a manga-inspired series that delves into the backstory of just how Popeye lost one of his eyes. 

Now the series is getting a print edition from Massive Publishing. You can check out Williams’ main cover for the first issue, plus variants by Kit Wallis, and Serg Acuna, in the gallery below.

Massive’s official synopsis for the new series calls Popeye “arguably one of the most iconic characters in comic book history” before describing how Eye Lie Popeye reimagines the sailor and his friends for the present day “in a high-energy, manga-inspired monthly comic series that explores Popeye’s past and finally reveals the century-long mystery of how he lost his eye! Was it an epic battle or some nautical accident? The truth finally comes out as an old enemy from the sea returns to face off against the legendary Sailor Man.”

You can check out a selection of pages from the first issue in the gallery below, which also show off new looks for Olive Oyl and Popeye’s nemesis Bluto. 

Eye Lie Popeye #1 is released by Massive Publishing on August 14, with the remaining four issues publishing monthly. New Popeye strips by Randy Milholland are also published weekly on the official Popeye website.

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