A few years ago there was an internet sensation called Garfield Minus Garfield which, as the title clearly states, removes Garfield from the Garfield comic strips. Doing so reveals the existential angst of Garfield’s owner, Jon Arbuckle.
I always loved the concept but never thought that much about it until recently, when I read about a Tumblr site called This Charming Charlie. This site cleverly removes the text from Peanuts comic strips and replaces it with lyrics from the Smiths. The site received a cease and desist from Universal Music Publishing Group alleging copyright infringement but fought the claim stating fair use. Morrissey, of the Smiths, spoke out on behalf of This Charming Charlie and gave the site his blessing.
This inspired me to experiment on my own and I came up with the concept of replacing the text in Popeye comic strips with selected quotes from Shakespeare. My goal is to make Shakespeare more approachable and to add some depth to Popeye. My hope is that it’s somewhat interesting.
Without further ado, here is Much Ado About Popeye Round 1:
Hamlet (4.4.65-6) as told by Popeye
Othello (3.3.402-3) as told by Olive Oyl
Macbeth (4.3.74-6) as told by Wimpy
Othello (3.3.189-192) as told by Wimpy
Like This Charming Charlie, I believe this constitutes fair use in accordance with 17 U.S.C. ยง 107. They have no commercial purpose and cannot have any negative effect on the market for the original works.
All images adapted from the Popeye comic series. All words adapted from the works of William Shakespeare.
