Popeye #12

Roger Langridge's cover for this twelfth issue of IDW's Popeye is a lively, affectionate homage to the strip's roots, with Popeye and Olive Oyl front and center before a large "Thimble Theatre" newspaper page — a nod to the comic strip that started it all. Wimpy hovers nearby looking characteristically self-satisfied, while a top-hatted figure peers in mischievously from the upper corner, and the elder Sea Hag-like figure lurks to the left. With Langridge handling every creative duty — writing, drawing, inking, coloring, and lettering — this 2013 issue is a genuinely cohesive artistic vision, and the warm, cartoonish energy on display makes "A Horse of a Different Color" look like a thoroughly entertaining read.