This is a story from Popeye, the original series published by Dell in 1948. The series was later renamed to Popeye the Sailor as it continued with other publishers. It has also been reprinted in other comic books by other publishers since then.
"Swee'Pea's Dip in the Dark!"[]
Credits[]
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Details[]
| Full Title: | "Swee'Pea's Dip in the Dark!" |
| Number of pages: | 2 |
| Story Type: | text story |
| Characters: | Popeye and Swee'Pea |
| Prints: | Popeye (Dell, 1948 series) #5 (February-March 1949) Popeye Classics (comic book) (IDW, 2012 series) #5 (December 2012) Popeye Classics (hardcover) (IDW, 2013 series) #2 (June 2013) |
Synopsis[]
Swee'Pea is swept overboard in a storm.
Plot[]
Popeye was at the wheel of his schooner struggling to keep the vessel under control in a raging storm. He called out to Swee'Pea to go below to wait out the weather, but the boy ignored Popeye's orders. Swee'Pea felt he was big enough to handle himself and continued onward to the bow and held on tight to the anchor chain.
The little sailor hoped the chain would be strong enough, but one huge wave proved this was not the case, as the sea snapped the metal links. Popeye was so engaged with the task of steadying the lurching ship he did not see Swee'Pea and the anchor flying over his head.
Swee'Pea remained calm because Popeye had taught him to be a strong swimmer. As hard as he kicked, he could not stop his descent to the ocean floor. It was only after his head hit the sandy bottom that he noticed the anchor was chained to his clothes. He knew his only chance was to free himself from the heavy weight and swim to the surface before running out of air.
It was a great struggle to get loose and an even greater one to hold his breath as he shot upward. Just as he was about to give up, he popped out of the water and high into the air. The storm was still going strong as he filled his lungs with air but Popeye could not be seen.
The only thing he could do now was stay calm and swim slowly to find his way back to land. He finally spotted light on the horizon, several hours later. Swee'Pea made it to the harbor as Popeye was approaching the pier. The tired swimmer climbed over the side of the ship and crawled to his bunk.
A second later, he was already asleep as Popeye opened the door to the cabin. Popeye could not help to laugh at how lucky Swee'Pea was to be lost in dreamland, while he battled the seas.
Last Updated: 5/18/2023