by Matt Conti
Popeye the Sailor and his crew have been enjoyed by Italian audiences for decades. The Italian leader Benito Mussolini banned American comic strips in Italy before the Second World War. Popeye's comic strip adventures were so popular the ban had to be lifted due to public outcry.
According to Fred Andrieu from The Grand Comic Data Base, eight hundred and sixteen Popeye comic books were published in Italy between 1963 and 1994. A later series of fifty five editions were printed from 1996 to 2000. Much of the artwork in the comic books was provided by Italian illustrator Sandro Dossi.
Source: http://northendwaterfront.com/
