<P> Sagendorf wrote and drew the daily strip until 1986, and continued to write and draw the Sunday strip until his death in 1994 . Sagendorf, who had been Segar's assistant, made a definite effort to retain much of Segar's classic style, although his art is instantly discernible . Sagendorf continued to use many obscure characters from the Segar years, especially O.G. Wotasnozzle and King Blozo . Sagendorf's new characters, such as the Thung, also had a very Segar - like quality . What set Sagendorf apart from Segar more than anything else was his sense of pacing . Where plotlines moved very quickly with Segar, it would sometimes take an entire week of Sagendorf's daily strips for the plot to be advanced even a small amount . </P> <P> From 1986 to 1992, the daily strip was written and drawn by Bobby London, who, after some controversy, was fired from the strip for a story that could be taken to satirize abortion . London's strips put Popeye and his friends in updated situations, but kept the spirit of Segar's original . One classic storyline, titled "The Return of Bluto", showed the sailor battling every version of the bearded bully from the comic strip, comic books, and animated films . The Sunday edition of the comic strip is currently drawn by Hy Eisman, who took over in 1994 . The daily strip began featuring reruns of Sagendorf's strips after London was fired and continues to do so today . </P> <P> On January 1, 2009, 70 years since the death of his creator, Segar's character of Popeye (though not the various films, TV shows, theme music and other media based on him) became public domain in most countries, but remains under copyright in the United States . Because Segar was an employee of King Features Syndicate when he created the Popeye character for the company's Thimble Theatre strip, Popeye is treated as a work for hire under U.S. copyright law . Works for hire are protected for 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter . Since Popeye made his first appearance in January 1929, and all U.S. copyrights expire on December 31 of the year that the term ends, Popeye will enter the public domain in the U.S. on January 1, 2025, assuming no amendments to U.S. copyright law before that date . </P> <Ul> <Li> Popeye the Sailor, Nostalgia Press, 1971, reprints three daily stories from 1936 . </Li> <Li> Thimble Theatre, Hyperion Press, 1977, ISBN 0 - 88355 - 663 - 4, reprints daily from September 10, 1928 missing 11 dailies which are included in the Fantagraphics reprints . </Li> <Li> Popeye, the First Fifty Years by Bud Sagendorf, Workman Publishing, 1979 ISBN 0 - 89480 - 066 - 3, the only Popeye reprint in full color . </Li> <Li> The Complete E.C. Segar Popeye, Fantagraphics, 1980s, reprints all Segar Sundays featuring Popeye in 4 volumes, all Segar dailies featuring Popeye in 7 volumes, missing 4 dailies which are included in the Hyperion reprint, November 20--22, 1928, August 22, 1929 . </Li> <Li> Popeye . The 60th Anniversary Collection, Hawk Books Limited, 1989, ISBN 0 - 948248 - 86 - 6 featuring reprints a selection of strips and stories from the first newspaper strip in 1929 onwards, along with articles on Popeye in comics, books, collectables, etc . </Li> <Li> E.C. Segar's Popeye, between 2006 and 2011, Fantagraphics Books published six oversized hardcover volumes, reprinting all dailies and Sundays (in color, along with Sappo) featuring Popeye, plus various extras . <Ul> <Li> Vol. 1: I Yam What I Yam--covers 1928--30 (November 22, 2006, ISBN 978 - 1 - 56097 - 779 - 7) </Li> <Li> Vol. 2: Well Blow Me Down!--covers 1930--32 (December 19, 2007, ISBN 978 - 1 - 56097 - 874 - 9) </Li> <Li> Vol. 3: Let's You and Him Fight!--covers 1932--33 (November 15, 2008, ISBN 978 - 1 - 56097 - 962 - 3) </Li> <Li> Vol. 4: Plunder Island--covers 1933--35 (December 22, 2009, ISBN 978 - 1 - 60699 - 169 - 5) </Li> <Li> Vol. 5: Wha's a Jeep--covers 1935--37 (March 21, 2011, ISBN 978 - 1 - 60699 - 404 - 7) </Li> <Li> Vol. 6: Me Li'l Swee'Pea--covers 1937--38 (November 15, 2011, ISBN 978 - 1 - 60699 - 483 - 2) </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul>

Who owns the rights to popeye the sailor