Featuring the original iterations of Popeye, Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop… Robert V. Conte’s Studio Chikara has a swell new comic-book series out — Public Domain Funnies Comics, an anthology featuring the earliest iterations of Popeye, Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop that are now freely available for modern creators to reinterpret. “Ever since my first exposure to these characters during childhood, I fantasized about creating my own stories with them,” Conte, a comics veteran, said. “Now that so many of my favorite comics and cartoons have entered the public domain in the United States, that dream has become reality.” The initial, 32-page issue features the first appearances by Mickey, Popeye, and Betty (who was originally a dog) reimagined by creators such as Milton Knight, Ken Wheaton, Richard Maurizio, Michael Grassia, Patrick Owsley, and others. Stories include adaptations of 1928’s “Plane Crazy,” 1929’s “Thimble Theatre,” and 1930’s “Dizzy Dishes,” paying tribute to Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, E.C. Segar, and Fleischer Studios, respectively, according to Conte. The issue also includes an all-new introduction by animation historian Jerry Beck. Dig this SNEAK PEEK, along with the four different covers by Maurizio and Grassia, Wheaton, Knight, and Owsley, in that order: The issue runs $6.99 and is only available through Studio Chikara. For more info, check out www.publicdomainfunnies.com or email StudioChikara1994@gmail.com. — MORE — EAT YOUR SPINACH! POPEYE Debuted on Television 70 Years Ago. Click here. — POPEYE AND HIS PAPA: A Birthday Tribute to the Great E.C. SEGAR. Click...