Popeye and Business and Office Careers #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico led the young readers of 1973 through the growing field of office management. Your guides are Popeye the Sailor Man and his infant ward, Swee'Pea. 

Many jobs explored, such as office manager, secretary, and stenographer, had been around for decades. But with the growing use of computers to compute complex algorithms, data processing and scheduling and payroll, new positions and roles were being added to office setting. 

The argument has always been that computers are going to take human jobs. We see this more today with the controversial role of artificial intelligence. But in 1973, the job field was actually growing thanks to computers. That's because of how primitive they were back then!

The average computer used in offices in the 1970s were the size of several of our current xerox machines put together. They could fill an entire room, based on the size of the business. The standard personal computer is several years away from being offered to businesses. These computers also lacked the internal data processing features like spreadsheets. Yes, this is a world without Microsoft Office.

Popeye explains that to program a computer, you would need a team of employees; from technicians who would fine tool the machine on a regular, almost daily basis to punch card operators who tabulated the cardstock paper inserts that fed data into the computer for analysis.

Published by King Features Syndicate, the art and distribution studio that put Popeye and friends in dozens of newspapers nationwide, Popeye and Business and Office Careers was one of 15 other educational comic books starring the sailor. Other career pathways explored by Popeye and friends were in healthcare, communications, transportation and agri-business as part of King's Career Educational Series.

Cover by George Wildman.

Completing this review completes Task #5 (An educational comic) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 17

On this date in history in 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took their epic first flight on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville won the coin toss and got to fly first. He was in the air a whole 12 seconds, going a molasses quick 10 feet per second. With some tinkering, the brothers completed 3 more test flights with Wilbur's last flight staying in the air nearly a full minute and having traveled 852 feet 

So, in honor of this occasion, the time seems right to focus on a STEM charity. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The culinary arts courses I teach are considered a part of this branch of education as there is a number of scientific and mathematical elements used in the field. But I have already devoted some of my Advent to food, nutrition and agriculture. So let's look at computer engineering. In particular, coding and the need for more females in the industry. 

There are probably 3, maybe 4 women in the field of computer engineering and design that I can name off the top of my head. Ada Lovelace, who's considered the first computer programmer of them all because of the algorithms she developed for Charles Babbage's 'analytical engine', a sort of early calculator. There's actress Hedy Lamarr, whose invention of frequency hopping technology is the precursor to Wi-Fi. There's the 'Hidden Figures', the group of black female engineers who worked at NASA. Although I must admit, the only one of the group that I remember by name is Katherine Johnson. 

And like I said, that is about all I can list. 

So for today's featured charity, I selected Girls Who Code. It was founded in 2012 by Reshma Saujani, a lawyer and Politician that noticed a lack of women in the field of science; In particular, computers and electronics. Noticing a lack of women in the field, Saujani did some research and found that while in the early 90s about 30% of computer engineers were female, that number was declining. By 2024, that number has dropped to less than 1 in 4 in the computer tech industry being women. 

Girls Who Code or GWC seeks to reverse this trend. GWC teaches computer science to eligible students in grades 3-12 through free afterschool clubs, summer immersion programs and training and support for students who continue to earn computer science degrees in college. Mentors who run programs for work prep such as mock interviews, can join the CWC Leadership Academy to learn leadership skills in training the next generation of female coders.

If supporting STEM and STEAM education in our schools is of importance to you, check out their donations page here. Along with a general fund donation, you can sponsor a a student for a year's worth of afterschool coding experience, fund a new club from the ground up or gift students the tools and technology needed for computer and Internet access.

Still Pumped From Using the Mouse

We all have that one book that no matter how much we enjoyed it, it takes forever to finish. Not because we hated the book (I had already mentioned we enjoyed it.) Nor because we wanted to savor it, because we don't want it to end because we love it so much. Instead I'm talking about the book that for one reason or another, we misplaced it. 

It could have been because we had to stop reading after getting sick and just not felt like reading. Or we packed it to take with us on a trip and when we got home, we forgot to unpack our bag of reading materials. Or it could be because you had to move the bed and accidentally put the book in your pile of books to sell back at one of your favorite used bookstores. In my case, when it comes to this collection of Dilbert comic strips, I actually did all 3!

I started this book almost 2 years ago. I got a really bad flu and my head and eyes hurt so much that I replaced reading (and pretty much everything else) with sleeping. Then I took this with me to read during a trip to DC for our 25th anniversary and somehow put a whole bag of books in the closet, forgetting that it existed for almost 6 months! Then around after the holidays, I made the mistake of putting this collection in a pile of books I was going to take for exchange for some valuable trade credit. Good thing I looked through the pile before I took it in or I would have sold it without completing.

I know that Dilbert creator Scott Adams has come under fire for some very controversial political statements in recent years. That's not why it took me forever to finish it. I just kept losing this book. Heck, I'm still not even sure how I wound up with this book in the first place.

Still Pumped From Using the Mouse is the 4th collection of Dilbert comic strips. Published all the way back in 1996, the cartoons were from 1994-95. Despite being 30 years old plus, I felt like the subjects were even more topical today. Work-life balance, corporate jargon and buzzwords, efficiency and the dangers of dating in the workplace (though way more humorous here) are covered here and I reality I couldn't tell if Dilbert's office was operating in the 90s or the 2020s. There's a week's worth of strips where a little girl blames the previous generation about failure to save the earth for her peers that could have been about Greta Thunberg if published today. And don't get me started on Dilbert's pet Dogbert. His attempts to enslave the populace via technology just screams how pervasive the Internet has become in our lives, especially through social media and influencers. 

Well, I finally finished this book. NOW I can add it to my stack of books to sell for another round of trade credit. It was funny and very relevant, despite being decades old. It just proves how brilliant the comedic mind of Scott Adams is, no matter how much you might disagree with his most recently troubling comments and views.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief (Family Comic Friday)

Learning is great when it can be fun! And that’s what young readers who love computers and comics books will have in this week’s edition of Family Comic Friday. Journey to the future in a caper that combines robots, computer coding and a thrilling mystery in Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief!

Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief
Written by Melanie Hilario and Lauren Davis
Art by Katie Longua
Published by Lion Forge
Pages: 208
Retail: $12.99

Debian Perl in a technomancer. That means that she has an uncanny ability to speak to computers of all shapes and sizes. Especially very old models. In the very distant future biology and technology have merged, making the need for most large programmable robots an unnecessary if not forgotten skill. So when Debian and the social media superstar, Digits, come across a rampaging robot, the duo uncover a mystery of epic proportions: who stole Ray-Bot the Robot’s memory?

Using her knowledge of ‘old school’ computer coding and programming, Debian Perl will teach Digits how to reprogram Ray-Bot’s CPU. But they’ll have to act fast as the city police are eager to have Ray-Bot shutdown; least he goes on a rampage again. With time running out, what is the sinister secret behind Ray-Bot’s strange behavior?

I was a big fan of the futuristic setting of this book. It reminded me of the movie Blade Runner of which I am a diehard devotee. If ever there was going to be a graphic novel for younger readers set in the Philip K. Dick/Ridley Scott universe; Debian Perl is what I would expect it to look like! It was totally awesome!

My favorite part about this book was that it was an enjoyable book in which children can learn while not feeling like a textbook. That being said, I am not a ‘computer person.’ I am very much like the character of Digits. I know enough to find what I need on the internet to get things done. Like just earlier today, I found a website to help me come up with culinary math questions for my cooking students. But try to develop a way to create such a website from scratch like Debian? Forget it! I do not have those types of skills!

The Memory Thief starts off with some basic code commands. But by the middle of this book, it got very technical. Conversations between Debian and Digits and Ray-Bot were told entirely in computer speak. I’m a little ashamed to admit that I glossed over those pages. But without a computer in front of me to possibly execute some of the commands the technomancers are trying to do while reprogramming Ray-Bot, those sections had very little tangible meaning to me.

The creative team of Melanie Hilario and Lauren Davis, along with Katie Longua have plans to produce more Debian Perl adventures. I would like to propose that next time around, the creators make the book more interactive. Possibly create some activities online in which kids can code Ray-Bot to do some cool stuff themselves. I think I would have learned quite a bit more about the world of coding and computer programming if I had had something to do in which my commands moved Ray-Bot through a maze or something. And I am sure young readers would love it too!

I’m going to recommend that this book be read by readers 12 and up. Not that parents and guardians should be concerned of anything offensive. It’s just that there’s quite a bit of technical stuff about coding that unless the young reader in your life has experience (or a passing interest) in computer programming, this might be a little too advanced stuff for them.

Hey, I read A Brief History of Time when I was in the fifth grade. Kids show interest in advanced things at different stages in life. You might buy this book for your youngster and they’ll not understand any of it. That’s okay! Just set the book aside for now! Give them time. Learning must be entertaining, as it is educational, if it’s too have any true meaning.
And grown-ups- you might just learn some cool skills here too!

Debian Perl, Digital Detective: The Memory Thief debuted in print on September 3rd, 2019!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 40

Today in A Madman Turns 40 history, Atari releases the My First Computer keyboard. The idea was that Atari could release educational games that required a 'QWERTY' keyboard. While the toy lasts on shelves for a few years- the idea is a colossal bust (and yet not as bad as a failure as the ET game released in 1981.)

    At $90 bucks, the device, if plugged into an Atari 2600 hundred could also turned your TV into a computer. It could hold anywhere between 8-32K of RAM. Cheaper than most computers on the market, ( in today's dollars, it would cost about $250) but alas, kids wanted games that were fun and if people were going to buy a computer, they were going to get the uber-trendy Apple which had just hit store shelves a month prior. 

     Proof that in 40 years of computer and video game upgrades people want to be entertained instead of educated! But let's face it folks, the video games that are the most fun are the ones that can do both!!!

   Until Tomorrow...

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 5

    It's Day 5 and I didn't think I'd hit writer's block so soon. Okay- that's not really true or fair of me to say. I've got tons of great 1977 things I want to write about but the dates don't match up yet. 
    I was about to give up in defeat for the day, but then, I realized that an idea was staring me right in the face- computers! 

See, inspiration was staring me right in the face.

For doing work, writing this blog, and keeping my comic book collection, I use a Asus Chromebook (Complete with Dalek sticker that I added myself.) Some folks are Apple people. I'm a Google man- all the way. I'm not like those who hate one type of computer (or it's supporters) as opposed to another. It's just that Google more user friendly for me and my skill level.
    Since I'm looking at computers, I thought I would explore what a computer looked like in 1977...
   

The Apple II.

   In 1977, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Apple released the Apple II. This little baby was state of the art in many ways. It came in a nifty carrying case and was portable with built in keyboard. For many, the Apple II was revolutionary as it also came with game paddles so people could play the video game Breakout on it.

   The Apple II was many people's first personal computer and the model proved popular as it was still being made well into the early 90s. Apple gave away millions of computers to public schools, thus setting into motion the eventual desire and need for a computer in the home.
   
    There was one downfall to this computer- no monitor. You actually had to plug this baby into a TV. But people claim that if you had a really nice color TV, the clarity was remarkable for early computing systems.

(Clip from the Big Bang Theory in which Sheldon meets Apple II co-creator

Steve Wozniak. Note that Sheldon's 1977 version has a monitor, which was an upgrade made available sometime in 1980.)

   '77 also saw the debut of the Commodore 1530 Datasette. This little guy was also portable (though now as much as the Apple II) and had the added feature of a built in monitor. However, the monitor was quite small and the way to save data on compact cassettes, very similar to those used in creating mix tapes, would soon be rendered obsolete by floppy discs which could hold more data and was easier to find where you saved that pesky term paper at. Though the Commodore was the cheaper option it was notorious for being quite slow.

Note the device that looks like a cassette player on the left.
That's because that essentially was what this computer was-
a really expensive cassette recorder

   I remember that my dad bought a Commodore computer in the early 80s. It was about as useful as a typewriter without the paper. What can I say, my family also thought the beta-max was the superior system on VHS, Sega would outlast Nintendo, and that CDs were just a fad...

   Now you might be asking 'what about Atari?" Yes, it came out in 1977, but like I mentioned earlier, I have tons of great ideas to write about. It's just not the right time on the calendar yet. So until then, sit back, enjoy your more modern computer system that by year's end will be considered out-dated and tune in tomorrow for my next adventure as a Madman Turns 40.

Secret Coders (Family Comic Friday)

  When a young girl named Hopper transfers to Stately Academy, it’s a rough transition. Her basketball skills aren’t up to par with the rest of the team, nobody wants to sit with her at lunch, and the really difficult Mandarin teacher is, in reality, her mom! But when she finally makes a new friend named Eni, the pair uncover a secret involving the birds at the school, it opens Hopper up to the world of computer coding. With a myriad of mysterious numbers and locked doors, Hooper and Eni work together to undercover the mystery of Stately Academy.

  Written by Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) with art by Mike Holmes (Adventure Time), 2015’s Secret Coders is a great new series that combines science, mystery, and technology. The book is designed like a graphic novel with mystery activities that the reader is encouraged to solve along with Hopper and Eni.

  Yang was just recently selected as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and I think that this book is an excellent reason why the author was chosen. Already an accomplished writer as well as a teacher in computer science, Gene Luen knows what it takes to make learning fun for kids, such as turning a graphic novel mystery into an undercover manual for computer programming!

  I wish him well in his tenure as a literary ambassador!

  Secret Coders ends with a cliffhanger. Usually, this is a pet peeve of mine, but I got this at the library and it’s the first book in the series, so I can overlook it. However, it won’t be until August of this year before book 2 drops! That’s a long time for kids to wait for a book sequel! (Heck, it’s a long time for me to wait! and I’m 38!!!)

  That being said, there are lots of unresolved conflicts such as the troubling dynamic of Hopper and her mom, why her father just up and disappeared, and what really is going on at Stately Academy. Hopefully, Yang will include a good 2-3 page ‘Story So Far…’ summary in volume 2.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.