Didja Notice?

 

When Cairo learns the lifeboat carrying herself, Indy, Lawton, and New Jersey has drifted into the fabled Sargasso Sea, she exclaims, "What's next, Jones? Never-Never Land?" Never Never Land is the island where Peter Pan and other mythical beings live in the Peter Pan works of J. M. Barrie.

 

On page 6, Indy's companions dine on eel, which New Jersey finds tastes like chicken. Eel meat flavor has been compared to that of chicken. Indy himself eats seaweed, finding the eels to be too close to snakes to stomach.

 

On page 10, the pirate quartermaster calls his men "mein seeraubers". This is German for "my pirates".

 

The name of the pirate's quartermaster, Segar, is likely a nod to E.C. Segar (1894-1938), the creator of Popeye the Sailor in the comic strip Thimble Theater. In fact, Segar here is missing one eye, just as is Popeye.

 

Come to it, the character of New Jersey Jones is likely based on the Thimble Theater character J. Wellington Wimpy. Both characters are cowardly scam artists, overweight, and wear bowler hats. In addition, in "Blood on the Water", New Jersey remarks, "Let's you and him fight," a phrase originated with the Wimpy character.

 

On page 11, Segar refers to New Jersey as fettmops. This is German for "fat pug".

 

The pirate captain, known only as the Sea Witch, was inspired, according to writer Karl Kesel, by the Dragon Lady from Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates comic strip and the Sea Hag, one of Popeye's nemeses in the Thimble Theater comic strip.

 

On page 12, Segar refers to Cairo as fraulein. This is German for "miss".

 

On page 14, Segar tells the Sea Witch the castaways' vessel was a rettungsboot and he claims a zeltleinwand for himself to collect water. These are German terms for a "lifeboat" and a "tent canvas", respectively.

 

On page 15, New Jersey tries to convince the Sea Witch he's from the sea himself, throwing in the malapropisms, "bring the port to starboard" and "scuttle the bilge". "Port" and "starboard" are simply nautical terms for the left and right sides of a vessel when aboard and facing the bow. The bilge is the lowest portion of the vessel, where excess water collects and is eventually pumped or bailed out. "Scuttle" means "to sink" a vessel, so when New Jersey says "scuttle the bilge", he's unknowingly saying to sink the ship.

 

The Sea Hag tells her crew to prepare the rumfustian. Rumfustian is a British alcoholic beverage known from the 17th Century.

 

When the Sea Witch brings the "kraken" up from the depths by blowing through a sea shell horn, Indy is shaken by the thing and its tentacles, but remarks that he's seen bigger. In several earlier adventures, Indy faced giant octopi and krakens in Journey to the Underworld, The Shrine of the Sea Devil, and The Emperor's Tomb.

 

On page 21, Segar says, "Guten tag, Indiana! How are you doing?" and Indy responds, "Es geht mir gut, Segar." Guten tag is German for "good day" and "Es geht mir gut" is "I'm doing well."

 

Indy recognizes the insignia on Segar's shirt as that of a U-boat captain. Segar acknowledges the truth of it and says his boat was sunk by a dreadnought and he and his crew drifted into the Sargasso in 1916. Segar being German, this would mean he was the captain of a German U-boat during WWI (or the Great War as it was known at the time).

 

On page 22, ja and nein are German for "yes" and "no".

 

When Indy starts talking with Cairo about the historic treasures supposedly held aboard the Freedom, she remarks sarcastically, "Sure. Treasure galore. We're all rich as Rockefeller." This is a reference to the Rockefeller family, made rich by John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (1839–1937), founder of the Standard Oil Company.

 

   On page 24, Cairo sultrily asks a few assembled crew members what there is to do around there, like catch a flick at the Bijou or cut a rug with Benny Goodman. In the first half of the 1900s, "Bijou" (French for "jewel") was a common name for theaters in the U.S. Benny Goodman (1909–1986) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing".

    She also asks if any of the sailors know "The St. Louis Blues". This is a 1914 jazz song composed by W.C. Handy.

 

Making his way through the galleon in search of the treasure room, Indy wishes he'd paid more attention to Dr. Wilson's paper on galleon construction. "Wilson" may be a name check to Lucy Autrey Wilson, president of Lucas Licensing at the time.

 

In the last panel of page 24, Indy makes his way to the orlop deck of the galleon. This is the lowest deck in a ship above the hold.

 

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