That Cringly landed in Popeye's port is something of a coincidence. Even more of a coincidence is the fact that as the Hag is coming ashore to hunt him down, Cringly is sharing a jail cell with our the one-eyed sailor. Cringly has purposely gotten himself thrown into jail hoping it might offer him sanctuary from the Hag. Popeye and his friend, Bill Barnacle are incarcerated for having been somewhat overzealous celebrating their reunion after twenty years of separation. Bill has located Popeye to enlist his aid in finding none other than the Hag's hideout. He immediately recognizes their cellmate. Amazed at their good fortune in finding Cringly, Popeye and Bill break out of the jail taking him with them. Cringly warns them that the Hag is in port but they don't believe him, saying "She wouldn't dare drop anchor in this civilized part of the world." As the Hag gets ready to leave her ship, her first mate offers to accompany her. She tells him to stay then adds, "I am not going alone, but the thing I'll be with tonight would turn even your low grade blood to ice." In the next panel, we see to what she refers. Behind her as she walks the dark streets is a creature unlike any ever seen before. It stands eight feet tall with huge feet and arms that reach to its knees. It has a nose that overlaps its chin and blank, close-set eyes. Its head is totally bald and sits low between wide shoulders giving it the appearance of being slightly hunchbacked. Finally, it's completely hairless with the exception of its forearms, lower legs and midsection. It follows the HAG without a sound.

    Today we would all immediately recognize this frightening creature as a Goon and, sadly, we have become inured to its appearance. It no longer frightens us, But in 1933 the Goon reportedly caused such a sensation that mothers of the time would warn disobedient children that, rather than a bogeyman, the Goon would get them if they didn't behave. As the story continues, the Goon, at the HAG's command, shows itself to Popeye and Bill to draw them away from Cringly. It then circles back and captures him, hauling him back to the Black Barnacle. What follows is arguably the best Popeye adventure and possibly the best continuity in the history of the comic strip as a whole. Popeye, Bill and the rest of the comic strip cast become involved in a high seas chase to rescue Cringly and find the Hag's secret treasure. It's during this chase that the Goon receives both its famous name and its gender. On January 14, 1934 the HAG orders the Goon to swim back to the pursuing ship and bring back some of its crew. The first person the Goon sees is Wimpy. It grabs him and pulls him into the sea. He's dragged back to the Black Barnacle and imprisoned, the as yet androgynous Goon keeping watch. Wimpy decides to remove his wet clothing and make himself more comfortable. As he's about to remove the last of his underwear the Hag calls to the Goon from outside the cabin and says "Keep an eye on him, Alice." Wimpy quickly puts his wet shirt and trousers back on, saying, "Excuse me, Alice, I had no idea you were female of the species." Whether Segar initially intended for the Goon to be a female is debatable. There are no gender specific references to her prior to the calling of her name. It's possible that Segar didn't care one way or another if the Goon was a he or a she, but he saw an opportunity for a good Sunday strip gag including Wimpy and used it, thereby effectively paintng himseif into a figurative corner. From that day forward Alice the Goon was a she. What some readers may not know is that she's also a mother. At the end of the sea chase the Hag reaches Plunder Island. As Popeye and the others come ashore Alice attacks him. Popeye picks the Goon up and tells her that he's going to throw her off of a nearby cliff, but before he can do so, a young Goon comes up, looks at Alice and cries "Mama!" Popeye realizes he's fighting a female, which is against his principles. He immediately puts her down. As it turns out, Alice was apparently an unwilling slave to the Hag who was possibly holding the young Goon as a hostage. Popeye gives both their freedom and tells them that they can return to their home.