While looking at Thunderbean's Popeye: Original Classics DVD page on Amazon, I stumbled upon a preview of VCI Entertainment's Popeye set: the first minute of the 1955 Famous Studios installment, Cookin' with Gags. I've never bought from VCI before, and I don't usually buy Public Domain DVD releases unless they're officially licensed sets (Thunderbean's material being really the only exception, of course) because third party companies usually use shoddy prints of cartoon shorts with no digital cleanup whatsoever. I've seen VCI's remastering of the Superman shorts, since they're in circulation on YouTube, and they do look good, but the added text that shows up in the beginning of each short disclosing its specific release date (NOT the copyright notice in the credits) is the only thing precluding me from buying that particular set. Based on what I've seen, VCI's transfer of Cookin' with Gags looks quite good (plus the original opening titles are intact here), but overall, is this DVD set worth spending ten bucks on?

Is that the one Jerry Beck worked on? If so, then yes, get it since we won't be getting those cartoons officially on DVD anytime soon (unless that's one of the Warner Archive sets he's considering).

Don't have the set but Jerry Beck did work on it (provided commentary tracks IIRC). I think there's an issue with DVNR on the set although it seems they managed to dig up prints for some of the 50s Popeyes with original titles (such as Big Bad Sindbad).

Also the Superman shorts with superimposed release dates are derived from a DVD set put out by Bosko Video, not the VCI one which again I'm not very familiar with.

Don't have the set but Jerry Beck did work on it (provided commentary tracks IIRC). I think there's an issue with DVNR on the set although it seems they managed to dig up prints for some of the 50s Popeyes with original titles (such as Big Bad Sindbad).

Also the Superman shorts with superimposed release dates are derived from a DVD set put out by Bosko Video, not the VCI one which again I'm not very familiar with.

The VCI Superman set does not have superimposed release dates. Those were added by the guy who ran Bosko Video (his name escapes me, but he's dead now) (EDIT: His name was Dave Butler, and he's still dead) with the idea that it would either deter pirates from copying them (which it obviously didn't) or if it was copied, it would be clear where it came from (I guess that worked).

The best versions available are the Warner releases, of course -- aside from the issues with wrong music cues and maybe wrong intros on some of them. Was that stuff missing from the negatives, or did Warner want to create a copyrightable "new version," or both?