Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen is anAmerican comic book series published byDC Comics from September–October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues.[1] Featuring the adventures ofSuperman supporting characterJimmy Olsen, it contains stories often of a humorous nature.
The 1952 television seriesAdventures of Superman co-starred actorJack Larson, who appeared regularly as Jimmy Olsen. Largely because of the popularity of Larson and his portrayal of the character, National Comics Publications (DC Comics) decided to create a regular title featuring Jimmy as the leading character,[2][3] which debuted with a September–October 1954 cover date.Curt Swan was the main artist on the series for its first decade.[4]
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen saw strong sales, selling an average of 498,000 copies of each issue in 1960, which was well behind top-selling series such asUncle Scrooge andSuperman but ahead of other widely recognized series such asDetective Comics,Wonder Woman, and evenAction Comics, which starred Superman himself.[3] The series's success prompted DC to introduce a second title which revolves around a supporting character,Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, in 1958.[3]
Lucy Lane was introduced in issue #36 (April 1959)[5] and became the primary romantic interest of Jimmy Olsen for the run of the series.[3] In an "Imaginary Story" seen in issue #57, he marriesSupergirl (Kara Zor-El/Linda Lee Danvers) after she loses both her powers and memories of being Supergirl, only for her to recover her powers and memories after their marriage; once she lets him know that she is Supergirl, he is perfectly happy with it.[6][7] She was also the anonymous "Miss X" whom Jimmy kissed in issue #44 to break the spell that turned him into a werewolf.
Early issues ofSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen had few fantasy elements and typically focused on Jimmy trying to do his job as a reporter, but towards the end of the 1950s most of the stories used bizarre premises and frequently involved Jimmy undergoing supernatural transformations.[3] Jimmy acting like a jerk and turning on his friends was a common motif, to the extent that DC published an 80-page giant size issue (Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #113) which consisted of reprints of the best "Jimmy Olsen betrays Superman" stories.[3]
WhenJack Kirby began working at DC in 1970, he insisted on taking on this title since it was the lowest-selling in the publishing line and without assigned talent at the time, so he would not cost someone their job.[8][9] Kirby's first issue was #133 (August 1970), and made a very clear break between the old style and the new.[10]
Lucy Lane was believed to have died inSuperman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #120 (March 1972)[16] but was revived in a story inSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #160 (October 1973).[17]Nick Cardy was the cover artist forSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen for issues #154-163.[18]
Following Kirby's departure from the series, sales floundered slightly.[3]Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen,Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane and the short-livedSupergirl title (launched in 1972) ended in 1974 by merging into the new omnibus titleThe Superman Family. The new series continued the numbering fromSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.[19]Superman Family was canceled in 1982, ending with issue #222.[3]
ASuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen special one-shot was published in December 2008, following on from the "Atlas" storyline, and leading intoSuperman: New Krypton.
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen was revived for a well-received 12-issuemaxiseries beginning in September 2019.[3]
Many of the issues include Jimmy undergoing some form of transformation.[3][20] These include:
Speed Demon - In a story published in 1956, a month before the debut ofBarry Allen as the newFlash, Jimmy drinks a potion produced by a Professor Claude and gains super-speed.[21]
Jimmy the Imp - A prankster imp vision of Jimmy.
Colossal Olsen - A Colossal Kid version of Jimmy Olsen.
Radioactivity - After being exposed to a radioactive substance, Jimmy begins to irradiate everything in his presence.[22]
Super-Brain - Jimmy evolves into a "man of the future" with superhuman mental powers.[3][23]
Monstrous beard growth - The machinations of the sinister Beard Band cause Jimmy to grow an immensebeard.[24]
Gorilla - When Jimmy switches minds with a gorilla, he goes about his reporting duties as a gorilla in Jimmy's clothes.[25]
Elastic Lad - Jimmy, by serum or by alien virus can sometimes stretch himself, akin to the recently reintroducedPlastic Man.[26][27] As Elastic Lad, Jimmy is inducted as an Honorary Member of theLegion of Super-Heroes.[28]
Alien-form - Aliens transform Jimmy into a telepathic Jovian for a week.[29] This turns out to be aJovian week which is much shorter than an Earth week, about 70 hours (slightly less than three days).
Fire-Breather - An accident involving an experiment gives Jimmy fire-breath.[30]
Humanoctopus - After eating an extraterrestrial fruit, Jimmy grows four extra arms. According to Superman, this is actually a hallucination, but Jimmy suspects that Superman said this to teach him a lesson since Jimmy had foolishly ignored advice from Superman that would have saved him a lot of trouble.[31]
Genie - Jimmy finds a genie's lamp and is tricked into replacing its villainous occupant.[32]
Morbidly Obese - Jimmy gets fat in an attempt to stop a jewel smuggler and to impress a Circus Fat Lady.[40]
GiantTurtle Man - One of Jimmy's most frequently cited transformations is his turning into a giant turtle man.[3][41]
Humanporcupine - Jimmy transforms after rejecting the romantic advances of an imp from the Fifth Dimension.[42]
Bizarro Jimmy - Although Jimmy has a counterpart onBizarro World, he is turned into a Bizarro himself.[3][43]
Hippie - While investigating a colony of hippies at "Guru Kama's Dream Pad", Jimmy grows a beard and participated in a mock "hate-in".[44] On the cover of this story's issue, Jimmy is wielding a sign that says "Superman is a freak-out!"
Viking - Jimmy puts on Viking armor and mistakenly believes he has been transported 1,000 years backward in time.[45]
In 1959, the producers of the action/adventure seriesAdventures of Superman were hit by a snag as to how to continue the series after series starGeorge Reeves had died that summer from a gunshot wound.Jack Larson, who played Jimmy in the series, was approached with the idea of continuing the franchise as aspin-off for two new seasons of 26 episodes each to begin airing in 1960. TitledSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, it would focus on a more serious angle of Olsen's rising career as a reporter and journalist with Larson reprising his role. In place of Reeves,stock footage of Superman flying and a look-alikestunt double would be used to play the Man of Steel. Larson rejected the proposal, and the project went unmade.[46]
Volume 1 includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1–22, 576 pages, March 2006,ISBN1-4012-0787-1
Volume 2 includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #23–34, 520 pages, February 2008,ISBN1-4012-1656-0
Volume 3 includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #35–44, 576 pages, March 2009,ISBN1-4012-2188-2
Volume 4 includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #45–53, 520 pages, March 2013,ISBN1-4012-3837-8
Superman: The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen includes stories fromSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #22, 28, 31–33, 41–42, 44, 49, 53, 59, 65, 72, 80, 85, and 105, 192 pages, July 2007,ISBN1-4012-1369-3
Showcase Presents: Supergirl Volume 1 includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #40, 46, and 51, 528 pages, November 2007,ISBN1-4012-1717-6
Superman: The Bottle City of Kandor includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #53 and 69, 200 pages, October 2007,ISBN978-1401214654
DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories, Vol. 1 includesSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #57, 192 pages, September 2005,ISBN978-1401205348
^Irvine, Alex (2010). "1950s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.).DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 73.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Jimmy Olsen got his own adventures inSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1. A comic remarkable for its inventiveness and longevity, it ran for 163 issues.
^Daniels, Les (1995). "The Superman Family Strength in Numbers".DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York, New York:Bulfinch Press. p. 118.ISBN0821220764.Jimmy Olsen got its start in September–October 1954 at the height of Superman's television run, and the art job was assigned to Curt Swan. For Swan, his ten-year stint onJimmy Olsen was 'like being introduced to the Superman Family'.
^Binder, Otto (w), Swan, Curt (p), Giunta, John (i). "Lois Lane's Sister!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 36 (April 1959).
^McAvennie, Michael "1970s" in Dolan, p. 141: "Since no ongoing creative team had been slated toSuperman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, "King of Comics" Jack Kirby made the title his DC launch point, and the writer/artist's indelible energy and ideas permeated every panel and word balloon of the comic".
^Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014).American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 15.ISBN978-1605490564.
^Levitz, Paul (2010). "The Bronze Age 1970-1984".75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Cologne, Germany:Taschen. p. 447.ISBN9783836519816.Kirby began introducing new elements to the DC Universe, building toward the introduction of a trio of new titles based on a complex mythology he called the Fourth World.
^Evanier, Mark (August 22, 2003)."Jack Kirby's Superman". News From ME.Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. RetrievedApril 22, 2012.Plastino drew new Superman figures and Olsen heads in roughly the same poses and positions, and these were pasted into the artwork.
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 146: "In one of Jack Kirby's strangest tales, Jimmy Olsen met real-world funnyman Don Rickles' costumed likeness, 'Goody' Rickles".
^Kirby, Jack (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Colletta, Vince (i). "The Guardian Fights Again!!!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 139 (July 1971).
^Kirby, Jack (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Colletta, Vince (i). "Will The Real Don Rickles Panic?!?" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 141 (September 1971).
^Dorfman, Leo (w), Schaffenberger, Kurt (p), Schaffenberger, Kurt (i). "The Shadow from the Grave" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 160 (October 1973).
^Coates, John (1999). "Art Index".The Art of Nick Cardy. Coates Publishing. p. 163.ISBN1-887591-22-2.
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 159: "DC's 100-page Super Spectaculars were proving popular, so DC said goodbye toSupergirl,Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen,Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, and housed the characters together inSuperman Family. Continuing the numbering from whereSuperman's Pal Jimmy Olsen ended, the series featured classic reprints with new tales in the lead spot".
^Siegel, Jerry (w), Swan, Curt (p), Klein, George (i). "The World of Doomed Olsens!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 72 (October 1963).
^Schwartz, Alvin (w), Swan, Curt (p), Burnley, Ray (i). "The Jimmy Olsen from Jupiter" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 32 (October 1958).
^Binder, Otto (w), Swan, Curt (p), Burnley, Ray (i). "The Human Flame-Thrower!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 33 (December 1958).
^Bernstein, Robert (w), Swan, Curt (p), Forte, John (i). "The Human Octopus!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 41 (December 1959).
^Bernstein, Robert (w), Swan, Curt (p), Giunta, John (i). "Jimmy the Genie!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 42 (January 1960).
^Binder, Otto (w), Swan, Curt (p), Kaye, Stan (i). "The Wolf-Man of Metropolis!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 44 (April 1960).
^Bernstein, Robert (w), Swan, Curt (p), Kaye, Stan (i). "Miss Jimmy Olsen!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 44 (April 1960).
^Dorfman, Leo (w), Swan, Curt (p), Klein, George (i). "Leslie Lowe, Girl Reporter!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 67 (March 1963).
^Binder, Otto (w), Papp, George (p), Papp, George (i). "Jimmy Olsen's Female Fan!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 84 (April 1965).
^Dorfman, Leo (w), Schaffenberger, Kurt (p), Schaffenberger, Kurt (i). "The Day They Unmasked Mr. Action" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 159 (August 1973).
^Swan, Curt (p)Forte, John (i)"The Fat Boy of Metropolis!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 49 (December 1960).
^Siegel, Jerry (w), Swan, Curt (p), Forte, John (i). "The Giant Turtle Man" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 53 (June 1961).
^Siegel, Jerry (w), Swan, Curt (p), Klein, George (i). "The Human Porcupine" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 65 (December 1962).
^Siegel, Jerry (w), Forte, John (p), Klein, George (i). "Jimmy Olsen, the Bizarro Boy!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 80 (October 1964).
^Binder, Otto (w), Costanza, Pete (p), Costanza, Pete (i). "Hippie Olsen's Hate-In!" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 118 (March 1969).
^Dorfman, Leo (w), Schaffenberger, Kurt (p), Colletta, Vince (i). "Olsen the Red, Last of the Vikings" Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, no. 154 (November 1972).
^Mangels, Andy (April 1993). "Superman: The Man of Screen".Wizard Superman Tribute Edition (#1): 45.A Jimmy Olsen show was talked about, with footage mixed in from the previousSuperman shows, but Jack Larson refused to even consider the project, calling it a 'sick case of necrophilia.'
