Reprints Jimmy Olsen #133-139, 141
Written and penciled by Jack Kirby.
Inked by Vince Colletta.
Summary:
Jimmy Olsen is getting ready to depart Metropolis to cover a major story for the Daily Planet. He's been assigned to report about a strange region called the Wild Area. Jimmy will be traveling with his friends the Newsboy Legion, a team of teenage crime fighters. The Legion has constructed an amazing super-powered car called the Whiz Wagon that will carry them on their journey. The creation of their new automobile was funded by Morgan Edge, who owns the Daily Planet and its parent company, Galaxy Broadcasting Systems (GBS).
We later learn that Edge has sent Jimmy on this assignment because he doesn't expect Olsen or the Newsboy Legion to make it back alive. Olsen's friend Clark Kent is suspicious of Edge and is worried about Jimmy. Edge catches on to Kent and arranges for him to be killed in an accident. Since Clark is secretly Superman, he survives the attempt on his life and decides to follow Jimmy and the newsboys. Edge is working with a criminal organization called the Inter-Gang and is taking orders from a mysterious figure.
Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion arrive in the Wild Area. No one over age 25 is allowed to remain in the region. Upon arrival, they're attacked by the Outsiders motorcycle gang. Olsen and the Legion defeat the Outsiders in a fight, which makes Jimmy the new leader of the Outsiders.
Superman locates Jimmy and the Legion and warns them that they're in great danger. Jimmy wants to be left alone to finish his assignment for the Planet. Under Jimmy's direction, the Outsiders blast the Man Of Steel with kryptonite, rendering him unconscious.
Jimmy decides their next stop will be the Mountain Of Judgement.
Superman flies behind Jimmy and discovers that the "mountain" is actually a giant truck, converted from a missile launcher.
It serves as home to a nation of people known as the Hairies. They welcome Jimmy and the newsboys, but near tragedy strikes when the Hairies detect a bomb in the Whiz Wagon! Superman bears the brunt of the explosion, and Jimmy finally realizes that he was sent by Morgan Edge to bomb the Hairies.
Edge contacts the real mastermind of operation: Darkseid of Apokolips! Darkseid's minions Simyan and Mokkari construct a giant from cells taken from Earthmen. The giant's sole desire is to kill Superman. This will help Darkseid achieve his goal of ruling the universe.
When the giant attacks the Man Of Steel, Superman is shocked to see that his opponent is a giant, green super-strong version of Jimmy Olsen! Darkseid's flunkies have coated this "Giant Jimmy" with kryptonite, which makes him a tough opponent. Superman is assisted in his fight against the giant by another hero called the Golden Guardian.
He is a "replica" of the original Guardian, who was an ally of the original Newsboy Legion during the 1940s. The Guardian will prove to a valuable asset to Jimmy and the Legion.
Later, back in Metropolis, Morgan Edge meets with comedian Don Rickles. Edge wants the famous insult comic to sign a contract with GBS. Rickles' lookalike, GBS researcher Goody Rickels is also around, which leads to some confusion.
Goody, Jimmy and the Guardian are captured by a gangster known as Ugly Manheim. Jimmy and friends unwittingly consume pyro granulates. This means they will burst into flames in twenty four hours unless they find an antidote!
Will Jimmy, Goody and Guardian turn into human fireballs? And what will happen when Don Rickles comes face to face with Goody Rickels?
Review:
Jack Kirby's departure from Marvel to DC is usually cited as one of the demarcation points that ends the Silver Age and begins the Bronze. This is Kirby's first work after the move to the "Distinguished Competition," which makes these stories historically important.
Story:
This is one of the hardest reviews I've ever posted here. Reading Jimmy Olsen by Jack Kirby Vol. 1 more than four decades after they were originally published, you can still feel the energy in Kirby's storytelling.
It must have been shocking for 1970 readers to see Jimmy act the way he does here. For most of his comic book life, Olsen was dependent on Superman to bail him out of trouble. Kirby gives us an Olsen who is so determined to make his name in journalism that he orders a kryptonite attack on the Man Of Steel. The cover of Kirby's first issue even features Olsen directing the Outsiders to gun down Superman!
I'm sort of neutral about the Newsboy Legion. They're okay, but a little of them goes a long way. Flipper Dipper might seem a bit dated today, but I'll give Kirby credit for giving the Legion a little more diversity than their WWII counterparts.
I enjoyed the Don Rickles/Goody Rickels story, in spite of its silliness. It's the last story in the tpb and it was a fun way to end the book.
Jimmy Olsen by Jack Kirby Vol. 1 also features the introduction of Darkseid. The ruler of Apokolips has since become one of the greatest villains in any media and he's one of Kirby's greatest creations. But his first appearance here, on Morgan Edge's monitor (seen in the image below), isn't very awe-inspiring.
It should be noted that in his later appearances in the tpb, Darkseid is depicted in a more fearsome manner.
But there are some problems with the material that's reprinted in Jimmy Olsen by Jack Kirby Vol. 1. The stories aren't bad, but they are sort of a mess.
There's a whole lot going on in this tpb. We've got the threat of Darkseid contrasted with the general silliness of the Newsboy Legion. Sometimes those conflicting tones balance each other out. At other times, the "deadly serious" plot collides with the light humor and they cancel out each other.
One issue is that there are many plot points that would go unexplained until later portions of what became known as Kirby's "Fourth World Saga."
Jack Kirby fills the pages of this tpb with wonderful vehicles, creatures and characters. We're also treated to several great pages where Kirby utilizes photos of the real world, something he'd previously done in Fantastic Four.
I've written here before that I'm not a fan of Vince Colletta's inking, but does a fine job in these stories.
This tpb contains lots of full-page images and several two-page spreads that look great.
And now, my biggest problem with Jimmy Olsen by Jack Kirby Vol. 1:
DC did not care for the way Kirby penciled the faces of Superman and Jimmy Olsen. They felt Kirby's version of the characters deviated too much from the familiar versions of the characters. So prior to publication, their faces were redrawn by Al Plastino and Murphy Anderson. The pages below provide a good example of this.
While they were certainly talented artists, the work of Plastino and Anderson stands out here like a sore thumb. I believe this was a terrible thing to do. Why bring in Jack Kirby, "King Of Comics," if you don't care for the way he draws your flagship character?
Sadly, Kirby's original drawings of these stories are long gone, with the exception of a few photocopies. I knew this before I bought this book, but every time I saw the re-drawn faces I found them very distracting.
How Does It Look?:
Here's a scan of pages taken from my old copy of Jimmy Olsen #137:
This is how the pages appear in Jimmy Olsen by Jack Kirby Vol. 1:
Looks good to me, I didn't detect any "modern" recoloring in this book.
Extras:
Kirby wrote editorials published in the letters columns of Jimmy Olsen #133-135 where he discussesd his plans for the series. They're all reprinted in this tpb.
My rating:
Jimmy Olsen by Jack Kirby Vol. 1 features generally enjoyable stories that feature tons of action, humor and great art. This tpb is recommended for all Kirby fans and Jimmy Olsen, but the re-drawn faces cost it a half-Sal.
J.A. Morris' rating:
.5
2.5 Sals.
