Does karma ever enter into merely choosing a comic book to
read? As we reach the fiftieth
anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, let’s revisit this ten-year old entry
from my “retired” APA and Fanzine column, “The Issue At Hand” (circa 2003), and
relive what was for me a rather memorable experience. So, is everyone ready to travel back a
decade? Let’s go…
November, 2003 saw the fortieth anniversary of the assassination
of President John F. Kennedy, and
the TV networks and other media were ablaze with commemorative specials and
features. Many of them were quite
interesting, providing me with new or additional perspective on the Kennedy
years, during which I was a very little kid.
It just so happened that, during the fateful anniversary, I
randomly selected (from a batch of recent purchases) and read the particular
comic book discussed here… for the
first time. I was so amazed at
the unexpected twist this story took that I e-mailed any of my friends
that might possibly have this issue in the dark and musty recesses of their
collections and told them to read (…or re-read) it… RIGHT NOW! Let’s take a closer look and see why…
The Issue at Hand
Is: SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #
89 Cover Date: December, 1965. Published
by DC Comics.
“The Infamous Four” 8
pages. Writer: Jerry Siegel (…Co-creator
of Superman). Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger. Lettered by:
Milt Snapinn. Edited by the
legendary Mort Weisinger.
Click on any of the comic images to enlarge.
Though he needs little in the way of introduction, here’s
some background information on our title character. From his online writings, cartoonist and comics
historian Scott Shaw! offered the following…
“James Bartholomew Olsen (supposedly) first appeared in ACTION COMICS No. 6 (November, 1938) -- referred to only as an
unnamed “office boy”
– but it wasn’t until SUPERMAN Vol. 1,
No. 13 (November – December, 1941) that his name was mentioned. In
September/October, 1954, THE DAILY PLANET’s red-haired eager-beaver
photographer and “cub” reporter finally received his own comic book series. SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN.
 |
| SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN # 1 (1954) |
“Reportedly, this was prompted by the popularity of likable
young actor Jack Larson in the role
of “Jimmy Olsen”
in the syndicated TV series, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1951 – 1957). In any event, Jimmy’s series went on
to become one of the longest-running “Oddball Comics” of all time, as well as
one of the most relentlessly kooky.
 |
| Then, now, and forever: Superman's pal! |
“The stories in the early issues of SUPERMAN’S
PAL, JIMMY OLSEN were originally rather earthbound (similar to THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN TV
show). However, it wasn’t long before
the Man of Steel’s bow-tie-and-signal-watch-wearing, befreckled young “pal”
—thanks to editor Mort Weisinger -- began to find himself transformed into a
variety of far-out, semi-comedic Oddball incarnations.
 |
| "The World of Doomed Olsens"...Yes, really! |
These included a human
porcupine, a giant turtle-man, a monster-movie star (on another planet), a
werewolf, a stretchable super hero known as “Elastic Lad”, a Bizarro, a human
octopus, a witch doctor, a gangster, an alien, a baby, an old man, a TV
horror-movie host, a super-spy – even a woman!”
[JOE'S NOTE: "Even a WOMAN?!" HORRORS!]
 |
| One of MY favorite covers! Talk about a "Doomed Olsen"! |
As the esteemed Mr. Shaw! (Yes, he
uses an exclamation point as part of his name!) indicates, the OLSEN stories from the stable of Mr.
Weisinger were strange, weird, far-fetached, often funny (…whether
intentionally or otherwise)… and sometimes they were simply amazing. This is one of those latter instances. Weisinger and Siegel even give us fair
warning that something big is going
to occur with the following caption in the story’s first panel.
“AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR READERS! Every
so often, we get a story which maintains its suspense until the very last
panel. This is such a story… and we
challenge you to guess the surprise finish.
And please, after you have read it, do not reveal the ending to any of
your friends!”
Yes, sir, Mr. Weisinger, sir! You can count on me, sir! I’ll not reveal the ending to anyone… except the readers of this fanzine
[…now BLOG]! Shhh! Don’t tell Mr. Weisinger about this,
folks. He wouldn’t be at all pleased…
Anyway, editor Perry White assigns “cub-reporter” Jimmy Olsen to find a new angle for a story on the following week’s
upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Determined not to submit a “turkey”, and in order to beat the “stuffing” out of the
competition, Jimmy checks out one of the historical exhibits at the Metropolis
Museum.
“According to this sign, the Indian tribe which celebrated Thanksgiving
with the Pilgrims, had a legendary medicine man…Red Hawk…who claimed that when he puffed his magic pipe inside that
hollow totem pole, spirits would transport him into the future.”
Hmmm… I wouldn’t mind learning what
“legendary medicines” that “legendary medicine man” was
inhaling into his “legendary lungs”. But, rather than pursue THAT story, Jimmy
secretes himself in the totem and puffs a piece of the “peace pipe”. Sure enough, as luck and the conventions of
eight-page Silver Age comic book stories would have it, Jimmy is whisked off to
the Metropolis of November 22, 2063!
There, he experiences the wonders
of the World of Tomorrow – a contemporary wardrobe from a convenient
“Clothes-O-Mat” machine, automated service at the “Interplanetary Food
Emporium”, and instant dry cleaning while still in his clothes – as if he’d
accidentally wandered into a JETSONS comic.
 |
| Sing with me: "Meet JIM Jetson!" |
Despite some minor mishaps, all
goes well until he enters a large warehouse-like structure with signs warning
everyone to “Keep Out!” There, he
stumbles upon a saucer-craft emblazoned with the image of the “Skull and
Crossbones” and four suspicious looking men, the leader of which exclaims – OUT
LOUD, no less:
“That snooper will recognize us as The
Infamous Four, the notorious space-pirate brothers, who are wanted
on a hundred planets! If he tells the authorities we’re hiding
here with our loot, while repairing our craft, we’re sunk!”
 |
| Jimmy's a great reporter... Look how he gets his subjects to open up and TALK! |
Well, no “shift-differential”,
Sherlock! If Jimmy DIDN’T have the scoop
before, he certainly does NOW! Will ALL
villains’ dialogue be THIS revealing in the future, or did this soliloquizing
sociopath just happen to be an unfortunate and accidental victim of an
experimental “expository suppository”?
 |
| Say... has BLUTO traveled to the future with Jimmy? |
 |
| Could be! |
We’ll never know about that suppository, because battle
immediately breaks out between Jimmy and the thugs, using such weapons-at-hand
as “Brainiog Cannons”, “Protective Aura Belts”, and “Sky Sleds”. Jimmy briefly holds his own, but, ultimately,
makes for the open streets, with the Infamous Four in hot pursuit.
Heading for the safety of the totem
pole, and a quick return to 1965,
Jimmy hardly notices that the entire
population of Metropolis is standing silent and at attention – transfixed at
the spectacle of a towering holographic image of a man standing benevolently
over the city.
 |
| Run, Jimmy, run! |
“Now to dart inside and light the pipe! The
motionless people are staring at a looming form up in the sky! I can
only see it from behind…”, thinks Jimmy.
Once again inside the totem pole (…which, thankfully, the authorities of that
era didn’t cart away!), Jimmy fires up the magic peace pipe and, failing
to follow the example of former president Bill Clinton, inhales his way back to
the twentieth century.
He returns to the
Daily Planet, sans story, bracing himself to face Perry White’s wrath. The Infamous Four fare even worse, as the
next panel shows them being taken into custody by the laser-toting Metropolis
Police of 2063.
 |
| Nice touch that they addressed the matter of Jimmy's CLOTHES! It would have be easy (but annoying) to ignore. |
We’ll let the story’s dialogue will take us
the rest of the way…
Metropolis Cop:
“The Infamous Four. If you hadn’t been moving, when everyone
else in America was standing motionless, we wouldn’t have noticed you and
captured you!”
Infamous Four Gang
Member: “Okay! But explain one thing to us aliens! Why did
all those Earthlings stand still?
Metropolis Cop:
“The answer is up there in the sky! That is
a TRI-DIMENSIONAL SKY PICTURE… of JOHN F. KENNEDY, ONE OF OUR
GREATEST PRESIDENTS! Today, exactly 100 years since he was assassinated on November 22 1963, the citizens of the United States paid respect to
his memory… by standing still and silent for five minutes!”
Editorial Caption: “Jimmy
will never know exactly what happened… but YOU do!”
We close with an inspiring image of JFK standing majestically over the skyline of Metropolis, 2063 --
and all I can say is WOW!
At the time of this story’s original publication, I was
aware of the death of President Kennedy and some of its circumstances, but I
doubt I would have appreciated this tale at all – much less to the degree I did
upon first reading it (unintentionally, I might add) well into informed
adulthood… and at the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination,
no less.
Ah, the way things work out,
sometimes! I’d say that Ol’ Editor Mort
Weisinger lived up to his hype, this issue and for several decades hence!
