JIMMY OLSEN 145 (1972)
by Jack Kirby
Only four Jack Kirby stories remain, and this is a two-parter.
We’re in Scotland Yard, where Jimmy an the Newsboy Legion are shown the mythical beasts that have been captured lately. In a gorgeous two-page spread, no less!
Also: holy crap Flippa Dippa is FINALLY without his scuba gear!!!
There’s also “Charlie”, who will later serve as a sort of pet for the Newsboy Legion and Project Cadmus. He’s not evil, he’s just a weird-looking puppy.
Charlie and the other creatures come from Brigadoom, which to my admittedly brief research is based on a musical inspired by Scottish folklore.
That’s two things I know absolutely nothing about, but it goes to show that Kirby could be inspired by the most random stuff ever.
The search at the bottom of the lake doesn’t reveal anything, as does the nearby forest.
I continue to be slightly disturbed at Scrapper playing with his Little Scrapper.
And now the story is suddenly about Jimmy and Scrapper being shrunk!
Or maybe it’s about them finding the hidden city of Attilan Olympia Wakanda Wundagore New Genesis Brigadoom.
No, wait, it’s about finding the secret base of Simyan and Mokkari.
Well that’s confusing. Can we at least get a resolution from last issue’s subplot?
Apparently not. WTF is going on!? Why are people from New Genesis showing up at a disco with high-tech instruments, blowing up a basement and then teleporting back home!?
We don’t get answers! Because apparently now the story is about the bad guys running genetic experiments on Jimmy.
No, wait, it’s about the miniaturized Newsboy Legion escaping from monsters!
By the time a transformed Jimmy escapes from his restrains, WE HAVE NOT LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING.
God this series is a mess.
JIMMY OLSEN 146 (1972)
by Jack Kirby
“It’s the wildest yet”, cover? That’s a bold claim.
I mean Jimmy has been transformed into a super-strong cavemen, but on the list of weird Jimmy transformation that doesn’t even make it to the top ten. It’s not even adding new powers!!!
Meanwhile Superman is dicking around with Dubbilex and Terry Dean.
Who, despite all indications that she would become a major character, has been consistently used as eye candy so far.
“It’s frustrating to explore this thing and find nothing” is a nice summary of my experience with the Jack Kirby run.
Meanwhile Simyan and Mokkari have captured the Newsboy Legion. Now I’m not saying that I’m happing they’re burning them alive, but I’m not saying the opposite either.
Don’t worry about them: despite the fact that this is “an atomic furnace that can easily consume men and their strongest metals”… they’re fine. (WTF!?)
Let me remind you that Jimmy Olsen is supposed to be THE PROTAGONIST of this series.
Caveman Jimmy goes on a massive rampage, destroying everything and even blowing up the evil base.
And that’s already the end! Even the final teaser is basically saying “next time something is going to happen, we promise”.
I swear these stories have ADHD.
Bonus from #146: yet another installment from “Tales of the DNA Project”.
It feels like a first draft of one of the series Kirby will create after going back to Marvel, Machine Man.
To the point that the android is called Arin instead of Aaron.
It even ends with Arin going to space to bring Superman’s DNA… somewhere… for some reason, I guess?
Historical significance: 0/10
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
There’s too much going on while SOMEHOW nothing is really happening most of the time. Great Kirby artwork, but this is an unsalvageable mess.
Most Kirby panel
First issue
Second issue
Most WTF panel
First issue
Second issue
Exposing the egregious design flaw of the Whiz Wagon: it has a seat DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER.
Interesting letters: the backlash against Goody Rickels is still going!!!
