JIMMY OLSEN 152 (1972)
by E. Nelson Bridwell & Mike Sekowsky
cover by Bob Oksner
Jack Kirby might have left the title, but we’re finally dealing with the repercussions of that insanity.
We begin with Jimmy’s cop friend Corrigan getting shot. And he was just two days from retirement!
He’s lucky that thanks to the Comics Code bullets can’t hit ANYTHING.
Which is particularly strange considering these are robot shooters!
Okay so THOSE guys from issue #144 were from Apokolips and not from New Genesis? I still have no freaking clue what they were doing in a disco, but at least that’s SOMETHING.
And then the bikers are back! And Slightly Less Evil Morgan Edge too!
That’s where Jimmy learns of the events of Lois Lane #118. Oddly enough there isn’t a direct reference to that issue, so if you were reading only Jimmy Olsen you would have no idea this was actually a full story.
Good to see the bikers are back in action after becoming pacifists in that story.
Unfortunately for them Evil Morgan Edge discovers them and sends the Intergang Hog-Men against them. Who, I’m sad to say, are not human-hog hybrids but just another set of bikers.
They evade the Hog-Men by hiding into Edge’s recording studios… which is naturally a terrible idea.
Fellow journalist Percy Bratten (what a name), who has been following Jimmy this entire time, informs Evil Morgan Edge that the other Edge is in the same building.
The evil mastermind of Intergang, ladies and gentlemen, unable to find LITERALLY HIMSELF when he’s hiding IN THE SAME BUILDING.
Still, this should be an easy win for him. He has Slightly Less Evil Morgan Edge trapped; there’s a thousand ways to dispose of him.
Like, say, a disintegrator ray!
Superman’s latest power: twisting his own spine!
Before Evil Morgan Edge can kill the other Edge… freaking DARKSEID shows up!!!
Considering Evil Morgan Edge has screwed up EVERY. SINGLE assignment, it’s about time Darkseid gets rid of him!
Or he could teleport him IN THE SAME BUILDING to face Slightly Less Evil Morgan Edge. Sure, why not.
You would expect the slightly less evil version to get some sweet revenge. But in addition to being absolutely unhinged and looking particularly off-model, Evil Morgan Edge apparently knows how to fight.
Unfortunately, Evil Morgan Edge ends up being disintegrated by the same assassin he sent against the other Edge.
Which… doesn’t make much sense. Yes, he told the guy to kill someone “who looks like me and I think is dressed like me”… but that video call was AT MOST a few minutes earlier. Does the assassin think Edge changed his clothes to face someone who was wearing the same thing he was wearing during the call? I get the assassin is explicitly called an idiot, but come on!
Superman shows up to arrest the guy, but the gun is powerful enough to hurt even him.
Jimmy distracts the killer to stop him from shooting Superman a second time… and then Superman straight up murders the dude!!!
And he’s surprisingly chill about it!
Superman decides to keep the existence of two Edge a secret (of course), but at least he has the courtesy of admitting he was an ass during their last encounter.
From this moment on, we’re not going to deal with the same Morgan Edge we’ve seen so far.
That is a Spider-Man ending if I ever saw one.
Historical significance: 7/10
Going forward, Morgan Edge is not going to be a true villain. He’s still an ass, though.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
Evil Morgan Edge is inherently silly, as are the Intergang Hog-Men.
Does it stand the test of time? 6/10
This is surprisingly okay. Very by-the-numbers, sure, but unlike the Kirby run I understand what’s going on!!! Props for completely ignoring the stupid pacifist change of the bikers, too.
Stupid Jimmy Olsen moment
Of all the places where to hide Slightly Less Evil Morgan Edge, you choose the base of operations of his evil clone!?!?
Interesting letters: most of the letters of this period are dedicated to the Kirby departure, of course.
Including an interesting perspective on Jimmy being a victim. He’s not wrong.
Most letters seem to welcome the change.
