World’s Finest #141 (1964)
by Ed Hamilton & Curt Swan
Up to this point, the Superman/Batman stories of World’s Finest felt more like a continuation of their 50s incarnations than the Silver Age proper.
So I guess it’s quite appropriate that this is the return of our old favorite superhumanly dumb cub reporter, Jimmy Olsen.
We begin with an inventor (unfortunately not Our Lord And Savior Professor Potter) barging in the Daily Planet offices to present his latest invention, the 4-C-Predictor™.
This is such a recurrent trope in Superman stories that I’m starting to wonder if newspapers in the 60s were constantly running front page articles about revolutionary inventions.
If this thing actually works and can predict the future, would the fact that WE HAVE A MACHINE THAT TELLS THE FUTURE be the real scoop!?!?
Nope! At least according to the machine, the fact that someone didn’t die would be a bigger news than “WE HAVE A MACHINE THAT TELLS THE FUTURE”.
I liked this moment: when the wire-walker trips, Superman is ready to intervene to save him even if means revealing his identity. He doesn’t need to do that, but I always appreciate it when Silver Age Superman puts saving lives above his secret.
Then again, in 99% of other Silver Age stories he would’ve saved him with super-breath without exposing his secret.
Okay, so we might have proof that the 4-C-Predictor™ actually works.
A sane person would then try to test the machine for definitive proof. Jimmy is just interested in finding the next scoop.
I love that Superman really doesn’t care about the possibility that this machine really can predict the future. Then again, he knows Dream Girl from his Superboy days, and her first appearance (by the same writer of this story!) was published a few months earlier on Adventure Comics #317.
Also: how is a flying saucer a big scoop? At this time there were already all kinds of aliens visiting Earth on a regular basis!
Also also: how is that “a scoop” if the entire city sees it WAY before you can publish anything?
Still, this is proof that the 4-C-Predictor™ really can predict the future.
Does Jimmy Olsen:
A) write the “WE HAVE A MACHINE THAT TELLS THE FUTURE” article?
B) test the machine with something easy to prove, then publish the article?
C) investigate the inventor to make sure he’s not Luthor in disguise, then publish the article?
D) ask the machine the next lotto numbers, then publish the article?
E) waste yet another question and decide not to write anything?
This is so stupid it REALLY feels like a throwback to the Jimmy Olsen series.
The problem is which freaking tape to use? AND you only notice now?
AND you didn’t check the inventor’s background!?
AND Perry White doesn’t even believe the machine works!?
And that’s the setup for the story: Jimmy Olsen discovers he’s going to die. With Robin.
Jimmy Olsen: “I’m going to die!”
Superman: “I’ll see what I can do.”
Literally everyone else in the universe:
Since Robin is also destined to die, Superman understandably involves Batman in the investigation.
And I guess he talked Batman into using the same kind of warning system he used back when he was Superboy.
What is it with Silver Age heroes and alarms coming from blinking lightbulbs?
Batman asks Superman to check the machine with his X-Ray vision (something Superman didn’t think to do on his own!? WTF!?), but this accidentally disintegrates the only way to avoid the death of Jimmy Olsen.
Batman has a theory: the inventor of the 4-C-Predictor™ might be an evil scientist in disguise.
Yes, these are all the scientists who want Jimmy dead. I’m sure Batman is not forgetting anyone.
I can totally buy Jimmy being scared of someone trying to assassinate him…
…but you mean to tell me ROBIN is not used to this sort of thing!?!?
And so Superman and Batman decide they have to do something to make their minds at ease… exiling them to a desert island.
But surprise: Jimmy and Robin have been working together the whole time in order to fake their own deaths!
AND IT WORKS.
I’m sure the next Justice League meeting will be extremely sad.
When the heroes reminisce about their time with their sidekicks, Superman makes a direct reference to the Virus X storyline. Unsurprisingly, since Hamilton also wrote Superman #156.
But why DID Jimmy and Robin decide to fake their own deaths? Get ready, because it’s a doozy.
First of all, the two idiots invented a monitor that is so powerful it can see through lead, unlike Superman…
…but BY SHEER COINCIDENCE (????) they pick up a conversation between two criminals who are planning to use the De-Visor(patent pending) to kidnap them.
Note that A) the monitor can also hear voices B) the crooks were apparently aware Robin was in Metropolis
Then the two try to follow the criminals, forgetting they can become invisible (WTF!?)… and they end up having their invention stolen.
So to summarize… the reason you want to fake your deaths is so that the criminals will not try to murder you.
Because I guess that if those criminals can’t kill Jimmy and Robin they will never ever use their invisibility device to commit another crime!?
This is so stupid it physically hurts.
But at least Professor Potter is back!!!
Notice that Professor Potter didn’t say anything about making a fake machine that predicts the future, so in my headcanon the 4-C-Predictor™ actually WORKED.
Also, in case you were wondering, Robin was the wire-walker and the flying saucer was actually the Batplane. Considering he was flying it over Metropolis and there was no lead involved, he sure was lucky Superman wasn’t looking at it!!!
To be fair, I was a bit harsh on the two idiots earlier: they DID anticipate the criminals would eventually use their invisibility for different crimes.
Still doesn’t exclude the fact they could’ve simply TOLD EVERYTHING TO SUPERMAN AND BATMAN.
The world’s greatest detective, everyone.
I swear DC heroes have the dumbest ways to call each other.
Did Superman give Jimmy Olsen a signal-watch to call him at any time but didn’t give anything to the freaking Batman!?!?
Superman and Batman, being seasoned superheroes, IMMEDIATELY come up with a plan to deal with invisible foes.
But I guess they couldn’t be told about this kind of menace immediately instead of going through the fake deaths because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As for the De-Visor(patent pending), turns out it was invented by a radioactive scientist.
But then it turns out the Jimmy and Robin are REALLY dead!!!
OR NOT!
And so we end with Jimmy and Robin keeping the wax figures of their corpses as their first trophies in the abandoned observatory they’ve been using as their base.
Good thing he didn’t keep it in the Batcave. It might’ve been awkward once… you know.
Also: sorry Supes, I’m afraid Jimmy survives this one.
Historical significance: 5/10
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if THIS was the inspiration for the Jason Todd memorial Batman keeps around? Also, I’m pretty sure the monitor that can see through anything never shows up again.
EDIT: as mentioned in the comments, this is the first time Batman wears the new symbol on his costume. Originally it was a 0/10 but this increases the significance… just slightly though, since it doesn’t show up on the cover and it’s not commented in the story.
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Peak Silver Age.
Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
It’s a bit of a cliché, but I did enjoy that both Superman and Batman were aware of the scheme the entire time. Other than that… man is this story dumb.
Stupid Jimmy Olsen moment
It’s been ages since I’ve had to use this category. Fortunately, Jimmy is still a moron.
Specifically, his stupidest decision was to keep it a secret for Superman that some invisible criminals were after him. Sure, he acknowledges that he’s given Supes too many false alarms… but Robin is RIGHT THERE! Couldn’t Robin vouch for him!?!?
Did Robin actually do anything? He made things WORSE!
I’m not surprised Jimmy is THIS stupid, Robin, but I’m seriously disappointed in you. Everything could’ve just been avoided if you just told everything to Batman and vouched for Jimmy!!!
Did Superman really need Batman? Kinda
I’m sure Superman would’ve figured out a way to find the invisible criminals anyway, but having Batman around made things slightly easier.