They
say anyone who remembers the 1960s wasn’t really there. Everyone was on drugs,
from the suburban housewife mellowed out on Quaaludes to the college drop-out
groovin’ to the Grateful Dead. It’s no wonder it was a fertile creative time in
comics, including the wonderfully bizarre adventures of Superman’s pal, Jimmy
Olsen.
Those days
are back, in the wonderfully surreal adventures of everybody’s favorite
photo-journalist. Not that the storyline is drug-fueled, but it is wildly
inventive, with more than a few winks (literally) to the sillier aspects of
Superman lore. So if you’re looking for Man
of Steel level reality, this is not the book for you.
In my
opinion, Jimmy Olsen has always been one of the more versatile characters of
the DCU. The problem is that too often, writers regard him as a comedic
sidekick. For all his faults, he has courage and enthusiasm, and that is
helpful in filling the intellectual gaps.
Artist Steve
Lieber does an admirable job of presenting a Jimmy Olsen that is both
contemporary yet familiar. At times, he’s still dressed up in a bow tie while
being dressed down by Perry White. But he’s also a spikey-haired carrot top
moving through the grittier side of the DCU.
This
12-issue series – one of many currently being published – has the most
entertainment potential at this time. Don’t miss it if you can.
Rating:
10/10