JACK KIRBY'S JIMMY OLSEN...

Images copyright DC COMICS

When 'Jolly' JACK KIRBY jumped ship from MARVEL to DC in 1970, the repercussions didn't really reverberate in Britain (or, at least, my part of it) 'til around 1972.  (Comics still mainly came to these shores as ballast in ships, sometimes resulting in a delay of several months - and even years in some instances.)

I recall leafing through issues of NEW GODS and FOREVER PEOPLE in my local newsagent's and, although recognising Jack's artistic style as the same one which had drawn most of my favourite Marvel characters, being unimpressed by the rather drab colouring and underwhelming characters.  (The BLACK RACER anyone?  Surely an attempt to replicate the popularity of The SILVER SURFER, but being far too way-out - even for Kirby!)

I later came to appreciate Jack's series of FOURTH WORLD mags, but I thought his best comic at DC was SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN, where the dialogue was closer to the STAN LEE-scripted collaborations Jack produced at Marvel.  Sure, there were still examples of Jack's clunky turn of phrase from time-to-time, but they didn't seem quite so glaring as in his other DC books of the period.

To me, the Fourth World panoply of New Gods would've worked better as supporting characters in FANTASTIC FOUR, much like The INHUMANS, who I never thought interesting enough to have their own series.  Jimmy Olsen, however, worked like a dream.

In tribute to 'the King', here, then, are all 15 covers to the most enjoyable run of comics that he produced for Marvel's 'Dynamic Competition'.  They're available in a couple of full-colour softcover volumes entitled JIMMY OLSEN ADVENTURES By JACK KIRBY - well-worth checking out.  (Update: The stories have now also been issued in a single softcover volume.)

Relax!  Issue #140 was a non-Kirby Giant reprint issue, unconnected to the regular comic's storyline, so isn't included here.  (And yes, I do have it.)

In the second volume, the inking of this cover is mistakenly attributed to
VINCE COLLETTA, whereas it's actually by MURPHY ANDERSON

In the same volume, SUPERMAN's face is inked by MIKE ROYER,
not the MURPHY ANDERSON one (above) as published

O, MERRY MAID Of MIGHT, PLEASE WON'T YOU MARRY ME?

Images copyright DC COMICS

A while back, in a rare mad moment of indiscretion, I somewhat impetuously revealed my schoolboy crush on SUSAN STORM (aka The INVISIBLE GIRL), but I have an even more shameful confession to make.  I could never quite remain faithful to sweet Susie, swiftly switching my fickle infatuation 'twixt a succession of four-colour cosmic cuties whenever my attention was diverted by some slinky, seductive temptress provocatively posing and pouting at me from whatever captivating comic I happened to be rabidly reading at the time.

SCARLET WITCH, SATURN GIRL, The WASP, and MARVEL GIRL were just some of the many superpowered seductresses to whom I felt oddly drawn - unlike them, who were awesomely and alluringly drawn (little pun there) and stirred such strange sensations in my stomach.  Another was KARA, alias SUPERGIRL (who actually bore a striking resemblance to both Susan and Saturn Girl), and - whether drawn by JIM MOONEY or KURT SCHAFFENBERGER - she set my young pulse racing with passions I didn't quite understand and would've been unable to 'express' had the divine diva magically sprang to life in front of me.  (7 year old boys are probably much more clued-up on such 'affairs of the heart' nowadays, I imagine.)

Anyway, in tribute to Kara, here's a selection of images carefully culled from my comic collection to hopefully give you an idea as to why the heavenly honey so transfixed me.  Curiously, I never found her secret identity of LINDA DANVERS quite so attractive.  Strange what effect long blonde hair and a short skirt can have, eh?  (Looking at Linda now though, she's actually quite striking.  (Oh no!  I thought I'd grown out of it.)

ADVENTURE COMICS #384, which heads this post, is an odd little tale, lounging in the 'land of latent lesbianism' (and transvestism), perhaps without even being aware of it, and presumably going straight over the heads of kids who read it back in the day.  Reading it today as an adult, however, it seems unbelievable that the editors didn't spot the inherent implications of the story at the time.

Anyway, did anyone else out there harbour such secret desires for sexy statuesque superheroines, or was I the world's only paper pin-up perv?  Please tell me it ain't so!  (Go on, 'fess up.  You'll feel better for it.)

For another reminiscence in a similar vein, click here.