Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen - the History of Everybody's Favorite Cub Reporter

Jimmy Olsen is a fan-favorite character who is best known as "Superman's Pal." With his trusty signal watch and reporter's instincts he has fought beside the Blue Boy Scout for almost seventy years. Here's everything you need to know about the character's origins and his place in the current stories.

Origins

The character of Jimmy Olsen can be traced back to World War II. While a copy boy had appeared several times in the Superman comic books he wasn't clearly identified until he appeared on the Superman radio show. Many elements of the Superman mythos came from the show, such as Superman's power of flight and the concept of Kryptonite. Soon, he was appearing at the Daily Planet in most issues of Superman.

"Superman's Pal"

In 1952 DC Comics, or National Periodical Publications as it was known at the time, started publishing a book called Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, in which Jimmy tackled mystical beings, street-level thugs, and other various enemies. As the series went along Superman began appearing less and less. Jimmy even had his own fan club, though one might wonder how low one's self-esteem must be to join a fan club for Superman's pal. One of the longest running DC series not to feature a superhero, Jimmy Olsen remained a staple of the Superman line of comics until it was merged with Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane in 1974 to become Superman Family.

Jimmy Olsen... Transformed!

Throughout his stories history as a character Jimmy Olsen has been known for receiving strange powers on a temporary basis. His most famous transformation was when he was transformed into the amazing giant Turtle Boy. This transformation has been referenced most recently during the Death of Superman saga, when Jimmy played Giant Turtle Boy on a children's television program. He has appeared several times as Elastic Lad, a stretchy do-gooder who even joined the Legion of Superheroes for a time. Jimmy has also turned into a wolf-man, a porcupine man, a telepathic alien, a speedster, and a morbidly obese food junkie.

Jimmy Olsen and the New Gods

When Jack Kirby came to DC Comics from Marvel in the early 1970's they offered him any of their top-tier characters to re-imagine. Kirby instead chose to take over the Jimmy Olsen title and involved Jimmy in adventures that still resonate in the DC universe to this day. He introduced Project Cadmus, a cloning facility that created a brand new Newsboy Legion, who accompanied Jimmy on several adventures. He also introduced elements that would eventually become Kirby's biggest contribution to the DC mythos: the New Gods. Popular concepts such as Darkseid, Apokolips, Intergang, and Supertown first appeared in the book. A thinly-veiled commentary on the fallout of the Vietnam War and the "generation gap," the decades-old New Gods saga will end in the 2008 series Death of the New Gods by Jim Starlin.

Countdown to Final Crisis

In 2007 Jimmy Olsen became one of the lead characters in a weekly comic book put out by DC Comics called Countdown to Final Crisis. The story was teased at various conventions with an ominous poster stating "Jimmy Olsen Must Die." Senior editors at DC have indicated that Jimmy is a major player in the DCU and Countdown will tell why. His story centers around his interactions with the New Gods and his various superpowers reappearing, leading him to become a costumed crime-fighter called Mr. Action.

Jimmy Olsen is a character rich with history. Where DC Comics takes him remains to be seen, but the character's past proves there are many solid approaches. Superman's Pal is here to stay.