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Title: Oddball Jimmy Post by: TELLE on May 02, 2006, 10:29:07 PM I missed it, but Jimmy Olsen was the Oddball Comic of the Week over at Scott Shaw's hilarious Oddball Comics site (http://www.oddballcomics.com/index.php?topic=Comics&page=2). Every week cartoonist Shaw reviews in meticulous detail a classic (or not so classic) weird comic, with lots of examples and a killer discussion board.
Quote Title: SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN Issue: No. 79 Date: September, 1964 Publisher: National Periodical Publications, Inc. (DC Comics) Cover Artist(s): Penciled by Curt Swan; inked by George Klein Commentary by ODDBALL COMICS curator/creator SCOTT SHAW! – There’s no Odder long-running Oddball Comic series than SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN – and this issue is one of its very Oddest! Just check out this nutty line-up: "Jimmy's Forgotten Girl Friend!" (she’s super-fat!), "The Menace of Insect Island!" (it’s super-weird!) and best of all, Jimmy Olsen as "The Red-Headed Beatle of 1,000 B.C.!" (he’s super-fab and "as popular as Ringo")! Yeah, yeah, yeah! The article features a complete history of Jimmy and the Beatles!! Title: Re: Oddball Jimmy Post by: Super Monkey on May 02, 2006, 11:26:03 PM He has done several Jimmy Olsen stories in the past, some critics claim that he is just making fun of them, but I have spoken to him and he is a legit fan, but I don't see how anyone in their right mind could take told stories seriously, I mean they were suppose to be funny. I know that the whole idea of a comic which is actually trying to be entertaining might be alien to readers these days, but such were the 60's :)
Title: Re: Oddball Jimmy Post by: Klar Ken T5477 on June 26, 2006, 10:36:27 AM The more bizarre the Jimmy, the better!
Who else who dress up in drag to try and join his own fan club?! (Dont worry, it was a gambit to select the next president.) "The Red headed Beatle" is one of my all time faves and it can be spotted on Paul McCartney's piano in "Help" along with other DC-Superman titles! Sir Paul was a big fan! Title: Re: Oddball Jimmy Post by: India Ink on September 26, 2007, 12:33:30 PM I haven't checked Scott Shaw's site lately, but while I accept that he's a genuine fan I think he needs to work on his writing skills and bring them up to the level of his art. Because he doesn't get at the right tone for his oddball entries, in my opinion.
He comes across as someone who is putting down the stores not holding them up for the proper adoration they deserve. They were and are funny. The writers and artists meant them that way. Too many websites and fan mags don't get that point across and seem to suggest that the stories are funny by accident--not genuinely on purpose. Jimmy is hilarious. The writers show a great skill and understanding of the precise kind of idiot that he is. And they do this in witty short stories that don't rely on some continuing story arc. Yet the character of Jimmy has just as much depth and insight into the human condition as any current continuing drama. All of that depth of character increases the fun of the stories. We know that Jimmy is ridiculous, but it's funny that he doesn't see himself that way. We know he's an absolute dog, lusting after every woman of any age (15 to 90), and yet he believes he's faithful. We know that he's sneaky and unethical (as a reporter), but he believes himself to be a hero. And hell, does he look good in a dress! |