Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Jimmy Olsen & Supergirl - the pairing of Superman's pal and his cousin may seem offbeat now but for a couple of years they shared 4 memorable tales, and a couple of strange interludes as well.

For some reason, I have a great affection for these stories that I can't fully explain.  There is the theme of mistaken identity in each one, an old Weisinger stand-by.  But whereas this device was often used (especially in Lois Lane) rather maliciously (i.e. to "teach Lois a lesson"), the examples here are rather innocuous misunderstandings, and the reader is in on it from the beginning, while poor Jimmy is always out of the loop.  


So let's begin at the beginning:


Part 1 "Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl's Pal"

(http://www.dcindexes.com/covers/jimmy/jimmy40.jpg)

from Jimmy Olsen #40 (Oct. 1959) by Mort Weisinger, Otto Binder, Curt Swan & John Forte [reprinted in Action #343 - Nov. 1966]

(Note: this tale wasn't cover-featured, being buried in the "middle 8", usually reserved for the filler story - but it was at least granted a top-side blurb)

We begin with Jimmy threatening to expose a small-time huckster named Colonel Colby.  As Jimmy puts the finishing touches on his article, he suddenly gets paranoid that Colby will break into his apartment.  While trying to rig a tear-gas trap, he accidently drops it, temporarily blinding himself.  Unbeknownst to Jimmy, Colby observes this, and as Jimmy staggers into the street to hail a cab, he's all too obliging to direct him to his car and spirit away with our freckled friend.

Jimmy immediately punches the old signal-watch, but unfortunately the Man of Steel is on a mission taking photos of the earth's core and doesn't hear it - but someone else does!  Linda Lee, pinch-hitting for her cousin, alertly hears the signal from her room at the Midvale orphanage and snaps into action.  As Colby drops Jimmy from a bridge, he loses consciousness just as Supergirl swoops to his rescue, unseen by Colby.

After Jimmy revives, he tells Supergirl his story, and she then decides that she must reveal her existence to Jimmy to help him get Colby - he's Superman's pal, after all, so he can be trusted.  She proceeds to recap her origin story for the benefit of Jimmy and the reader (her first appearance on earth only being 5 months old at the time!), but Jimmy isn't buying it.  He's convinced that she's in league with Colby, who's trying to hoax him to discredit Jimmy and prevent him from running his story.

So now Supergirl goes through a series of demonstrations for the blind reporter to believe her.  X-ray vision, super-strength, flight are all tried, but Jimmy stubbornly comes up with a convoluted explanation for each.  The Maid of Steel even takes the trouble of flying him to the Sahara Desert (!) and the North Pole (!), but even then the intrepid reporter is convinced that the extreme heat and cold must be generated by heat lamps (!!) and a butcher's refrigerator (!!).

Finally, after getting completely exasperated, Supergirl hears her cousin tunneling up from the earth's core, and with a discreet puff of super-breath, re-activates Jimmy's signal-watch.  Superman & Jimmy promptly round up Colby, and days later, with his sight back, Jimmy jokes with his pal about that ludicrous Supergirl hoax.  Supergirl looks on with her telescopic vision from Midvale, and notes with a grin, that "as far as Jimmy's concerned, I guess I don't exist".


This tale is a landmark for at least one reason - it's Supergirl's "coming out" party.  Just a few months removed from her introduction in Action #252, this is her first appearance outside of her own feature.  In the next few months, she would begin popping up all over the Superman family universe, even taking a trip back in time to visit Superboy!  But her integration into the Weisingerverse began here, and at least initially, Jimmy Olsen was her most frequent guest-stop.

I'll continue this little journey as time allows.  

Next up: Strange Interlude #1 - "My, Jimmy, what big teeth you have!"

What a wonderful, literal take on the usual lovesick girl's lament!

Hey, Osgood. I enjoyed your review.

I seem to have a slowly-developing liking for Supergirl... (yes, at this late stage of the game) ...I look forward to more reviews of this "integration" period.



Sometimes explanations are overrated.  :wink:

One important thing I left out of my last post was that Curt Swan drew a more beautiful, mature Supergirl than Jim Mooney ever did in her own strip in Action Comics.  Kara was ostensibly around 16 years old at the time of these tales (the story in Action #270 (Nov. 1960) shows her celebrating her “sweet 16”), but, at least to my eyes, Curt drew her as a very attractive young woman of about 20.  Whether this was deliberate, to make her more of a match for young Olsen, we can only speculate.

Now, on to our next installment…


Part 2 "The Wolf-Man of Metropolis"

(http://www.dcindexes.com/covers/jimmy/jimmy44.jpg)

from Jimmy Olsen #44 (Apr. 1960) by Mort Weisinger, Otto Binder, Curt Swan & Stan Kaye [reprinted in giant Jimmy Olsen #104 – Aug-Sep. 1967]

Supergirl has a small, but significant role in this tale in which we find the first of her strange interludes with Jimmy in between her main guest-starring appearances during this period.

In this tale, Superman shows Jimmy a discovery he made in an ancient crypt – a chest full of potions supposedly concocted by the wizard Merlin.  Due to the extreme age, all but one of the vials has dried up – the one labeled “Ye Wolfman potion”.  Jimmy is sure that this is nonsense, and just to prove it, he takes a swig.  Naturally, that evening there’s a full moon, and, you guessed it – Jimmy is transformed into a werewolf, as shown on the cover.

 However, this being DC comics, not EC, he retains his personality and does not go on a murderous rampage.   Conveniently enough, he just happens to have a date with Lucy Lane for a costume party – so, no need for last minute costume shopping, young Olsen shows up at her door, and with Lucy dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, they beat out other party-goers dressed as Batman, Robin, Green Arrow, and Speedy for best costume.  As they’re leaving, Jimmy remembers the bottle’s inscription said only a beautiful maiden’s kiss could break the spell, but he runs into a hitch – Lucy won’t kiss him until he removes his mask!  After stammering out an excuse about it being stuck, he slips away, leaving Lucy very confused.  After telling Lois what happened, her sister tells her about the wolfman potion, and they begin to get suspicious.

Over the next couple of days, Jimmy plays “cat and mouse” with Lucy and Lois, as they shadow him during the evening, but each time he comes up with an excuse for wearing his werewolf costume again.  Jimmy finally appeals to Superman to bail him out, and the next night, he tells Jimmy he’s got the antidote – a pretty girl, known only as “Miss X”,  is waiting in his apartment, but the lights are out, so Jimmy’s appearance won’t scare her away.   The kiss does the trick, and Superman quickly flies away with Miss X – who is now revealed to the reader to be Supergirl!  Superman wanted the lights out, not for her benefit, but for Jimmy’s, as Supergirl’s existence on earth was still a secret at this time.  At the end of the story, Jimmy is left wondering who “Miss X” really was, and whether he’ll ever see her again.


There you have it – a kiss in the dark shared with a beautiful unknown girl – can you blame Mr. Olsen for being tantalized?  Many readers at the time must have been too, because Uncle Mort had further plans for “Miss X” as we shall see!

Next up: L’il Orphan Jimmy!

Are you able to post examples of this art, or is there anywhere online we can see/read the comic?

Aldous - I came across this image taken from an early Swan Legion story from 1963 - a couple of years later but a reasonable facsimile of what I'm talking about.  I can provide the link -for some reason I can't get the image to show up here:

http://mirrorsmirror.tripod.com/supergirl.html

You'll also see Swan's Supergirl on the cover of Jimmy Olsen when I get around to doing the next installment (hopefully later in the week).

It's amazing what Curt Swan could do with a few simple lines!

I don't know how he was able to put so much personality into a character's face.

On the page at that link, I'm looking at the picture in the middle column, top row... The picture of Supergirl I'm looking at (from ADVENTURE 313) seems to be inked by George Klein. You'll correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure!

(http://mirrorsmirror.tripod.com/gifs/supgswan-rc1.gif)

The third picture down that column is another pic of Supergirl, and this doesn't look like Klein to me... but it's also attributed to ADVENTURE 313 (?). It's hard to be sure with a little mug shot like that.

(http://mirrorsmirror.tripod.com/gifs/supgswan-rc2.gif)



I seem to be able to coax the images to make an appearance here, so I'll drop them amongst my text, above. Maybe there was a bug in the system before.

Good eye, Aldous!

The first thumbnail is indeed Swan/Klein.  The second is Swan/Forte - for some reason Forte inked the second part of that Legion tale.  I was able to match those images up to my copy of the story in Legion Archives vol. 2.

The Swan/Klein version is the one that most closely resembles her appearance in these Jimmy Olsen stories.

So far, we’ve seen Jimmy encounter the Girl of Steel on his turf – but the tables get turned this time around.

Part 3 "Jimmy Olsen, Orphan"

(http://www.dcindexes.com/covers/jimmy/jimmy46.jpg)

from Jimmy Olsen #46 (Jul. 1960) by Mort Weisinger, Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan & John Forte [never reprinted to my knowledge!]
You can see on the cover by Swan & Kaye the image of Supergirl referenced earlier.  There is something about the way Curt depicts her – the face, the stature? – that belies her 16 years IMO.

The story begins where many Olsen tales do – Jimmy getting chewed out by good ol’Perry, who tells his reporter to get out to cover a flood in a nearby town, and stay out of trouble, as Superman is on a mission in space, and won’t be around to save his sorry hinder (or some words to that effect).  However, once on the scene, he can’t resist the urge to dive in to the floodwaters to save a stray cat, and in doing so, gets knocked in the noggin by a floating piece of timber.  Luckily, he’s fished out of the waters by some townspeople, but awakens in the hospital with no memory, and no ID!

Jimmy is given the name Tom Davis, and assigned to the care of the Midvale orphanage, coincidentally the home of young Linda Lee, a.k.a. Supergirl.  On seeing Jimmy, Linda decides to keep mum as to his real identity, so as not to jeopardize her own secret identity, trusting that Superman will set things right on his return.  Linda befriends the despondent “Tom”, and tries to keep his spirits up.  

The next day, Linda is reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood to the younger orphans, and Jimmy’s memory is stirred.  The mention of the wolf in the story brings back vague recollections of his “wolfman” caper in our previous episode, but the feeling quickly passes.  Later, a couple tries to adopt young Olsen (!), but Linda quickly intervenes, trapping Jimmy in his room via heat vision to the lock, and preventing him from being interviewed.  

Upon awakening the next morning, Jimmy’s memory suddenly returns.  But instead of returning to Metropolis, he decides to play out the experience in order to write an article “I Lived in an Orphanage”, confiding in Linda only.  Then, while searching for a baseball out in the woods, Linda is horrified to see Jimmy reaching into the hollow tree where she keeps her Supergirl robot hidden.  Quickly, she contrives to set off Jimmy’s signal-watch without his notice, and Superman (who at long last is returning from that mission), arrives to find out how his pal came to be in Midvale.  After getting filled in, Superman squelches Jimmy’s Pulitzer Prize aspirations by telling him that his telescopic vision reveals Perry is about to give his job away (such a heartless monster that Perry – his cub reporter goes missing and his seat’s not even cold before he’s giving him the ax!).

Jimmy departs, giving Linda a heartfelt handshake, and hoping they’ll meet again someday.  Linda, for her part, thinks “I’d kiss Jimmy good-bye, except it might stir his memory of the Wolf-man episode once more, and give away my secret!”


I know – this story is rife with holes – I mean the idea of a 20-year old being assigned to an orphanage, let alone being adopted, may seem rather silly.  But in the context of Jimmy Olsen stories of this era, silly is a relative term, to say the least ;).   I’ll even overlook the inconsistency of Supergirl’s behavior with her previous appearance, when she was more than ready to disclose her secret to Jimmy.  I kind of liked the way they tied in the earlier Wolf-man encounter, too.  And Linda’s parting thoughts continue the tantalizing prospect of a budding romance.

Well – enough babbling for now…

Next up: “Who was that alien I saw you with last night?”

I may be shot down by Jimmy Olsen fans (bring it on!), but the thought of Jimmy with Supergirl in ANY sort of "romance" situation just doesn't wash for me. Jimmy Olsen is so UNWORTHY of Supergirl. Any interest she shows in him should be kept within the realms of sympathy!



Isn't this great! There is obviously something special about a kiss from Supergirl... that a man would remember it so specifically, and thus figure out her secret identity! (How many times did Superman give Lois or some other lucky woman a "super-kiss"?) Supergirl has the power of the super-kiss, without a doubt!

Now, before I finish this post, I'll qualify my comments about Jimmy not being worthy of Supergirl. If the Jimmy Olsen in question was the Jack Kirby version, then I can understand the possibility of romantic interest on Supergirl's part. But the Jimmy from this wonderfully silly era... C'MON!

One thing to keep in mind here - Jimmy's IQ varied wildly in the Silver Age, from shrewd investigator to insufferable buffoon.  The Jimmy who accompanied Superman as Flamebird in his adventures in Kandor was a far cry from the idiot who humiliated himself constantly for the benefit of Lucy Lane (who, by the way, was the character I most loathed in the Weisinger era - but that's another topic for another day!).

Nowadays, go to any dance club, and you’re bound to run into one -  the girl with green hair.  But back in 1961, if you had that shade of  hair, it could only mean one thing – you were obviously from another planet!

Part 4 "The Girl with Green Hair"

(http://www.dcindexes.com/covers/jimmy/jimmy51.jpg)

from Jimmy Olsen #51 (Mar. 1961) by Mort Weisinger, Otto Binder, Curt Swan & John Forte [never reprinted]

Our story begins with Jimmy meeting his gal Lucy Lane for a date, but is distraught when he sees her arm-in-arm with the famous singer Ricky Avalon.  As Jimmy tries to follow them in his car, he blows a tire, and worse yet, Ricky & Lucy notice his plight and turn around to meet him.  Suddenly, a flying saucer appears, and out pops a beautiful green-haired woman who flies down to the scene.  The alien superwoman says she’s found just the handsome person she needs to guide her on a tour of earth for the week.  Immediately, Rick steps forward to offer his services, but no!  The emerald enchantress is speaking of our pal Jimmy!  

The alien calls herself Ka-Ra (hmmm… that sounds familiar…) and, after a few choice remarks for Lucy, Jimmy goes to accompany her to dinner.  Lucy sees Jimmy & Ka-Ra again later in the evening, and is now seething with jealousy.  But later, Ka-Ra parks her spaceship near the Midvale orphanage, and (surprise!) she removes her disguise to reveal to the reader that she is, in fact, Supergirl.  Apparently, she has observed by telescopic vision the poor treatment Lucy had been giving Jimmy, and she hatched a plan to make Lucy jealous by romancing Mr. Olsen as the alien superwoman.  

The next day, as Lucy is getting off an airplane in her stewardess job, Jimmy arrives – not to see her, but to interview Professor Potter.  Potter’s invention, a mechanical dragon, promptly runs amok, but before it can do any damage, Ka-Ra arrives to save the object of her affection, and sweeps him off his feet again.  That night, Potter gives Jimmy a present for helping him out – a robot duplicate of Ka-Ra (rather an odd gift – but perhaps it’s better not to dwell on this point  ;)).  Jimmy thanks him and stores it away in his closet.

The next evening, Lucy goes to Jimmy with a homemade dinner to try and win him back, but finds Jimmy already being feted by the green gal.  Even more exasperating to Lucy, Ka-Ra then proposes marriage to the young reporter!  Jimmy mulls it over, but after being informed by his alien paramour that his offspring will all have green hair and super-powers, turns her down much to Lucy’s relief.  After her departure, Supergirl looks back to see Lucy showering Jimmy with kisses, and is delighted to see her stratagem pay off.  But, unfortunately for Jimmy, Lucy spots Prof. Potter’s Ka-Ra robot, and is enraged to think that Jimmy and the professor tricked her.  She promptly knocks Jimmy in the head with one of the robot’s arms, and storms away, vowing to return to Rick.  

Later on, Jimmy is nursing a headache, and much to her chagrin, Supergirl observes that her plan failed after all.  What will Supergirl do next to help him out?   All will be revealed in a future story, says the narrator, as we fade to black.

Probably the weakest of these tales – but it illustrates again this continuing fascination Supergirl apparently had with our freckled reporter.  Where would all this lead?

Next up: Strange Interlude #2 - The Wolfman Redux

In the very next issue, we get the second of our strange interludes…

Part 5 "Jimmy Olsen, Wolf-man"

(http://www.dcindexes.com/covers/jimmy/jimmy52.jpg)

from Jimmy Olsen #52 (Apr. 1961) by Mort Weisinger, Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan & Stan Kaye [reprinted in giant Jimmy Olsen #122, Aug-Sept. 1969]

In this story, Mr. Mxyzptlk, the imp from the 5th Dimension, drops in to visit Metropolis and to seek refuge from his girl-friend Miss Gzptlsnz.  Spotting Jimmy & Lucy on a date, he immediately falls in love with Lucy, and perhaps sharing Aldous’ sentiments above, thinks to himself “what a crime to waste such beauty on a young idiot like Olsen”!   Mixie attempts to romance Miss Lane by offering her a gigantic emerald, but Lucy gives him the brush-off.

The jilted Mxyzptlk goes to Jimmy’s apartment, and in a pique of jealousy, compels him to take another swig of the Wolf-man potion left over from his previous adventure.  Jimmy immediately signals his pal Superman, and after hearing what happened, the Man of Steel reassures him that he’ll arrange for Miss X to kiss him again in a darkened room, just like before.  

That brings us to this interesting panel – the caption: “a kiss in the dark…!”  The shadowy forms of Wolf-Man Jimmy and Supergirl in mid-smooch.  Jimmy thinking “Hmm, whoever Miss X is, I like her kisses!  I’ve always hoped we’d meet again some day”.  Supergirl, for her part, is more chaste in her thoughts: “Jimmy’s nice!  I’m glad I can help him!”  


Unfortunately for Jimmy, this time her kiss fails to break the spell, as unbeknownst to him, Mr. Mxyzptlk’s magic changed the potion to water before Jimmy drank it, and it is his magic responsible for his transformation this time.  After Jimmy gets Lois, Lucy, Lori Lemaris, and Lana Lang to all give him kisses, and they also fail to do the trick, he is at his wit’s end.  As he’s walking down the street, a veiled, miniature woman approaches him, and assures him that her kiss will break the spell.  Sure enough, Jimmy changes back to normal, and the woman is revealed to be none other than Miss Gzptlsnz!  She secretly followed Mxy from the 5th Dimension and worked her own magic to cure Jimmy.  She then tricks Mxyzptlk himself into saying his name backwards, and happily follows him back home.   Our story ends with Jimmy trying to steal another kiss from Lucy, but she fends him off, saying, “You got enough kisses in the last few days to last you months, you wolf!”


Another tantalizing interlude in a darkened room, and by now the readers must have been  clamoring for more of Jimmy & Kara.   Uncle Mort responded with one of the most memorable tales of the Silver Age… but that’ll have to wait for next time!

Next up:  At long last, Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl!

I have a JO where Linda gets a job at the Daily Planet and replaces Jimmy as cub-- is that next in your timeline?

And I belive youve finally explained my attraction to Curt's Supergirl..ah, mammaries, mammaries... :shock:  :lol:

KK - That story takes place a few years later - "When Supergirl Replaced Jimmy Olsen" (JO #75 - Mar. 1964) - and I hadn't intended on including it, but now that you mention it, it might make an interesting postscript to the cycle of stories I'm reviewing.  That is, if I can find it - I'm not sure I have a copy.

No, the story I've been building up to from the get-go is the classic "Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl" from JO #57, which I hope to get to this weekend.  I think this "imaginary" tale is unique in the Weisinger canon in that it is in many ways the culmination of the preceding stories we've reviewed - as opposed to the typical "one-off" imaginary flight of fancy.  In other words, without the previous stories above, it wouldn't have come together, I think.

So I decided to look back at the whole series to put in better perspective.  Hopefully it'll all make sense in the end.

Osgood, I'm enjoying your posts on these old Jimmy/Supergirl pairings.

It seems Lucy is inextricably linked with Jimmy even when the mighty (and beautiful) Supergirl is around, so I hope you don't mind if I introduce a post devoted to Lucy and her long and often silly relationship with Jimmy.

Remember when you responded to a question of mine on the old DCMB about the developments following "Who Killed Lucy Lane?" ?

That particular story is a favourite of mine, and I was interested to know of any subsequent developments. Your reply (in what is undoubtedly an example of "from the sublime to the ridiculous") was as follows (yes, I saved it):



I recently obtained some old and well-loved comics which contain what I assume are the first two Lena Lawrence stories. The stories I have may be from the original JIMMY OLSEN issues 158 and 159. Each tale ends with an emphasis on the mystery of "Who IS Lena Lawrence" of which this panel (http://www.geocities.com/aldous_comics/Lena_Lawrence_panel.html) is an example.

Anyway, as soon as I read these two old stories, I remembered your old post and I knew this old woman must be Lucy Lane.

Yeah - sorry if I spoiled that one for you Aldous.  

I guess anything drawn by Schaffenberger can't be all bad, though.

As I mentioned before, I didn't care much for the Lucy Lane character, especially in her original '60s incarnation.  It seems that in the '70s they tried to "rehabilitate" her somewhat, but I don't think any of the JO writers at that time really knew what to do with her.

I'll get back to that last Jimmy/Supergirl story on Sunday hopefully.

On the contrary!

I'm just glad you told me who she was... If you hadn't, I'd probably be on the boards anyway, asking if anyone knows who the old lady from JIMMY OLSEN is.

1961 was the year the concept of the “imaginary story” really blossomed throughout the Weisinger fiefdom.  Earlier in the year, a series of imaginary tales had run in Lois Lane, relating the trials and tribulations of the married Mr. & Mrs. Clark Kent.   This was followed by the grand-daddy of all imaginary novels “The Death of Superman” in November.  

The first imaginary Jimmy Olsen story was in JO #56 (Oct. 1961) and it was called “The Son of Jimmy Olsen”.  This story followed the adventures of Jimmy Olsen, Jr., the offspring of Jimmy & Lucy Lane.  But I think it’s interesting that this tale began with the couple already middle-aged with a grown-up son (as if relating the actual fruition of a Jimmy & Lucy romance was too unbelievable even for an “imaginary” story  ;)) and it ended on a semi-tragic note.

Ironically, the very next issue would see a very different brand of “imaginary” storytelling, with a far different outcome:

Part 6 "Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl"

(http://www.dcindexes.com/covers/jimmy/jimmy57.jpg)

from Jimmy Olsen #57 (Dec. 1961) by Mort Weisinger, Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan & Stan Kaye [reprinted in Action #351 & 352, and again in Superman Family #181]

(Apparently, Mort thought enough of this story to grant it the honor of being the very first 2-part (17-page) Jimmy Olsen tale!)

We begin with a beautiful 2/3 splash page, with the caption reading: “Here it is, at last…the story thousands of readers have demanded…an imaginary tale in which young Daily Planet newshawk Jimmy Olsen marries – Supergirl!”  A wedding scene is depicted, showing Jimmy slipping a ring on a beaming Linda Danvers. A stoic Superman stands in as best man, while in the background stands a grinning Perry White, and a more somber Lois Lane, accompanied by her sister Lucy (ah, well, always a bridesmaid as they say…).  

The story unfolds one morning (on a day which may or may not ever happen we’re told), with Perry once again challenging young Olsen to come up with an unusual news story.  On reflection, Jimmy remembers his previous adventure where he had to stay at the Midvale orphanage, and decides to go back there for a human interest story on the orphans.  [Another point of interest here:  This may be the only “imaginary” Weisinger tale that actually refers back to events that took place in a “real” story!]

At the orphanage, Jimmy impresses the children with various trophies of his adventures with Superman.  But he makes the biggest impression on Linda Lee Danvers, who happens to be staying at the orphanage while her new foster parents are traveling in Europe.  Linda is fascinated by Jimmy’s memorabilia, and even thinks the young reporter is cute!  Jimmy is likewise captivated by Linda, and even offers to give her one of his trophies.  To Linda’s dismay, Jimmy’s gift happens to be a chunk of Red Kryptonite, but her fearful expression mysteriously vanishes right away.  Why?  The narrator relates that the Red K immediately effected her, not only removing her super-powers, but any memory of having ever been Supergirl!

Encouraged by Linda’s interest in him, Jimmy immediately asks her on a date to the amusement park.  At the park, the couple enjoy themselves at the attractions.  Later, at a dance hall, Jimmy spots Lucy Lane with a pilot and thinks, “Who cares?  I’d be a chump to chase her now, after I’ve met a living doll like Linda!  Lucy’s never appreciated me, but Linda thinks I’m great!”  In the tunnel of love, the young couple kiss passionately (as passionately as the CCA allowed back then, anyway), and Linda thinks “Jimmy’s kissing me…I’m so happy!,” while Jimmy is thinking “Gosh, she’s wonderful!”.  Overcome with elation, Jimmy blurts out “I know this is real sudden, Linda, but…I’m crazy about you!  Please say you’ll marry me!”  Without hesitation, Linda accepts!!

The next day, Superman returns from a space mission, and is stunned when his pal announces his engagement, and even more shocked when he meets his intended.  At the first opportunity, he takes Linda aside, “What are you doing?  How can you be my secret emergency weapon now?”.  Linda is confused, and as she fumbles with her purse, Jimmy’s gift of red K tumbles on the floor, and Superman immediately pieces together what happened to her.  But, to his credit, he thinks, “They’re so happy…I’ll keep mum, and do nothing to spoil their happiness!”  As depicted on the splash page, the couple weds, and we skip ahead in time to after the honeymoon, as the newlyweds grapple with bills as they furnish their new home.  Jimmy demands a raise from Perry, and when he’s denied, he storms out saying, “Then… I quit!  I’ll get a job where I’m respected!”  

As Jimmy struggles to find new employment, Linda is rearranging the furniture at home when she suddenly flies into the air holding a sofa!  Her powers and memory have finally returned!  [It was later established by Mort that Red K’s effects would wear off after 48 hours – at the time of this writing, either that rule hadn’t been in place, or it was conveniently ignored!]  “Oh, dear,” thinks Linda, “I can’t tell Jimmy right away he’s married to a Supergirl!  Heaven knows what the shock might do to him!  I – I need time to decide what to do!!”  

Jimmy returns, and despondently tells his wife that he must sell off his Superman trophies to raise money.  Suddenly, an earthquake strikes the area!  Sirens blare from a nearby airport, and Jimmy and Linda speed there by car to see if they can lend a hand.  Linda advises Jimmy to use one of the space-jewels in his trophy collection to magnify his voice, and he shouts emergency instructions to a plane to avoid a runway that has caved in – unknown to Jimmy, it is in reality Linda’s super-shout that saves the day, but she happily lets her husband take credit, and he accepts a $5,000 reward from the airline, as Lucy Lane looks ruefully on.  After reading Jimmy’s account of the incident, Perry promptly rehires Jimmy with a higher salary.  But Linda is still stymied – how does she break the news of her super-identity to Jimmy?  She decides to let Jimmy know of a Supergirl’s existence, and get him to fall in love with her as Supergirl!

As Part II begins (entitled “Jimmy Olsen’s Two Brides”), Linda follows Jimmy via super-vision while he's on the job, knowing his knack for getting into trouble.  Sure enough, the young reporter is sent flying as he’s inspecting an amusement ride, and Linda promptly switches identities to rescue him.  Supergirl introduces herself, and indicates that being Superman’s pal, she trusts him to keep her existence a secret.  [Déjà vu!  This reminds me of their very first encounter!]  Jimmy is naturally skeptical, but Supergirl relates her origin story, and how she came to Earth in a rocket after Argo City’s demise.  Supergirl then leaves Jimmy all pumped up by saying “You’re smart, cute, and loads of fun!  Just the kind of man I’d like for a husband!”. Jimmy thinks, “Golly, what a girl!  She’s not only pretty, but super-powerful, too!”.  But, to his credit, on returning home and greeting Linda, says to himself  “Linda isn’t super-powerful, but she’s the sweetest wife any fellow ever had!”  Linda, for her part, is impressed that Jimmy proves worthy of her trust, not revealing Supergirl’s existence even to his own wife!

Later, Jimmy is on his way to go bowling with the boys, when Supergirl stuns him by flying down to meet him and promptly proposing marriage.  Jimmy tries to spare her feelings, and indicates that he can’t really answer her, as he really doesn’t know her that well.  Supergirl quickly responds by suggesting they fly off to another world to get better acquainted.  On the alien planet, she has to save Jimmy from a weird creature (thus satisfying the need to match this issue’s cover!).  Upon their return to earth, she urges Jimmy to consider her proposal.

Now really conflicted, Jimmy the next day stumbles into more trouble.  Falling into a bottomless pit while covering a story, he falls and encounters a subterranean civilization and their powerful queen.  Supergirl flies after him, and promptly rescues him once more.  After again urging Jimmy to marry her, Jimmy finally decides enough is enough – “Forget me Supergirl!  I must never see you again!”  Supergirl is distraught that Jimmy doesn’t care for her dual identity, but in actuality, Jimmy thinks “Poor kid!  I care a lot for her!  In fact too much!  But she’ll have to learn how to live without me!”  On returning home, Jimmy’s conscience troubles him, and he confesses to Linda of his feelings for Supergirl.  Overjoyed, Linda changes before Jimmy’s eyes into her Supergirl costume, and reveals the reason for concealing her predicament.  Jimmy can’t believe his good fortune that both of the girls of his desire are in fact one person, and the happy couple ride off into the sunset!


It’s easy to see why JO readers loved this story.  Their hero gets the girl of his dreams, who adores him – the fact that his love happens to be the most powerful woman on the planet is just icing on the cake!  And Supergirl, for her part?  Well, let’s look at Jimmy’s competition at the time – Dick Malverne?  Jerro the Mer-boy?  And I won’t even mention the rather disturbing relationship she had with Biron, the centaur who was transformed into Comet the Super-Horse!  

In reading this as a series of stories, this final tale brought the Jimmy/Supergirl relationship to its most satisfying conclusion for both, and as I stated earlier, would not have worked IMO as a stand-alone story.  And perhaps they had to leave it there, having said all there was to say.  The pair would never encounter each other romantically again.  Yes, there would be other sporadic appearances (Klar-Ken already mentioned one above), but Supergirl would go on to be revealed to the world 2 months later, and perhaps knowing her to be his pal’s cousin would subsequently serve as a deterrent to any romantic advances from young Olsen.  

It’s tantalizing to imagine what could have been.  But there’ll always be this story to memorialize the path not taken.

Thanks for indulging this little retrospective – hope you enjoyed it.

What? Superman didn't lose his powers and memory??

I'll go for a No-Prize and guess that Superman had previously
been affected by the same chunk of Red K... and as we all
know, (sometimes) he cannot be affected by the same
chunk twice.

Jerry Siegel and/or Mort Weisinger apparently made a boo-boo in the plot here so big you could drive a truck through it.
We are supposed to believe Linda is so young she has to stay at an orphanage while her foster parents are overseas, on the other hand she is old enough to get married - or is Jimmy a cradle-snatcher?
Weisinger seems to have ignored Linda/Supergirl's youth when it suited him as far marriage or possible marriage was concerned.

Aldous - you're correct.  I should have mentioned that Jimmy felt OK to give Linda that particular Red K chunk, as his pal had already been exposed to it!

Lee - I'm not sure it's as big a plot hole as you say.  Linda had been established to be 16 at this time, not quite a "child bride", and since she had been at the orphanage recently, it's quite plausible I think for her to stay over again while her parents are away.

On the other hand, her foster parents the Danvers are conspicuously absent at the wedding, and are not even mentioned for the rest of the story.  That clearly should have been addressed, if only for one panel, to assure us that Jimmy got the old parental blessing!

I went back and looked at the panel in the story that depicts the actual wedding ceremony, and there is a tiny head-shot of someone in the church who resembles Fred Danvers, so I may have to retract my earlier comment.  A woman standing beside him (presumably Edna?) is obscured by Jimmy's shoulder, so I can't be positive.  

Nonetheless, it would have been better to have a panel or two introducing Jimmy to the Danvers.

I haven't read all of this thread yet (oof - lots of text...) but let's not forget the Supergirl movie in which Jimmy Olsen is the only reccuring character!

I'm going to bump this, as there was some interest in Lucy Lane on the Supergirl forum.

I also took the opportunity to reformat that second page to make it easier on the eyes.

For Kal's Pal.

Fascinating stuff! In the JO issue I bought in the States, Kara comes to Jimmy's aid when he goes on an undercover assignment at collage... but again, this is a few years after the imaginary story.  :wink:

I have the two JO/Kara tales where a) Jimmy is blinded so super emergency SG to his aid but he doesnt believe she's real and SG sees Jimmy die in the "future" in the Flying Newsroom so she arranges to get him fired  - as undercover Linda Lee.

Great imaginative stuff. ;)

It would be good to have this thread bumped a little more often, as there are always new members joining up who won't know about it. It's not so much a discussion thread as a collection of illustrated articles.

Steve Younis has graciously agreed to post these as a series of reviews on his Superman Homepage site as well.

I've "remastered" the first one, and it's now online here:

http://supermanhomepage.com/comics/pre-crisis-reviews/pre-crisis-mmrs-intro.php?topic=c-review-pc-jo40

The others should follow shortly and eventually I plan to add some new reviews on his page on a monthly basis.

Nicely done Osgood  :D

The second and third Jimmy/Kara installments have been remastered and are now also available on the Superman Homepage:

http://supermanhomepage.com/comics/pre-crisis-reviews/pre-crisis-mmrs-intro.php?topic=c-review-pc-jo44

http://supermanhomepage.com/comics/pre-crisis-reviews/pre-crisis-mmrs-intro.php?topic=c-review-pc-jo46

[/url]

The final 3 Jimmy/Kara reviews are now up on the Superman Homepage:

The Girl with Green Hair: http://supermanhomepage.com/comics/pre-crisis-reviews/pre-crisis-mmrs-intro.php?topic=c-review-pc-jo51

Jimmy Olsen, Wolf-Man: http://supermanhomepage.com/comics/pre-crisis-reviews/pre-crisis-mmrs-intro.php?topic=c-review-pc-jo52

Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl: http://supermanhomepage.com/comics/pre-crisis-reviews/pre-crisis-mmrs-intro.php?topic=c-review-pc-jo57


Now, I have to mull over what to do next...

Great news!

It appears that DC will be publishing a collection of imaginary tales coming out in August, and "Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl" will be included!  So now you'll be able to read the original story in all its glory!

The cover image is all that's available so far, the full solicitation will be up later today:

(http://www.herorealm.com/solicits/DCupuRsAlx28nol/DCU/DCGreatestImaginaryStoriesT.jpg)

By the looks of it, the Superman-Red and Superman-Blue tale will be in there as well.

That's a great cover!

This trade paperback, called "DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories" was released yesterday - I just picked it up.

Not only does it include "Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl", but other  imaginary gems as well.

I highly recommend it!

Here are the full contents:

BATMAN #127: "The Second Life of Batman"

BATMAN #151: "Batman's New Secret Identity"

CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES #66: "The Atomic War"

JIMMY OLSEN #57: "Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl"

LOIS LANE #19: "Mr. And Mrs. Clark (Superman) Kent"

LOIS LANE #51: "The Three Wives of Superman"

SUPERMAN #166: "The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons"

WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #172: "Superman and Batman - Brothers"

SUPERMAN #149: "The Death of Superman"

SUPERMAN #162: "Superman Red/Superman Blue"

FLASH #128: "The Origin of Flash's Masked Identity"

"DC's Greatest....."?? But they haven't included my favourite, Love is Blind! (http://superman.nu/dcmb/sixties/?part=6)

Re: FLASH #128: "The Origin of Flash's Masked Identity"
Is this the one where Barry/Flash gets mobbed everywhere he goes? Was this always an "Imaginary" story? I have it presented (as a reprint) in all seriousness, much like Superman's "Master Mesmerizer".

Thank you for the recommendation, Osgood -- and, yes, I intend to buy it.

"The Origin of Flash's Masked Identity"  was always written as a dream that Barry Allen had.

For those out there who may possibly be interested, I submit for your approval the corrections and additions to the credits in DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories:

The Death of Superman - art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye (not Swan and Sheldon Moldoff)

Batman's New Secret Identity - art by Moldoff and Charles Paris (not Bob Kane and Paris)

The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue - most Lois and Lana heads by Kurt Schaffenberger

The Three Wives of Superman - written by Jerry Siegel (not unknown)

I only got two words to say about this:

"Great Rao!"

Is this available yet?

It was released a while back during the Summer

Does this still need to be stickied?