gc8's Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 - The Newsboy Legion! review

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    Get With the Program, Daddy-O!

    In 1970 Jack Kirby had a bitter break with the powers-that-be at Marvel, and jumped ship for D.C. But, from the get-go, it was pretty clear that although D.C. wanted King Kirby, they were a little baffled with what to do with him - Inhuman societies, and galactic heralds weren't the kind of thing that was going on at D.C.... so, they assigned Jack to the title Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen - of course!?!

    If one forgets that this is Jack Kirby at the helm, there are a million things "wrong" with this comic - from the way characters like Morgan Edge and Clark Kent behave, to the dialog - a bizarre crossbreed of Depression Era slang, hippie lingo, and comic book banter. Then there's the strange new uses of Superman's powers, the never before established places (the story is mostly set in 'The Wild Area' a bizarre 'dropout society' ruled by motorcycle gangs), and the super high-tech driving/flying/boating machine the 'Whiz Wagon' that the Newsboy Legion travels in.

    But you have to remember that this is Kirby, stretching the creative muscles Marvel wouldn't let him. You just have to forget any preconceived notions, and go with it. Admittedly, Jack's acid-trip sci-fi works better on distant Apokolips or something, and frankly - he's gonna get to that soon enough - but in the meantime, I prefer to take these stories from the Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and other lesser titles thrown Kirby's way, as the sort of non-canonical Elseworlds tales of their day.

    Some weird trip, huh?

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