Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #2 // Review
The mind of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen must be a chaotic place, filled with tangents and interruptions and non-linear time. Assuming that’s the case, then Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #2 gives the reader an approximation of what it must be like to live a day in Jimmy’s head.
The issue is sprawling, packing tons of story and information into its 21 pages. The issue checks in on Jimmy’s ancestor, Joachim Olsson, and his ongoing rivalry with Luthais Alexander. It expands the character of Julian Olson, Jimmy’s brother, and tells the story of how Jimmy won a Pulitzer for an accidental photo of Lex Luthor. It checks in on Jimmy’s relationship with Superman (who knew he could do close-up magic?). All this and more, before it even gets back to where the first issue left Jimmy--in Gotham City, and presumed dead.
Writer Matt Fraction doesn’t just cram the issue with the story. Almost every page has an amazing gag (look for a cat named Pawquaman) and an illuminating character moment. Not only does Jimmy feel like a fleshed-out human being, but so does everyone who surrounds him, both Superman and Lex Luthor included.
Steve Lieber’s art (with colors by Nathan Fairbairn and lettering by Clayton Cowles) is a tremendous part of keeping that world fleshed out. Lieber makes both the mundane and the fantastical look equally fantastic. Fraction and Lieber play with time in an incredibly unique way, including a one-page flashback that occurs mid-sentence.
If anything, this issue of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen packs a little too much in; the constant twists and turns and time-shifts can get a bit confusing. Still, it’s an ambitious comic, and its ambition pays off.
