Comic Buzz - Jimmy Olsen

Creative Team: Nick Spencer (W), RB Silva (A), Amanda Conner (C)
DC, one-shot, $5.99, 80 pages
March 30, 2011

When I heard that the talented Nick Spencer was going to be writing a Jimmy Olsen back-up in Action Comics I almost laughed. “Jimmy Olsen?” I thought, “Who wants to read about him?” And to further confuse me, Spencer was really excited about the whole thing. Jimmy wasn’t a character that I expected someone to be so committed to. I wouldn’t even call him a B-list character. In my mind he was more of a supporting character than anything. I know he’s been around for a long time and has a firm place within the Superman universe, but I didn’t figure the story would hold any interest for me.

Then I found out that Spencer would be introducing the wonderful Chloe Sullivan into the DCU in this story and I did a little dance. And suddenly I cared about the story and really wanted it to be good. But I still wasn’t willing to buy the comic only for the back-up story.

I was playing around with my iPod in Tokyo, one of the few places that I can get a Wi-Fi signal, and as I browsed the free comics on Comixology I noticed that I could read the first chapter of the Jimmy Olsen back-up story. I figured why the heck not since it was free and all. On the train ride back home I decided to give it a read through and was amazed by how great it was. The dialogue was fantastic and very, very funny. I found myself laughing quite a bit for such a short story and more than once had to lean over and share a line or two with my fiancé. And by the end of the story I was really bummed out because I didn’t think that I would get to read the rest of the story.

But then I got some great news. As a result of DC canceling their back-up stories in all their books, in order to cut page count and price, the Jimmy Olsen story is no longer featured in Action Comics. But the seven part story had not finished yet. DC assured readers that the back-up stories would all find new homes somewhere and would be released. In March DC is releasing a one-shot that not only finishes the Jimmy Olsen story, but reprints the first four parts as well! So now I, and all of you, can enjoy this story in its entirety.

This is a rather long set up to explain what you should be buying, so I suppose I should touch at least a bit on why it’s so wonderful. The story is focused on Jimmy and while Superman is off on his walkabout he’s being a bit of a slacker. After his girlfriend, our wonderful Chloe, dumps him he finds out that she is doing a story about his rival, who happens to be a Lexcorp employee, and what a week in his life is like. This energizes Jimmy and motivates him to show that he can have a far more interesting week than the jerk who is now hitting on his ex. And he’s going to start by stopping a well timed alien invasion!

The story is lighthearted and fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. There have been so many crazy stories involving Jimmy Olsen and I feel like the tone of this reflects that. So if you’re against that sort of thing and like the darker more serious comics that seem to dominate the market at the moment this might not be for you. You are meant to have fun while reading it, and it may be a bit crazy and over the top, but Spencer’s ultimate goal is to put a smile on your face. The colors are bright and fun and some of the facial expressions are just priceless. There are some great little details thrown into the backgrounds that made me want to examine the pages on more than my tiny screen. As started before the dialogue is really good, which I’ve found is one of Spencer’s selling points. I haven’t read much of the character before, but I really felt like I understood his voice by the end of the issue. Jimmy is a normal person who is very comfortable in a super powered world and that gives us a different take on the DCU than we get in most books. I also thought Chloe was very well handled and love that she’s a decorated blog reporter, keeping her on the cutting edge of technology and letting her be a reporter while explaining why we’ve never really seen her at the Planet before.

Spencer’s love for the character is clear (he thinks of writing Jimmy as a dream project), and he apparently has more in mind for the character (apparently like a year’s worth of stories). So if this sells decently we might very well get more, and that’s always a good thing. I think it’s a good sign that DC has decided not only to release the end of the story, but the story in its entirety (not all of the back-ups are being given the same treatment). Clearly this story has generated some buzz and I’m sure I’m not the only one who missed out on the story and wanted to read it.

However, I’m always excited when you don’t really have to take my word for any recommendation. Everyone can read the first part of the story on the iPod/iPad/iPhone. It’s free and a decent way to preview these kinds of things. There is an interview about the story here. 

Remember, there probably isn't an option to "wait for trade" here (unless of course we get a bunch more Jimmy Olsen stories that can be collected together), so if this looks interesting tell your local comic shop to order you a copy or pick it up online while you can.

Fan Ramblings – Chloe in DCU!

Back when I was in high school I started watching a little show called Smallville. My favorite character was one Chloe Sullivan, intrepid girl reporter, classmate, and friend to our hero Clark Kent. While in the first few seasons Lana struck me as the highly annoying center of Clark’s hopeless romantic delusions, Chloe was the good friend and helper. She was curious and caring. And even though you understood that she had some feelings for Clark beyond friendship, she remained loyal and helpful.

I only watched the first two seasons regularly and the third season sporadically before I went off to college and my evenings became filled with homework and group meetings and dinners with friends. I pretty much stopped watching all TV except for Adult Swim. The last episode I remember seeing my senior year was the cliff hanger season finale in which they set up the idea that Chloe may well have died in an explosion! I was upset and worried that they were writing my favorite character (who wasn’t DC cannon after all) off of the show. Luckily, it was not so. I know a few things that have happened thanks to the internet, but I’ve avoided most news. I have a LOT of Smallville to eventually catch up on. And one day I’ll find the time and the means to do so (despite advertising it, my local video store doesn’t have Smallvillle DVDs and Hulu doesn’t work outside of America).

When I left the show Chloe had not yet learned Clark’s secret. I always wanted her to do so, because I pictured her really helping Clark test his own limits and learn to control his powers. I saw her functioning sort of like the big sister from The Secret World of Alex Mack (anyone else remember that show? I used to love it!). I pictured her setting up experiments and gathering data and being really amused by the whole situation. Her character was established as a trustworthy companion and I wanted that relationship to expand. And, of course, I wanted Chloe to have a bigger role on the show since she was my favorite character. I am happy to know that she does in fact learn his secret in a later season.

Recently I was thrilled to discover the news that Chloe will finally be coming to the DCU proper! She is a great character with a lot of potential and I am so excited that she can now play a role in the comics. It will be interesting to see what her comic back-story will be. Reportedly she is still from Smallville and is a reporter. Is she still the childhood friend of Clark Kent? From what I’ve heard of the show recently Chloe fills sort of an Oracle like role, being the go to girl for information with a vast network. Clearly that role is already filled in the comics but will she retain any of those skills? And I suppose most importantly, does she still know Clark’s secret?

With Smallville preparing for its tenth and final season I was really worried that her character would fade from popular radar and never find her way into the comics. There has been talk of potentially adding her character for some time now, but I was beginning to fear that we were never going to get beyond the talking about it stage. But to Nick Spencer who finally made this happen, I say thank you! And best of all, he is a fan of the show and the character and is trying to fit her into continuity with as much of her character in tact as possible.

Chloe will be appearing in the Jimmy Olson back up in Action Comics. I can’t imagine she will have the largest role, but just getting her into the comics universe was probably her biggest hurdle. Now that she will be established as a character in the DCU any writer can use her in a story. And I really hope they will take advantage of this opportunity.

Chloe isn’t the first character to make the jump from media property to comic book cannon. Two other amazing female characters from the Batman universe got their start on Batman the Animated Series. They would be, of course, René Montoya and Harley Quinn. Both characters have had a great run in the comic’s universe growing and developing as characters. With those two in mind it’s easy to look forward to Chloe’s comic future.

Welcome to the DCU Chloe Sullivan!