Who killed Jimmy Olsen’s Decoy is the mystery we don’t really solve but have a ton of fun trying to in “Jimmy Olsen” #3 Warning: spoilers ahead.
Written by Matt Fraction
Illustrated by Steve Lieber
Colored by Nathan Fairbairn
Lettered by Clayton CowlesDearly beloved, we have gathered here today in this catalog to remember our friend, Superman’s pal, the late Jimmy Olsen…’s assassination decoy!
Wait, somebody killed Jimmy’s decoy body? But whodunit? And, like, whydunit? And…wait, when did Jimmy get a decoy of himself? What we do know is it’s not safe for Jimmy in the City of Tomorrow anymore, and with Superman busy and all (you read that SUPERMAN #15 solicit yet?), Jimmy’s best bet is to solve his own murder within the safe borders of Gotham City! (Seriously, “safe”?)
Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn, and Clayton Cowles are doing some absolutely wild comics on “Jimmy Olsen” #3. Fraction plots the issue in a series of short vignettes that are not completely linear to the rest of the comic and works with Lieber, Fairbairn, and Cowles to create genuinely hilarious gags and a mystery that is pretty engaging. Who could have thought the wit of “Sex Criminals,” the storytelling of Grant Morrison and the camp of the Silver Age would be so good to read? I mean, anyone who would hear that sentence could guess.
Every issue of “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” so far has started with a frontier scene to set up the ancient old money feud between the Olsens and Luthors and as we see in this issue might fuel to a larger mystery. These scenes take a while for me to get used to in terms of them being radically different from the rest of the book but there is still a lot to enjoy. Lieber and Fairbairn add a lot of visual texture that really cement the time period of the book. While this art is really immersive and sets the timing, I feel that it takes away from some of the comedy that’s added with the art team having a bit more fun rather than being super attentive to historical accuracy.
Outside of the opening scene, the synergy between the Lieber’s linework, Fairburn’s colors, Cowles lettering, and Fraction’s script is really incredible. Pacing is very important for this book’s comedic tone and even in it’s more serious moments. Lex Luthor’s three-page scene of uncovering the time capsule and the mysteries within has the same narrative deft as the two-page sequence of what happened to the man who injected Jimmy with the turtle serum. Both see Fraction taking a step back and allowing the art to carry the story through pacing. In the Lex Luthor sequence, the silence conveys interrogation and thoughtfulness and adds to the mystery. Meanwhile, the pacing in the car crash scene is humorous because of the repetition of panels, which is repeated in the issue a few times for a few gags. Five panels to space out the crash and the action between the dialogue add a lot of beats to the page. The action could be done with fewer panels but its particularly funny with the number of panels.
Another great scene that combines the pacing of the more serious Luthor mystery and the comedic beats from the rest of the issue is Jimmy burying his old life. The majority of the scene is played straight of Jimmy digging his own grave and throwing his signal watch in. The best two pages are Jimmy’s sincere plea to Superman to let him do this case on his own. The scene gives Jimmy two panels to brood at his grave, before looking around in a third panel, and begining his plea in the fourth. The final panel on the page is a close up on Superman’s ear, really building up the intensity of the request. Then on the next page a great three-panel joke of Jimmy declaring that “Jimmy Olsen is dead” then putting on a mustache and declaring the birth of “Timmy Olsen” which may have been the hardest I have personally laughed at a comic in a long time.
Continued belowFraction’s drawing from the Silver Age for “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” #3 really heightens the book’s humor and plays on Fraction’s strengths from “Sex Criminals.” The Porcadillo vignette is a perfect example of a character straight out of the Silver Age in a situation that feels out of an Adult Swim show. I think that the ridiculousness of the Silver Age has finally caught up with the irreverent humor that’s popular today. The “ulp” gag from the injection scene is really really good and pokes fun at the primitive comic storytelling styles of the Superman comics of the 50s. Leiber’s art and Fairbairn’s artwork really sells the dissonance between the Silver Age tropes and more modern sensibilities. The tragic end to the adventure with Dr. Mantel really brings this to focus with Clark, and Lois walking away laughing about their fun adventure, with Jimmy’s expression depicting, what could only be deep trauma. The icing on the cake is Dr. Mantel’s smiling face in the clouds which is just so good.
Clayton Cowles is truly the MVP in “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” #3 with the use of so many Silver Age lettering gags. Every vignette starts with a yellow text box with a fun scene set up from Fraction’s script. The only complaint that I have, is that they can feel a bit long and kind of hurt the flow of the book. But when they are good, they are good because of how many fonts! The best example is the Porcadillo intro text which has four different fonts which is an amazing decision for the throwback nature of these Silver Age text boxes. Cowles is truly lettering half of the books in comics and I am personally glad to see him get to have fun with this book.
“Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” is a very funny comic book and we don’t know how else to tell you this! Fraction, Fairbairn, and Lieber do an amazing job creating hilarious pacing and incredible visual humor which is difficult in comics. The Silver Age is a very funny and silly piece of history in DC Comics and this team uses that history in really funny ways that have not been done to death before.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” continues to be a hilarious and smartly crafted series from script to letters.