Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #117

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #117 (On Sale: November 26, 1968) has a cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams.

We begin with the punly-titled "The Planet of the Capes" by Otto Binder and Pete Costanza. Jimmy and Professor Lang find an alien device in the desert that was left on Earth millions of years ago. The device transports Jimmy to a parallel universe where the rich wear capes and slaves do not. Since Jimmy is not wearing a cape he is arrested as a slave.

Jimmy is taken to an auction where he is purchased by a duplicate of Clark Kent who wears a Superman cape. Jimmy learns that cloth is rare on this world which makes the capes prized possessions. When Jimmy finds stolen money in Clark's office, he reports him to the police, only to discover that Clark is actually a hero on this world.

Jimmy is sold again at auction to Perry White. Jimmy helps him track down a missing Batman cape, before being sold to his own double, the Jimmy Olsen of this world. After helping his double perform a circus act for a movie, Jimmy makes his own cape out of the clothing he was wearing when he came to this world. Now that he owns a cape, he gains his freedom.

Jimmy's new cape causes him to be noticed by Mr. X, the designer of the capes. Jimmy meets Mr. X and learns that he is Jor-El who escaped Krypton's destruction in this universe. The capes Jor-El created wer duplicated from ones he saw when a group of heroes from Jimmy's universe visited this world. Jimmy is then sent back to his own universe when Jor-El uses a Dimension Zone ray on him.

The back-up story is "The Son of Jimmy Olsen," from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #56 and created by Jerry Siegel and Kurt Schaffenberger. Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane have married and had a son, Jimmy Olsen Jr. Jimmy Jr. falls in love with the daughter of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, Lola Kent. Lola however, cannot marry Jimmy because she is secretly Supermaid. When Jimmy learns this, he finds a plant which gives him super powers, enabling them to get married. Lois Lane is also given powers by the plant serum. Luthor, however, exposes the family to a gas which removes their powers, and since both Superman and Supermaid revealed their secret identities to the world, the underworld can now strike at their families.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

No comments: