Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #120

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #120 (On Sale: April 8, 1969) has a strange cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams. What is strange is that from the waist up the Superman character has been inked or redrawn and inked by Kurt Schaffenberger. What could Adams have done that they needed to wipe out half of the Superman figure?

We begin with "Jimmy Olsen's Super-Punch" by Leo Dorfman and Pete Costanza. Jimmy Olsen agrees to test Hyperon, a new strength serum, for Knuckles Claney. yeah, what could possibly go w4rong? The Hyperon seems to give Jimmy super strength, but he is actually being set up by con men after revenge for being sent to prison.

Believing he is now super-strong, Jimmy tries his hand at being a matador, fighting a bull. He is nearly killed, but Superman rescues him. Jimmy is dejected that he was tricked, but later discovers that the Hyperon actually did work, it just took some time for the serum to work. He petitions the boxing commission to let him fight. Perry White tries to talk Jimmy out of it and is apparently killed when Jimmy knocks him down. Jimmy is arrested and sent to jail.

When he is attacked by the other prisoners, he learns that the Hyperon has worn off. Jimmy is then brought to the warden's office where Superman is masquerading as Perry White. The Man of Steel explains that he faked Perry's death to teach Jimmy a lesson. Since Perry is not dead, Jimmy is released from jail. Sigh. yeah, OK.

Next is "The Climate King" by E. Nelson Bridwell and Pete Constanza. Jimmy Olsen receives a tip regarding the location of a weather-controlling criminal called the Climate King. He calls Superman and together they discover a time machine at the Climate King's lair. Superman thinks Climate King has fled into the past and begins searching different time periods for the crook, based on a list found at the lair. While Jimmy is waiting for Superman to return, it is the Climate King who comes back first. He takes Jimmy hostage and carries him into the past. Jimmy escapes and destroys the Climate King's weather control machine, but in doing so he causes a dam to burst. As a result he causes the Johnstown flood of 1889. Time machines were apparently a dime a dozen at DC.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.