Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby - Volume 2 [Paperback]

Jack Kirby (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Kirby is generally considered the most influential artist in the history of comics, and these stories show him at his feverishly apocalyptic best. After his historic run at Marvel in the '60s, Kirby moved to DC Comics, where the work he produced influenced everything from Star Wars to The Matrix. In these stories, which initially appeared in 1971 and 1972, he uses Superman's human pal Jimmy Olsen as a gateway to fantastic tales that always spin off in unexpected directions and pile on wild ideas. A vampire attacking one of Jimmy's co-workers turns out to be from a miniature world created in a lab, where he was educated by a constant stream of horror movies. A search for a Loch Ness monster–like beast turns into a battle against alien overlords and finds Jimmy regressing to a caveman state. While the dialogue of the era displays shameless comic book cliches—"Jumping jars of jellied jaguars!" Jimmy shouts at one point—it turns out not to be dated, kind of like Krazy Kat's argot (and Kirby's restless imagination and powerful artwork will propel readers over any rough spots). Fans will welcome this new collection, and newcomers will learn where many pop culture icons come from and discover an original artist.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After putting Marvel Comics on the pop-culture map with such creations as the Fantastic Four and the Hulk, artist Kirby was lured to DC Comics to create a new line of superheroes. Besides developing such original characters as the New Gods and the Forever People, Kirby took over a long-running title featuring Superman's kid-reporter pal, Jimmy Olsen. Kirby's effort to marry the long-established Superman mythos and his fervently grandiose storytelling made for compelling if messy reading. In this second collection of Kirby's 15-issue run on Jimmy Olsen, Superman and his sidekick team with updated versions of vintage Kirby characters the Newsboy Legion (the sons of the World War II-era team) and the Guardian (a clone of the 1940s original) to encounter horror-movie monsters from a microscopic planet, genetically altered mythological creatures, and would-be King of Earth Victor Volcanum. As silly as it sounds and then some, this collection will probably baffle today's more serious comics audience, but those who fondly remember Kirby's wildly imaginative stuff will seize the opportunity to reread it. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401202594
• ISBN-13: 978-1401202590
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,639,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Volume one! Kirby is still the King !, November 24, 2004

By 

picardfan007 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby - Volume 2 (Paperback)

This one has a lot more Kirby concepts and the story gets rolling along a lot faster. We get to see Dracula...in this case Dragorin as an adversary against Superman. The Shield and the Newsboy Legion from Kirby's earlier works make another appearece here. I have to admit Kirby is an aquired taste.

When I was a youngster in 1970 I thought anyone could draw in the style of Kirby. It wasn't until I started creating my own art that I understood what he was trying say. It isn't the perfect anatomy that tells the story ..but the cartoony figures that are so dynamically portrayed, that do.

I wish that DC would follow Marvel's lead and put all of Kirby's greatest works on CD ROM. This could really lead to more exposure to the man who created characters for two universes..Marvel and DC.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Reading Volume 2, October 27, 2004

By 

Bob S. (New York, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby - Volume 2 (Paperback)

More fun comic book stories from Jack "King" Kirby's early 1970s stint as the writer/artist of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. In this volume, collecting issues #142-148, Kirby continues to flesh out his new Fourth World characters as they interact with Jimmy Olsen, Superman, and the revived Newsboy Legion. Crazy cool stuff! Be sure to check out Volume 1.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not King Kirby's Best, May 21, 2006

By 

G. YEO "gyeo" (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby - Volume 2 (Paperback)

I am a Kirby fan and was intrigued to read this - since it marked Kirby's critical departure to DC. But it really isn't for all readers - by this time, Kirby had become an acquired taste, and in all honesty, this absurdist version of Olsen just didn't feel like the right vehicle for his ideas at the time. If you want to know what Kirby was really up to - then his New Gods series is a much better work..a classic that truly defines Kirby's vision. Jimmy Olsen was just a pitstop along the way - and such an odd comic that never quite worked. Jimmy and Superman exist in Kirbyvision - but they never feel like they quite belong there. Should you get this? Only if you're a Kirby completist I guess.