Comics Fondle

This issue is strangely light and heavy.

It’s Busiek’s post-Infinite Crisis origin of Jimmy Olsen and a lot of it is light. Jimmy’s a good-hearted, hard-working kid with a big problem–he’s on the run from the mob! Will his new friends at the Daily Planet help him out? Gee whiz, Superman, I bet they will.

Busiek can do the gee whiz story just fine and I suppose Rick Leonardi’s art is good enough for it. Leonardi doesn’t have much detail and everything’s way too blocky, but he maintains some energy for the story. Some. The scene with the Kents is problematic, as are the ones with Lois. It’s like he can’t frame right for still panels, but can convey movement and motion in moving ones.

But where the issue is different–and what makes it so good and such a fine example of Busiek’s Superman writing–is the Superman side to the story. It’s about a young Superman needing a friend in Metropolis. It’s touching (while still rather light).

The other nice thing about Busiek and his Superman writing? He can take a dumb idea like a post-Infinite Crisis reintroduction and turn it into a good issue.

It doesn’t hurt, even with the Dick Tracy-like plot, it moves really well.

Too bad Leonardi couldn’t pull off the last page though.

B+