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WHO COUNTS IN COUNTDOWN? –Episode #48 by Bruce MacIntosh
Every week, DC’s new year-long series Countdown, introduces characters who may be unfamiliar to readers. Fear not! The Pulse is here to shed some light on the background on these characters, so you can hit the ground running with the series. This week, we’ll look at the history and background of Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen and the nefarious Black Adam.
JIMMY OLSEN Jimmy Olsen has been around almost as long as Superman, and although Supes has never (intentionally) confessed his secret identity to the cub reporter and they are rarely shown just hanging out together, Jimmy considers the Kryptonian his best friend. In fact, he even had his own long-running series called, naturally, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen.
Unlike most of DC’s protagonists over the last 70 years – who have faded in and out of usage, or had their origins retconned periodically – Jimmy Olsen’s “identity” has remained remarkably consistent over the years. He is the true “everyman” in comics, and therefore writers have had the flexibility to simply tell the stories, unhindered by decades of tangled continuity. Some readers may actually have found limiting his lack of back story or tragic motivations (vis à vis the murder of Batman’s parents), but this two-dimensionality has actually allowed more freedom to writers over the years.
True, centuries from now neither Jimmy Olsen’s character or stories will be remembered in the annals of great literature, but this makes him the perfect character to mess with now in the pages of Countdown.
Since Jimmy has been around for so long, the tone and focus of his stories have changed with the times, even though – as mentioned above – the character himself has remained pretty stable. Therefore, it works pretty well to divide his adventures loosely based on how we have come to define the comics Ages, “Golden”, “Silver”, and “Modern”.
Golden Age Believe it or not, Jimmy Olsen’s first appearance as a named character was not in comics, but in the Adventures of Superman radio show, back on April 15, 1940. He was later co-opted into comics, in Superman #13 (Nov/Dec 1941). He started as “Jimmy the copyboy” and was later given his last name two issues later. (His full name is given as James Bartholomew Olsen in 1955.) He remained the Daily Planet’s copyboy and was not referred to as a “cub reporter” until almost 12 years later (Superman#86, Jan 1954).
Child labor laws being what they are, it’s hard to imagine that in the 40s, Jimmy was depicted as about a 10 year old, and then about 12 or 13. It wasn’t until later that he was shown as being in his late teens. It also might surprise some readers that are familiar with his bright red hair and freckles, but early on he was depicted alternately with varying shades of blond, red and brown hair.
Despite his eccentric hair color, one thing that has always been consistent is his unflagging admiration for the journalistic skills of his mentors, Clark Kent and Lois Lane. His ambition to reach their status in the profession gets Jimmy into most of his mis-adventures for decades, and he usually receives a reprimand or lecture at the end of each story. It is not until 1969 that Perry White, Editor of the Daily Planet, finally refers to him as a full-fledged reporter.
Although he worked with and admired reporter Clark Kent, he was always shown to have a close relationship with Superman. (Although, as indicated above, this was not the kind of friendship where the two would talk about girls or catch a ballgame together. It was more of a paternalistic relationship, where Jimmy would usually get in trouble and Superman would moralize to the youth at the end.)
It was at the tail-end of the “Golden Age” that Superman gave Jimmy the infamous signal-watch. When Jimmy got into trouble he could press a secret button on the side of the watch to emit a “zee-zee-zee” that was inaudible to anyone but his super pal. Jimmy used this watch many times to pull Superman away from saving the planet in order to rescue the cub reporter’s rear. The watch has limitations, however, as its signal cannot penetrate lead, or travel through space or time. So Jimmy was occasionally required to use his own wits to save himself.
Silver Age As Superman himself moved from foiling gangsters and bank robbers in the 40s to battling super-robots and visiting space in the 50s, so too did Jimmy Olsen’s adventures get more fantastical. The Fifties is the era when Jimmy’s character became defined more like we have come to know him: An ambitious yet impetuous young man stumbling into one crazy adventure after another in his pursuit of a story, and invariably having Superman pull his fat out of the fire in the end.
It is in the science-fiction era of the Fifties that Jimmy gained his own title, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, which ran almost two decades from the first issue in October 1954. At the height of the series’ popularity in the early-1960s, it was one of the biggest-selling comics on the stands, reportedly reaching sales of a half-million copies every month. However, as readers grew up and became more socially conscious in the Sixties, sales dropped precipitously until it was DC’s lowest selling title at the end of the decade.
In the meantime, however, the Silver Age stories of Jimmy Olsen provided readers with some of the wackiest adventures and fantastical transformations to be found in comics. It is into this cookie jar that it appears DC has reached to for the Jimmy Olsen character who is appearing in Countdown. The main theme of the Jimmy Olsen stories of the mid-50s through mid-60s was his physical transformations into one outlandish character or another, usually involving the acquisition of some form of super power. Often these powers were conveniently imbued by drinking a “secret serum” or activating an eccentric scientist’s invention. Unlike most comics characters endowed with a newfound ability, Olsen was rarely able to control them. This ultimately got him into hot water, which required the intervention of Superman.
At the end of each quickly-paced tale, Jimmy always returned to normal, never suffering any of the emotional or physical side-effects (i.e., “death”) that would certainly happen in “real life” – or even the more reality-based comics of today – after having been exposed to massive doses of radiation, or chemical toxins.
Here is just a small sampling of Jimmy’s Silver Age transmutations, most of which were written by Otto Binder: “The Human Skyscraper” (a giant); a creature from Jupiter; “The Human Flame Thrower”; “The Human Octopus”; “The Wolf-Man of Metropolis”; a merman; a super-speedster; and my favorite - a creepy-looking giant turtle-boy.
THE MANY STRANGE IDENTITIES OF JIMMY OLSEN.
But Jimmy Olsen’s most frequent and enduring transformation is the one that was teased in the pages of Countdown, and we will apparently be seeing more of in the future: The power of Elastic-Lad. In “The E-L-A-S-T-I-C Lad” (SP:JO #31, Sep 1958) a serum from outer space is spilled on Jimmy, which endowed him with the ability to stretch his body almost limitlessly and into fantastic shapes. At first, crooks dupe Jimmy into using his elastic abilities to commit crimes. In later adventures, Professor Potter developed a synthetic serum which would temporarily give Jimmy stretchy super powers, which he uses in true “super heroic” fashion.
As mentioned above (and in Episode #51 of this series), sales of Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen had reached its nadir by 1970. When Jack Kirby agreed to move over from Marvel to DC, he requested that tile to prove he could resuscitate the title’s moribund sales with his trademark Kirby-esque villains and science fiction machinery.
Although Kirby’s move was highly anticipated, sales did not rebound enough. Some believe that the King’s wild premises were just too “far out” for the title, and the Kirby experiment was terminated after only about a year. The title itself was not cancelled, but was renamed Superman Family in 1974 with Issue #164. (Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane was, however, cancelled and her adventures rolled into this anthology title.) Olsen’s character became more serious in this title, and his stories involved less of Superman and more his pursuit of news stories on the streets of Metropolis.
Modern Age Following the DC Universe re-boot in Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) Superman encountered a device called the Eradicator that had been created on – and survived the explosion of Krypton (Action Comics Annual #2, 1989). The following month (The Adventures of Superman #458, Sep 1989) it was learned that the Eradicator had somehow planted a virus on Superman. Upon his return from space, Supes unknowingly infected Jimmy Olsen with the virus, which rearranged his DNA and allowed him to stretch. This is the first (and last) post-Crisis appearance of Jimmy’s stretchy abilities.
Years later, after getting laid off at the Daily Planet, Jimmy went over to work for their TV rivals, Galaxy Broadcasting. He doomed this new career when he promised to reveal Superman’s identity on the air. He didn’t actually know the true identity, but Clark Kent still didn’t want to see his buddy twisting in the wind on national TV. Clark convinced Jimmy that discretion was the better part of valor, because reporters should keep their sources’ secret identities secret!
So, when it came time for the broadcast, Jimmy said Superman’s secret identity was… nobody! He was subsequently canned for wasting valuable air time for his shenanigans. Jimmy paid the price for his ratings stunt, because he was pursued by the members of Intergang, who - based on Olsen’s own assertions - believed he knew Superman’s true identity.
One of the most recent examinations of Jimmy’s character took place in the 2003 Superman: Metropolis series. The series focused much more on Jimmy Olsen and the city of Metropolis, than it did Superman. Writer Chuck Austen portrayed Jimmy as a gutsy, but still immature photographer for the Daily Planet. He takes on the Tech, a living computer virus that takes over the city.
After that, Clark Kent was demoted at the Daily Planet and in his place Jimmy was promoted to regular “star” reporter. This position didn’t last long, because Infinite Crisis intervened, followed by the “One Year Later” storyline jump. The way it stands now, Jimmy is back to being the impetuous photographer for the Planet, even winning a Pulitzer prize for his photography.
Now he is seeking the big story about what happened to Duela Dent (Countdown #51), and coming up dry he is planning on contacting the Red Hood for his take.
BLACK ADAM Black Adam appears in Countdown Issues #49 and #48, and he’s really unhappy. Mary Marvel (sans super-abilities) is fleeing from an attacker and runs into an empty building. (It is possible that it is the abandoned Khandaq embassy.) Inside, she finds statues of the Seven Deadly Sins, maimed bodies scattered everywhere. Her pursuer runs in after her and is also torn apart by… Black Adam.
Following the events of Infinite Crisis, then 52 and World War III, it is important now to give a little of his history and tie up some loose ends about where the character presently stands. Since Adam also has several “origins” we’ll also divide his story into three parts.
Golden Age – Fawcett Comics Black Adam also has his roots in the Golden Age of comics, but he was only there for the proverbial cup of coffee. His only appearance in the original line of Fawcett Comics was in Marvel Family #1 (1945), as an ancient Egyptian prince who was the wizard Shazam’s original choice to be his successor. The prince’s name was “Teth-Adam”, which literally means “Mighty Human”, and he was given the powers of the same Greco-Roman deities who would later endow our friend Captain Marvel. (Never mind that this would have predated by several thousand years the actual naming and worship of these Greek and Roman gods!)
Adam was corrupted by his power and overthrew the Pharaoh and assumed his throne. To correct his mistake, the wizard renamed the scoundrel “Black Adam” and banished him to a distant star. Black Adam spent the next 5000 years winding his way back to Earth, and when he returned found the Wizard had recently endowed three new heroes (Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel – the Marvel Family) as his successors and Earth’s protectors.
Adam had already spent the last 5000 years stewing about Shazam’s injustices, and now he was really hacked off. A battle ensues, but since Adam and the three modern heroes were equally powered, the result was a draw. Adam is finally defeated when Uncle Marvel (don’t ask) tricks him into saying the magic word (“Shazam!”) which returned him to his mortal form. His age literally caught up with Adam, and he withered to dust in a matter of minutes.
Bronze Age – DC Comics Black Adam was only revived in 1973 after DC acquired the rights to the Fawcett characters and revived the Captain Marvel franchise under the title “Shazam!” (Yes – like shalom or aloha, that word has multiple meanings: a comic title, a character name, a magic word, and an invective for Private Gomer Pyle and the 1960s TV series.) Black Adam returns in Issue #28 of that series, and we learn that Adam his powers actually came from the Egyptian deities Shu (stamina), Hershef (strength), Amon (power), Zehuti (aka Thoth - wisdom), Anpu (speed), and Menthu (courage).
The villain battled Captain Marvel several times in this silly Seventies series, and then he added his abilities to the super-villain team called the Monster Society of Evil, led by Mr. Mind (the same criminal chilopod who appeared in 52, but this was back when he was a cute caterpillar-like character.) This group was as ineffective against the Marvel Family in 1974 as they were 30 years earlier, and only made one more appearance before the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped them from comic history.
Modern Age Although he was briefly reintroduced in 1987, Black Adam’s origin was completely revamped with Jerry Ordway’s The Power of Shazam! series in 1994. In this new story – again originating in ancient Egypt – the Wizard Shazam is impressed with the good deeds of Teth-Adam, the son of Pharaoh Rameses II, and tells the prince to speak the wizard’s name. As Teth-Adam did so, he was transformed into Mighty-Adam, a hero who possessed the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru (Horus), the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen.
Mighty Adam served as Eqypt’s champion for many centuries, until corrupted by the wiles of a sorceress, who turned out to be the Wizard Shazam’s evil daughter. The Wizard removed Adam’s powers (again causing him to wither away from age) and encapsulated them in a mystical scarab that was buried in the tomb of Pharaoh Rameses II. As a final disgrace, the Wizard then renamed the now dead villain “Khem-Adam” (Black Adam).
The scarab remained there until Theo Adam, the unscrupulous aide to archeologists C.C. and Marilyn Batson, discovered it. Realizing the significance of the artifact, Theo stole it and killed the Batsons for good measure. He later spoke the Wizard Shazam’s name, and being the descendant of the original Teth-Adam, Theo was then transformed into the modern version of Black Adam. After Adam revealed himself to Billy Batson as the murderer of his parents, the teen transformed to Captain Marvel and did battle with the blackguard. The good Captain emerged victorious after snatching the scarab, rendering Adam powerless. He brought Adam to the Wizard, who wiped away his memories as well as his voice, so that he would never again speak the key transforming word and reuse his evil powers.
Adam’s disgrace did not last very long, as he eventually returned and declared that the personalities of Theo Adam and Teth Adam were different. Black Adam was acquitted of the Batson’s murders when it was shown that the fingerprints were different.
JSA A few years later, however, Black Adam returned and – under the control of the evil Theo – attacked the Justice Society of America, (JSA #6, 1999). The “evil” Black Adam joined the Injustice Society and battled the JSA again, until the “reformed” Black Adam betrayed the Injustice Society and helped the JSA. Claiming to be free of the evil Theo’s influence once and for all, Black Adam requested and was granted a probationary membership in the JSA, (JSA #21, 2002). Captain Marvel also joined at that time, to keep an eye on his counterpart.
A storyline where some of the JSA travel back in time is used to alter Adam’s origin somewhat. Rather than Mighty Adam’s hailing from ancient Egypt, he was now said to have come from the fictional land of Khandaq. (His powers, incidentally, now came from the Egyptian gods, Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen.)
His rage now originated from the conquest of homeland and murder of his wife and children at the hands of a super-powered villain Ahk-Ton. Adam murdered the villain and returned from serving as champion for the Egyptian Pharoah to reclaim Khandaq. Naturally, the Wizard Shazam disapproved, so he renamed Black Adam, stripped him of his powers and killed him for good measure.
In the powerful story of “JSA: Black Reign”, Adam finally tires of the team’s reactive stance, and decides to take matters into his own hands regarding his homeland. He and teammate Atom Smasher defect from the JSA and stage a hostile takeover of modern Khandaq. Adam is eventually successful in gaining control and leadership of the country, despite the JSA’s aggressive resistence. The good guys tell him that all will be forgiven as long as he never leaves Khandaq. (Like that was going to happen.)
One good thing to come out of Black Adam’s true “love-hate” relationship with the JSA, was that writer Geoff Johns was able to develop a character in the DC Universe with a personality and moral code very different than that demonstrated by the traditional superhero. Adam is as fiercely nationalistic and obsessed with the pursuit of justice as Superman or Batman. But unlike those shiny superheroes, he has no compunction against killing to administer his militant brand of justice.
Although he was originally created as a simple “reverse” villain similar to Sinestro, Professor Zoom or Bizarro, Johns expanded on that concept. Like Black Adam’s somber costume contrasts the bright red uniform of his wholesome counterpart Captain Marvel, Adam’s Old Testament credo of “an eye for an eye” stands as a stark analogue to the traditional superhero’s New Testament doctrine of “turn the other cheek”.
In the JSA series Johns brilliantly re-examined the traditional “misunderstood hero” conceit by framing Black Adam against a background and philosophy quite different than most comic readers. Although it is difficult for Western comics readers to understand Black Adam’s militant attitude and willingness to kill (millions) to protect his family, we still must try to recognize that he still believes himself to be the “good guy”. Johns himself put it this way:
“Black Adam represents ‘eye for an eye’ judgment. His wife and two sons from his homeland of Kahndaq were murdered by a villain he gave mercy to. If Black Adam had killed that villain, like was commonly done back then, his wife and sons would have lived on. The moment Black Adam found the villain who did that and killed him, he took his new stance…
“It all led up to a storyline called ‘JSA: Black Reign’, in which Black Adam forms his own team and ‘invades’ his home country to liberate it. … [He] is helping thousands of children. He convinces Atom Smasher to murder Kahndaq's treacherous dictator. Black Adam is cheered on by his people for that. Black Adam is a hero to many while he's a villain to many. Much like real people and leaders today. It's all relative. Gray.”
“His last line in 52: Week 3 sums up his current motivation: ‘It’s time for heroes who don’t just patrol the world - they change it.’
SPEAKING OF 52… So – it is certainly impossible to forgive Black Adam for his monstrous transgressions, but it may make it easier to understand the character and his comics if we appreciate his background. It is against this background that Adam’s involvement in 52 (and its spin-off mini-series World War III) really stands out. Following his JSA involvement, he was firmly established as the venerated leader of Khandaq. He ruled with a violent hand - killing several superheroes on Khandaq TV – but his people respected and adored him for that. He worked to create a consortium of metahumans from various countries, to stand against the aggression of the superior numbers of heroes in the United States. Although he sees this as a defensive coalition, the supers from the United States view this as an act of hostility, and act to resist Adam’s political maneuverings.
To curry favor Intergang offers to Adam a beautiful slave girl, Adrianna Tomaz. However, Adam is offended and deals harshly with the slavers, later falling madly in love with the woman. So smitten he soon bestows upon her part of his magical powers, and she becomes the beautiful and mighty Isis. (Not the same character from the old cartoon, but surely close enough to pique the nostalgia of some readers who were kids at the cusp of the 80s.) Together they find Isis’ crippled brother Amon, and similarly restore him to health and empower him with another portion of Adam’s puissance.
Things are going great for the Black Marvels and Khandaq prospers as Isis uses her calming presence to encourage Adam to be a more temperate leader. Osiris is later accepted into the Teen Titans, but in a battle with the Suicide Squad he literally blows through one of the villains – an act that is caught on film and used against the Black Marvel family to ruin their good reputation. Next, Khandaq is plagued by a series of natural disasters.
Wracked with guilt and convinced that the recent disasters that have befallen his homeland are due to Adam’s innate depravity, Osiris seeks out Captain Marvel to enlist his aid in stripping Adam of his powers once and for all. Next… Well, no spoilers here.
Okay, I will reveal a couple of things from the end of 52, because they have a lot to do with Black Adam’s appearance a year later in continuity, in Countdown: In 52 and WWIII there were lots of superhero vs. Black Adam battles, and… somewhere near the end of 52 Adam is rendered powerless. Why is this so important? First: Because how that happened is a terrific story. If you haven’t read 52 yet, go get and read at least the last 8 issues and the WWIII series that takes place between 52 Weeks 50 and 51. Best – story ending – ever.
Second: What happened in the time between the end of 52 and the beginning of Countdown to restore Adam’s powers? Is this the same Black Adam? Guess we’ll have to keep reading to find out.
NEXT WEEK IN WHO COUNTS IN COUNTDOWN? – Episode 47
Lightray’s grand entrance in Countdown #48 makes him an important character in this storyline, and Red Hood’s conversation with Donna Troy will certainly prove prescient. We’ll examine Lightray’s and Donna’s stories… Very, very tangled. But fear not - we’ll straighten it all out for you. See you in seven!
And keep checking back for a special BONUS episode of this week's Countdown series by Bruce MacIntosh.
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Golden Age
Despite his eccentric hair color, one thing that has always been consistent is his unflagging admiration for the journalistic skills of his mentors, Clark Kent and Lois Lane. His ambition to reach their status in the profession gets Jimmy into most of his mis-adventures for decades, and he usually receives a reprimand or lecture at the end of each story. It is not until 1969 that Perry White, Editor of the Daily Planet, finally refers to him as a full-fledged reporter.
It was at the tail-end of the “Golden Age” that Superman gave Jimmy the infamous signal-watch. When Jimmy got into trouble he could press a secret button on the side of the watch to emit a “zee-zee-zee” that was inaudible to anyone but his super pal. Jimmy used this watch many times to pull Superman away from saving the planet in order to rescue the cub reporter’s rear. The watch has limitations, however, as its signal cannot penetrate lead, or travel through space or time. So Jimmy was occasionally required to use his own wits to save himself.
Years later, after getting laid off at the Daily Planet, Jimmy went over to work for their TV rivals, Galaxy Broadcasting. He doomed this new career when he promised to reveal Superman’s identity on the air. He didn’t actually know the true identity, but Clark Kent still didn’t want to see his buddy twisting in the wind on national TV. Clark convinced Jimmy that discretion was the better part of valor, because reporters should keep their sources’ secret identities secret! 
One of the most recent examinations of Jimmy’s character took place in the 2003 Superman: Metropolis series. The series focused much more on Jimmy Olsen and the city of Metropolis, than it did Superman. Writer Chuck Austen portrayed Jimmy as a gutsy, but still immature photographer for the Daily Planet. He takes on the Tech, a living computer virus that takes over the city.
After that, Clark Kent was demoted at the Daily Planet and in his place Jimmy was promoted to regular “star” reporter. This position didn’t last long, because Infinite Crisis intervened, followed by the “One Year Later” storyline jump. The way it stands now, Jimmy is back to being the impetuous photographer for the Planet, even winning a Pulitzer prize for his photography.
Black Adam appears in Countdown Issues #49 and #48, and he’s really unhappy. Mary Marvel (sans super-abilities) is fleeing from an attacker and runs into an empty building. (It is possible that it is the abandoned Khandaq embassy.) Inside, she finds statues of the Seven Deadly Sins, maimed bodies scattered everywhere. Her pursuer runs in after her and is also torn apart by… Black Adam.
Adam was corrupted by his power and overthrew the Pharaoh and assumed his throne. To correct his mistake, the wizard renamed the scoundrel “Black Adam” and banished him to a distant star. Black Adam spent the next 5000 years winding his way back to Earth, and when he returned found the Wizard had recently endowed three new heroes (Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel – the Marvel Family) as his successors and Earth’s protectors. 
The villain battled Captain Marvel several times in this silly Seventies series, and then he added his abilities to the super-villain team called the Monster Society of Evil, led by Mr. Mind (the same criminal chilopod who appeared in 52, but this was back when he was a cute caterpillar-like character.) This group was as ineffective against the Marvel Family in 1974 as they were 30 years earlier, and only made one more appearance before the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped them from comic history.
Mighty Adam served as Eqypt’s champion for many centuries, until corrupted by the wiles of a sorceress, who turned out to be the Wizard Shazam’s evil daughter. The Wizard removed Adam’s powers (again causing him to wither away from age) and encapsulated them in a mystical scarab that was buried in the tomb of Pharaoh Rameses II. As a final disgrace, the Wizard then renamed the now dead villain “Khem-Adam” (Black Adam).
A storyline where some of the JSA travel back in time is used to alter Adam’s origin somewhat. Rather than Mighty Adam’s hailing from ancient Egypt, he was now said to have come from the fictional land of Khandaq. (His powers, incidentally, now came from the Egyptian gods, Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen.)
In the JSA series Johns brilliantly re-examined the traditional “misunderstood hero” conceit by framing Black Adam against a background and philosophy quite different than most comic readers. Although it is difficult for Western comics readers to understand Black Adam’s militant attitude and willingness to kill (millions) to protect his family, we still must try to recognize that he still believes himself to be the “good guy”. Johns himself put it this way: 
SPEAKING OF 52…
Okay, I will reveal a couple of things from the end of 52, because they have a lot to do with Black Adam’s appearance a year later in continuity, in Countdown: In 52 and WWIII there were lots of superhero vs. Black Adam battles, and… somewhere near the end of 52 Adam is rendered powerless. Why is this so important? First: Because how that happened is a terrific story. If you haven’t read 52 yet, go get and read at least the last 8 issues and the WWIII series that takes place between 52 Weeks 50 and 51. Best – story ending – ever.
