Mighty Samson Volume Four!

The fourth and final volume of Gold Key's Mighty Samson from Dark Horse captures the remaining issues in the run of this venerable comic book. The issues are from the '70's exclusively and none of the original creators on the book such as Otto Binder, Frank Thorne, nor Jack Sparling have anything to do with the book at this point. The guiding talent seems to be Jack Abel, but he is far from alone. 

The twenty-fifth issue kicks off things with a story about a giant mole cult which devoutly believes that the sacrifice of two of their own will ensure the resurrection of their deadly god. It's all Samson, Sharmaine, and Mindor can do to save two lives in this story drawn by Jose Delbo underneath an action-filled George Wilson cover. The writer of this yarn is unknown. 

The next issue, also drawn by Delbo and again with an unknown writer tells of a tribe of underwater people who have adapted to the polluted waters they thrive in. They are dangerous to outsiders until Samson and his friends assist them in fights against giant sea monsters and enormous pelicans.

The story of Noah's Ark is reprised in this weird story of normal animals suddenly appearing in New Y'ark. It turns out a madman named Noah Caine actually built an ark and salvaged many species before the nuclear war and they were preserved in cold storage until the moment was right. Sadly that moment had not arrived and the animals respond to the changed environment by undergoing extreme mutations almost immediately. The art this time is by Jack Abel with Jose Delbo inks, and sadly again the writer is unknown. 

The twenty-eighth issue of Mighty Samson is interesting to me especially because it is the very first issue of the run I actually bought off the comics rack myself. It features a story by Paul S. Newman with art by Jack Abel about a tribe of dwarves with enormous brains who are able to control the other tribesmen around them to such a degree that they supply the small men's needs. In addition to telepathy they are telekinetic and used this ability to animate statues and armor to protect themselves. It's all Samson and the gang can do to survive this one. 

The very next issue is a dandy and is again drawn by Jack Abel and written by John Warner. Sharmaine is the center of attention when she and Mindor and Samson find a small "barony" of sorts in which a medieval power structure has been established. The leader of this tribe wants Sharmaine to be his bride. The myth of the unicorn is evoked and Samson is missioned with capturing a beast that resembles one of the classic beasts, but it turns out this one is deadly with radiation. When the beast is finally defeated the Baron grabs hold of the horn to gain power but is killed instead. 

In one of the weirder stories again drawn by Abel but this time written by Arnold Drake, the post-apocalyptic trio find a tribe thriving inside Macy's Department story and worshipping a balloon of Bullwinkle (though he's never named). It's a wacky tale and before it's over many of the familiar balloons from the famous parade get airborne. The mutation of the story is the "Dawgeon" and impossible blend of pigeon and dog. Terra of Jerz shows up as well as she has a trade going with the folks of Macy's for batteries. 

The last regular issue of Mighty Samson features a story about giant moths who hatch in the distant Hollywood  and proceed to eat their way to New Y'ark finally showing up in "Har-Lem". This one features a black tribe and more than a few uncomfortable cliches. This tribe is led by "Satchmo" and they hold "Joe Louis" events which are fights to solve disagreements. Samson is forced to participate but the forces work together when the dealy moths appear and begin to savage the area. This is a story with no identifed writer but does feature Jack Abel artwork. George Wilson is again on the cover art as he has been through all of the comics so far. 

That changes with the thirty-second and final issue of Mighty Samson when Dan Spiegle is tapped to draw a cover which imitates the painted cover of issue four by Mo Gollub. The Dark Horse colleciton does not identify Spiegle but it's almost certainly his work. The story of metal searching "vikings" is reprinted as well. This issue dropped onto the stands in 1982 at least six years after the last one had arrived. 

But between the last two Mighty Samson comics was Gold Key Champion and in the second issue a new Mighty Samson story appeared in 1978. 

Again the writer is uncredited but Don Heck is the artist of this story of a tribe of glowing people who seek the help of Mindor and his friends to discover the nature of their malady. They trade with a savage tribe who live on what was once Coney Island and they trade for batteries which they then trade to Terra of Jerz for goods they need. It turns out an operational x-ray machine near the site of the battery cache causes the deadly glow. With the problem identified and with Samson having put down the resistance of of the weirdly dressed tribemen of Coney Island the series comes to a close at long last. 

I wish that Mighty Samson had featured less fanciful creatures as the nuttiness of the beasts while valid as curiosities undercut the sense of any real threat. Many of them are just too goofy. Much better were the tribes that Samson, Sharmaine and Mindor discover, especially in these later issues which explore in more detail the land of New Y'ark. Mighty Samson ain't great science fiction but it's sure fun science fiction. 

Note: There is one final Mighty Samson post coming out later today. 

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Mighty Samson Volume Three!

Mighty Samson had apparently proven to be a sturdy seller for Gold Key even after the loss of Frank Thorne as the artist. Jack Sparling was an artist from the Caniff school of drawing and that meant he made decent use of blacks to bring effect, but alas his creature design was wanting in many of the issues. It's easy to pick apart the science fiction aspects of the series, an atomic war which results in a ruined New York City which can still yield canned goods and working machinery wouldn't allow enough time to have passed for the profound mutations which run rampant on the land, in the sea, and in the air. Many of the mutated "monsters" are offbeat crossbreeds of types of animals which could never have mated in any capacity. But that is the whimsy of this world and paying too much heed to the requirements of science will only make the reader unhappy. The key is to revel in the splendid storytelling. 

The collection begins with the fifteenth issue in which Terra of Jerz returns yet again to make life difficult for Samson and company. But this time her scheme shows some savvy as she is attempting to introduced a coinage system which will make trade much easier just as currency does in this real world. Taking a page from the Roman Empire she makes sure her face is stamped on her new coins. Though this is arguably not an evil plan, Samson, Sharmaine and Mindor nonetheless uncover her cache of precious metals which turns out to be the United States Treasury in the center of New Y'ark, long abaondoned and forgotten by most. The weirdest creatures they battle is a some mole-like critter which can shoot out soapy suds. 

The next issue pits Samson and the gang against the "Gnarly Men" who live atop Radio City, isolated from the rest of New Y'ark by the self-contained tunnel system. These Gnarly Men made use of some powerful beasts to fend off Samson when goes there to protect his allies the Undermen who have been attacked by the Gnarly Men. There's a enormous gator and an actual fire-breathing dragon of sorts. 

Terra of Jerz returns again, this time bearing deadly seeds which create a range of plants meant to bring her enemies to their knees. Investigation proves that the seeds are from a vibrant agricultural society atop buildings in the lower east side of New Y'ark, and that the folks who produce a wide range of plant life are not threatening at all as long as those they deem "groundlings" stay away. Terra's schemes of course fall apart and it's up to Samson to save the day when she falls victim to her deadly plants. Perhaps the weirdest creature in this story is a thing called a "Bone Beast" which is a walking four-legged skeleton. 

Some of Sparling's most arresting work came in the story titled "The Winged Raiders" for the eighteenth issue. Winged men descend upon New Y'ark and one of them named "Hawkaar" cottons to Sharmaine in particular. So much so that he betrays his leader and tribe who live atop the distinctive  Chrysler Building. The blue skin of the flying people are vibrant and add some depth to Sparling's increasingly loose artwork. 

Otto Binder begins his last Mighty Samson story in issue nineteen and it begins right in the middle of the action as a tremendous flood has overtaken the broken down metropolis of N'Yark. Samson spends nearly all of this story apart from his friends Mindor and Sharmaine who are struggling to deal with the flood waters themselves. Rather Samson constructs a mighty raft capable of carrying hundreds of survivors. It's a fragile creation is subject to much pressure from creatures under the water and it takes all of Samson's might to keep it afloat. But his decision to look for Mindor and Sharmaine makes him unpopular and he is unceremoniously kick overboard. He does find his friends but the flood waters are still raging as the story ends. There is a terrific snafu in this one as an unmutated pelican is suggested to have batwings, but appears in Sparling's art to be normal. There's a ramshackle quality to both the art and the story frankly. 

Binder's final tale picks up where the last issue from 1969 left off and as the flood waters in New Y'ark still keep the populations in peril, a new threat shows up in the form of mermen led by a craven king named "Nephtoon". This underwater people have dammed the waters in such a way as to keep the flood high. The story is a little hard to follow frankly but there is much folderol above and below the waves before Samson is finally able to grab hold of King Nephtoon and hold him hostage against the rest of the underwater tribe giving up their designs on the city and the dams are undone. The city finally drains, but it is a muddy world indeed that Samson, Sharmaine and Mindor find themselves in as the saga concludes for many years to come. 

The twenty-first and twenty-second issues of the series reprint Mighty Samson seven and two respectively. It's a somber end to a series which had managed to cling to life for five years. But all was not done yet, though when the series would return alas Otto Binder would not be involved in any way. 

It would be five years until the next issue of Mighty Samson hit the comic racks and the most remarkable thing is the price hasn't changed. According to some source I read it was the success of the Star Trek comic which prompted Gold Key to revive some of their sci-fi properties and Mighty Samson got the nod. The twenty-third issue featured artwork by Jose Delbo, a seasoned veteran and writing by Jack Abel. I associate Abel more with his feathery inking style than writing, but his bring back of Samson is a reasonable success. Samson, Sharmaine and Mindor find a tribe of genetically blind people who are psychically able to find food who led by a wise old man about to die. Sharmaine seems to be elected to take his place but circumstances are such that his estranged brother who led another tribe takes up the mantle when differences are solved. The giant ant on the cover is invisible inside the comic but able to be seen by the infra-red sensitive people of the tribe. Samson and Sharmaine get a makeover due to her wishing it so and finding fabric to fashion new garments. Gone is Samson's lio-bear pelt and he now is sporting a more colorful vest and tunic. Sharmaine doffs her colorful costume but rewards the reader with hot pants. 

The writer of the last issue in this volume is unknown but Delbo is back on the art chores. George Wilson supplies the covers for all of the issues in this tome. The story this time showcases the future's look at Kung-Fu which was a fad in the 70's. Samson runs up against a potent fighter named "Chang" who is more skillful than Samson. The two are pitted against each other by the leader of this Asian tribe who turns out to be Terra of Jerz. But her dishonorable ways cause the tribe to reject her and Chang assumes the leadership. The flying shark is called an "Eagark" for heaven's sakes. 

These last two stories seems to have a less sweeping feel than the earlier 60's material which frankly was contradictory in the way it presented New Y'ark. The trio seem to be exploring the city and are not quite so prone to jump across country. It makes the stories more intimate and presumably a fuller and richer New Y'ark is being developed. But that remains to be seen in the fourth and final volume of Dark Horse's Mighty Samson which drops this same time next week. 

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Mighty Samson Volume Two!

Frank Thorne, the celebrated comic book artist is dead. He passed away this past Sunday as did his wife Marilyn of seventy years. He was ninety at the time of his death and he left behind a remarkable body of comic art. He was the the creator of Ghita of Alizar, a very sexy warrior woman in the style of Red Sonja, a character he worked on with great aplomb for Marvel Comics. Thorne's mainstream work includes Mighty Samson for Gold Key and I dedicate these posts on the vintage Gold Key series to Thorne. 

The first Otto Binder story in this collection and alas the last one drawn by Frank Thorne takes Samson, Mindor and Sharmaine into the underworld beneath the apocalyptic New Y'ark city where they find a race of humans called the Undermen. It is at first believed that the Undermen are sinking the buildings of the city, but Samson discovers that the culprit is in fact an enormous mole monster, in fact an entire mob of such creatures. But thanks to Mighty Samson, the threat is averted and the survivors of both worlds are left in relative if not long-lasting peace. 

The eighth issue of Mighty Samson marks the debut of Jack Sparling as the new artist on the series. Sparling has always been an artist I fight to like. He has a very scratchy style and was a workhorse for sure, but his storytelling can be spotty at times. Here he draws Binder's tale of the people of New Y'Ark answering the siren call of a radioactive mountain located in the deeps of the Arctic. Like lemmings the humans from all around the Northern hemisphere are drawn to this object until Samson with the help of Mindor is able to break the spell with his power, after the latter rediscovers the formula for gunpowder and uses that to blow up the offending rock. 

The ninth issue features a trip to the ruins of Washington DC as Terra of Jerz returns this time using an exceedingly powerful robot once used to protect the President of the United States. Given that JFK had been assassinated only a few years before this comic hit the stands, such an idea carried no small power for even younger readers. Samson is able to finally defeat the relentless robot, but only after battling for a long time and eventually dropping it from the top of the Washington Monument. 

Back in New Y'Ark another old villain returns when King Kull and his henchmen return., They have taken over the high rise society on what was once Staten Island and look to consolidate their power to take over all of New Y'Ark. The biggest threat though is the "Gorillasaurus" which roams the forests surrounding the high rise settlements. A new feature appears alongside the regular Samson stories -- one page items describing some of the mighty monsters which have shown up in the strip over the early issues. 

 

An insight into the complexities of trade is given in the eleventh issue when traders called "Swappers" bring food to the denizens of New Y'Ark and suddenly begin to ask exorbitant recompense. The food produced by farmers on the other side of a dark and forbidding forest who are themselves being gouged by these Swappers. Samson and Mindor work to clear "Broadway" so that a more direct arrangement can be made between the producers and the consumers cutting out the greedy middle men. But deadly sentient trees make the work very difficult. 

It's a battle on the waters around New Y'Ark as the wannabe "Queen" Terra of Jerz finds and brings back into operation a vintage gunboat. Samson, Sharmaine and Mindor have just boarded the Queen Mary which in the Mighty Samson universe never left for Long Beach California to become a resort of sorts. The fighting is furious with Samson chucking torpedoes and dodging cannon shot as well as the occasional sea monster to defeat Terra once again and send her limping back to Jerz. 

Superstition gets the skewer in the thirteenth issue of Mighty Samson. A supposed mystic named "Merlyn" invokes a god he calls "Zomzu" and ascribes various miracles to this newly discovered deity. In fact Merlyn has uncovered plans to New Y'Ark's immense electrical grid and is using his knowledge of electricity to fabricate his miracles and woo the superstitious of New Y'Ark. Mindor catches onto his scheme and helped by Samson concocts his own counter-miracles to break Merlyn's spell of the populace. It's sad that Mindor discounts telling the people the truth as he regards them as too ignorant to understand it. 

Wrapping up this second volume of Mighty Samson is the fourteenth issue which by page count is much shorter than the comic that opened the volume. Pages have been trimmed and it has made the stories read much more swiftly with fewer digressions. Sometimes that's a good thing, but mostly not. In this story the trio led by Mindor get on a boat and track a deadly oil spill down the Gulf Stream to what was once Florida. There they find the "futuristic" city of "Technopolis" which was filled with automated factories and which for some reason has kicked back on. As with most devices in Samson's world machines are powered by nuclear power and even after stopping the spilling oil by removing its battery, the trio find themselves under attack both from the native population and the city itself. Eventually they stopped the city's operation and are able to head back home where the waters have cleared up at last.

All of the comics in this run feature great covers by Morris Gollub who on that final issue chose to give the monster two heads instead of the three from the story. There's no doubt that despite the drop off in art quality inside the book, the covers remains highly evocative and tempting indeed. 

More Mighty Samson next week.  

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Mighty Samson Volume One!

It is a great regret of mine that I somehow didn't discover the wonder of Gold Key until later in life. I don't mean I didn't get one from time to time, but despite finding a Russ Manning Tarzan  here and there, I mostly was unimpressed by the somewhat somber comics the company produced despite their impressive covers. I cannot honestly say the price of fifteen cents made much difference since soon all comics cost that and more besides when I was an up and coming fanboy. I loved Marvel, fancied DC, and nursed an appreciation for Charlton, but Gold Key not so much. Maybe it was all the Disney and Warner Brothers stuff they published which never struck me as funny as any of the cartoons. Later I learned the error of my ways but by then I'd missed out on Dr.Solar, Magnus Robot Fighter, and Mighty Samson. (Somehow though I did see the virtues in Turok Son of Stone and got that one from the get-go.)I didn't plug into Samson during the middle 70's when the comic was winding down, but we'll get there soon enough. 

I want to begin my review of Otto Binder's Mighty Samson at the beginning with the very first issue which hit the stands in 1964 (before I was getting my comics). Apparently Binder had a deal with Gold Key for at least at least twenty-four issues, so he was thinking in epic terms. Drawn by Frank Thorne it presents a post-apocalyptic world filled with radiation and the beyond bizarre results of that radiation, namely deadly hybrid creatures who never existed on this Earth before. It also affected men, most significantly one tow-headed tyke in "New Y'Ark" living among the neo-primitives of the ruined world. Loved by his devoted mother he shows early on he has strength beyond that of normal men and as he grows to manhood his power is essential in maintaining the security of his tribe. When she dies violently in a battle with another tribe Samson is unleashed, but has to confront a "Liobear" and though he defeats the monster it costs him an eye. He is nursed back to health by the ravishing Sharmaine who along with her father Mindor are not "savages". When Samson is recovered Sharmaine suggests he wear the hide of the Liobear to project his power and bravery. The trio then form a team to struggle against the invading savages and later still keep their leader "Kull the Killer" from getting his mitts on some rifles. 

In  the second issue which doesn't land on the stands until over a year later, we find the status  quo as we left it. Samson, Sharmaine and Mindor are looking for leftover bits of tech and knowledge to help the local tribes but as usual must contend with Kull the Killer. This time though Kull is not just helped by dopey warriors but is in league with "Terra of Jerz" who lives across the "Huzon River" in an elaborate bunker built by her forebears. Terra has a flying saucer-like hover vehicle as well as access to the still operable train systems. Using atomic power she needs new batteries and employs Kull and his cronies to help her get them. But Samson stands in the way and despite beasts like the "Titano-Turtle" and the "Fanged Flyers" is able to keep N'Yark safe from Terra's desires for a kingdom. 

Samson's problems increase in the third issue when a poisonous cloud erupts from a long neglected chemical plant and threatens to wipe out life in New Y'Ark. Ironically he, Sharmaine and Mindor find a bunker which has escaped detection since the nuclear war which leveled the world and in it a man named "Pitt" in suspended animation who just happens to know about the plant, and who was supposed to shut it down when the missiles dropped. But it turns out he's a man only interested in saving his own skin and must be driven to help. Sharmaine in particular has no trust for the man and keeps him on track. The team make use of a truck and a helicopter to reach the plant and must battle many of the strange creatures which have erupted on and beneath the Earth's surface. 

The fourth Samson saga is a dandy with a Viking-like culture led by a bloke named "Thorr" arriving in New Y'Ark with the express mission to steal metal, specifically from the Statue of Liberty which has crashed to the ground during the war. Mindor is fascinated by this company as they capture him and Sharmaine and sail back to "Greeland" (Greenland after nuclear warmth has caused the glaciers to recede). He finds a culture headed out of the stone age and into full-blown iron production with a massive forge. But Samson who had been defeated and left for dead follows to rescue his mates and is instead forced to fight in a deadly arean against three deadly mutant monsters. He of course wins the  day and eventually he and his friends head home. This is an especially good adventure with delightfully fine pacing. 

The villain in the fifth Mighty Samson adventure reminded me of Eclipso of DC Comics fame. When a stranger named "Vaxar" is found floating down the Hu'zon River on a giant leaf he is rescued by Samson and his allies. But that man it turns out has a secret. The current problem in New Y'Ark is a wave of deadly radioactive geysers and Mindor is desperate to find a way to stop them. At first this stranger seems a strong help in solving the problem but his continuouis disappearances are cause for alarm especially since when he's gone a deadly and immensely strong mutant named "Oggar" appears and confronts Samson and company. We have here a man who must struggle with his dark side and the power that descent into darkness can provide, but at a terrible cost. Again Samson battles some outlandish mutant monsters as Oggar proves able to control many of them. 

The sixth and final Mighty Samson issue in this first volume features the return of the sultry Terra of Jerz who seeks Mindor's and Samson's help with her pet project which involves bringing forgotten satellites back to Earth, specifically the area of Jerz where she can pluck out the technology preserved in the vacuum of space for so many years since the war which ravaged the planet. At first she appears reformed but of course that's bogus and her plots end up bringing down deadly space spores which congeal into an enormous "Vacuum Beast" which proceeds to suck up everything and everyone in its path beginning with Terra's underground facility. This immense menace is of course defeated with one of the most hair-brained schemes in the comic yet. The comic closes out with a black and white two-page offering showcasing the history of the Empire State Building, including a certain very special ape who spent time there once upon a time. 

These Gold Key adventures are briskly paced and wildly entertaining even with some of the most outlandish creatures very imagined. More Mighty Samson next week. 

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To Monster Land And Back Again!

With an epic monster movie release scheduled for the end of this very month, it's time for  some monsters to stomp and romp through my imagination and when I get in that kind of mood no monster does the job better than the "King of Monsters" himself -- GODZILLA! 

Since the last time I took a close gander at the delightful minions and monsters of Toho and beyond, I have come into possession of David Kalat's A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series. I've been holding back on reading it because when I got it I'd just seen the movies thanks to the Criterion Showa collection which was released a few summers back. I'd also just reviewed many of those wonderful Toho films here at the Dojo relatively recently and didn't think I'd had any particularly new perspective for another go at these classic flicks. 

Well frankly I'm in the mood again for a careful reflective advance through these mighty Toho classics. During the course of that I will be creating fresh reviews (more or less) for each of the fifteen films in the series. In truth monsters of the screen seem so tame when compared to the monsters of this world such as hatred and ignorance. It will be interesting to watch these representations of society face up the threats of their time, or in some cases not so much. 

Looking back into the Dojo archives expect to see vintage posts about the only ongoing comic book featuring Godzilla approximate to the Showa era in 1977. Marvel acquired the license to Toho's greatest star and produced some curiously interesting comics written by Doug Moench and drawn by Herb Trimpe and Tom Sutton. These were reprinted one time only in an Essential volume in 2006. 

And speaking of radioactive monstrosities, this month will also feature my reflections on one of Gold Key's most fondly remembered series -- Mighty Samson. This comic book series conceived by Otto Binder and drawn by the likes of Frank Thorne, Jack Sparling, Joe Delbo and others was one of Gold Key's most long lasting, though there were significant breaks in the publishing over the years. It's the picture of a world and more specifically an America in ruins after atomic warfare. It posits new and peculiar human societies as well as some of the most freakish creatures in the whole history of comics. 

The "Classic Crisis" series presenting a backward look at DC's vintage crossovers between Earth-1 and Earth-2 and many Earths besides will take a hiatus this month. "The Sunday Funnies" will continue, but will shift its focus to dinosaurs and especially V.T. Hamlin's Alley Oop for the month. All in all, a month of behemoths and beasts of many kinds looms. 

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Dystopian Countdown #8 - Mighty Samson!

Mighty Samson was from Western Comics, a branch of the Western Publishing complex and producer of handsome, if not always thrilling comics. For that reason this young up and coming Marvel Zombie gave many of them the pass, much to his older version's lasting regret. That young man did later dabble, but it was after the heights of the series which showcased a "N'Yark City" after the apocalypse, a territory populated by regular humans scraping to get by and all sorts of mutated beasts and creatures left to prowl the streets. Standing against them, guarding the gate for humanity was Mighty Samson, a one-eyed blonde giant with (as the cover boasts) "stupendous strength" and even more courage.

Of course as deadly as the monsters of the future are, the real threats are other humans and such seeking to gain advantage and control over other humans. It's the oldest story, but one played out against a blighted landscape of the reasonably near future (at the time). Written by comics veteran Otto Binder who brought a legit sci-fi cache to the series and with art originally by Frank Thorne the series was a solid entertainment. Later less dynamic artists like Jose Delbo and Jack Abel stepped aboard, but the stories were still strong. The covers by Mo Gollub and George Wilson also went a long way to sell the series.

Samson was not revived when Jim Shooter created Valiant Comics did not stand alongside other Gold Key greats like Magnus and Turok, but Shooter did get his mitts on him at Dark Horse when he tried to recapture that Valiant magic. It was handsome and smart, but lacked the spark of novelty which had fueled the fire of Valiant,a company at the right place at just the right time.

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Amazing Transformations Of Jimmy Olsen!

Jimmy Olsen is one of the all-time great comic book characters. Created as a supporting member of the sprawling Superman cast he gained his first notoriety in the offshoot productions of the comic in radio and later in television. He was such a hit that he got his own comic which lasted for several decades. During that time he had scuds of screwball misadventures, usually always needing the timely intervention of Superman to save him at the crucial moment. Sometimes his own smarts saved the day, though most often his own dimwitted or naive notions triggered the trouble to begin with. Like many characters of the Weisinger edited Superman family he changed form a lot. These oddball changes are the focus of this light-hearted fun read The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen.

Jimmy's stories usually begin with him meeting up with Professor Potter (or some similar looking mad scientist) and getting his mitts on a potion, device or ray which would change him into something weird and sometimes unsettling. Often the potion would be found in a cask or case brought forth by Superman himself and left in Jimmy's care despite his long record of irresponsibility in such matters. Whatever the gimmick, the story quickly gets the change started and then Jimmy spends the rest of the story trying to change back or come to terms with his new status. The stories are invariably hair-brained and small-minded. Jimmy often is just trying to impress his fickle love interest Lucy Lane. In these stories we see Jimmy become a Legionnaire, journey to Kandor, and even a planet full of just himself. Zany and wild and often entertaining.

Here are the covers of most of the stories in this collection. My personal faves are the the Jimmy from Jupiter, Octopus Jimmy, Bizzaro-Jimmy and my all time fave -- Giant Turtle Man Jimmy.

Check this one out if you have the time. The cover by Brian Bolland is a great one.

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