Comic Review: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #10 (2019-)

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #10

DC Comics

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artists: Steve Lieber and Nathan Fairbairn

With the whole of the comics world taking a hiatus, the thought of missing comics in a broad sense crossed my mind multiple times. I had been missing comics, but not all of them. Reading Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #10 struck me with the realization that what I was itching for were comics like this: stylish, unorthodox, and experimental. This isn’t the strongest issue of the run, and yet it utterly succeeds at reminding me of the craftsmanship of the team behind it.

I’ve come to realize that the overarching story of Jimmy Olsen is its least compelling element. I find it entertaining and more than competently told; it just doesn’t thrill me. It’s Olsens vs Luthors, Olsens vs Olsens, and Olsens vs the world. These elements work on their own, but I have some issues with the connective tissue between them. There are more than a few characters and stories to keep track of across these ten issues which can make it tough to keep everything straight. It feels as if there are many loose threads that need a bit of tightening. Admittedly, the blame is not entirely on Fraction or Lieber’s fault given the outside factors that contributed to such a wide gap between these issues. The issue really could benefit from a recap page is what I’m getting at.

What does thrill me is the always incredible art by Steve Lieber. He’s often shaded under the umbrella of “the funny guy”, which he is, but that’s not giving him the full credit he deserves. The reason he so effectively conveys comedy is due to his masterful understanding of cartooning. His facial acting is so strong that perhaps only Kevin Maguire himself can rival it, and his incredible attention to detail is often subtle enough to only be caught subconsciously upon the first read. It’s not that Lieber’s art “looks funny”, it just so happens that comedy is so difficult to convey in comics that he’s one of the few who can effortlessly pull it off. He can nail any genre he wants, but comedy needs him.

I tend to think comics operate at their best when they lay off the word balloons and lean more on the art. Fraction is a writer who largely throws that idea to the wind, but not in a careless way. The book has a lot of words and balloons, but Fraction has landed himself a place among the crowd of writers who can get away with it. Guys like Bendis, Aaron, and Fraction are the type who fill their panels with balloons but do so with such care and talent that it almost isn’t noticeable. It breaks what I consider to be a core rule of comics and ends up a testament to the writer’s talent. The dialogue in this series reads so naturally that it’s easy to not even notice how much of it there sometimes is.

Jimmy Olsen #10 is a wonderful reintroduction to the world of comics. Though I do find the overlapping storylines to be somewhat opaque, it kind of doesn’t matter. This book isn’t about the big beats of the story, it’s more about the micro-moments. The dialogue, the masterful cartooning, and the character-work are the stars, and they shine as bright as they always have.