Tales From My Spinner Rack Episode 03: Jimmy and Lois: Still Crazy After All These Years!

Welcome to the re-creation of my San Diego Comic-Con 2023 panel presentation! This video takes a long look at two of DC Comics’ wildest, wonkiest, weirdest series of the 1950s and ‘60s: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen and Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane. Both books were byproducts of the success of the syndicated TV series, Adventures of Superman, which starred George Reeves as Superman/Clark Kent, Noel Neill as Lois Lane, and Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen.
Jimmy and Lois’s wacky adventures with the Man of Steel created some of the best-selling comic books of that era. We take a deep dive into two different stories: “The Wolf-Man of Metropolis!,” from Jimmy Olsen issue 44 (April 1960), and “The Monster Who Loved Lois Lane!,” from Lois Lane issue 54 (January 1965), along with an overview of both series through numerous covers.
Also in this video you’ll learn about DC Comics’ cover “strategies” during the Silver Age of Comics, plus the failed marketing initiative known as “Go-Go Checks,” designed to make the DC titles stand out on an already-crowded newsstand-and spinner-rack. It’s all told with humor and a lot of love and nostalgia for the characters, books, and creators involved.
For more Tales From My Spinner Rack!, visit www.innocent-bystander.com for over 30 different posts loaded with art and fun information about the 1960s comic books I grew up loving!