Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen?

Fraction (the Hawkeye series) and Lieber (the Whiteout series) knock out a densely plotted but accessible mystery, winner of the Ringo prize, that offers a charming antidote to comics’ grim and gritty trend. Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen is presumed dead—now Jimmy must locate his own suspected murderer before Lex Luthor can seize control of Metropolis. When Jimmy’s journalistic connections begin dying in darkly humorous ways, he goes undercover to solve the crimes and host a podcast that pranks the DC Universe’s heroes, with especially ill-advised jabs at Batman (like starting a phone-in campaign as to whether Robin should live or die) that draw the Dark Knight’s ire. Fraction’s set pieces span from Jimmy’s impromptu marriage in Gorilla City to a Goldfinger parody and a blood-vomiting Red Lantern cat, all against the backstory of Metropolis’s founding by warring clans of Luthors and Olsens. The final act pulls all the characters back on stage for a big street fight to determine the future of the Daily Planet. Lieber’s art achieves a sharp simplicity of design that echoes great Superman tales from the 1960s, and Nathan Fairbairn’s restrained coloring contrasts the idiosyncratic story beats. This spin on the DC Universe’s wackier concepts is joyfully irreverent. (Oct.)