Jimmy Olsen – Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Jack Kirby & Mike Royer — Superman, Embellished

June 17, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #147, March 1972

Every so often in Jack Kirby’s offbeat Jimmy Olsen run, you run across something extra special.

In this case, it’s a ’70s Kirby Superman, refined by Mike Royer, rather than jarringly redrawn by Al Plastino or Murphy Anderson.

And a rare combination at that. This was Royer’s only inking assignment on Jimmy Olsen, coming in Kirby’s second-to-last issue on the title.

DC’s editors famously insisted that Superman conform to the company’s house style. Looking back, it seems short-sighted and cautious. If you’re hiring Jack Kirby, shouldn’t part of the appeal be seeing what his Superman looked like?

Fortunately, Royer’s refinements didn’t cross the line (no pun intended) into a wholesale redraw, leaving us with perhaps the closest thing to Kirby’s unfiltered Superman published during his original DC run.

And what a book Jimmy Olsen was.

Kirby used a struggling Superman spinoff to launch the Fourth World.

Darkseid. New Genesis. Apokolips…

Then there’s the Newsboy Legion. The Guardian…

And somehow, Don Rickles.

Only Jack could make that seem perfectly logical.

Dan Parent — The Amazing Transformations Of… Archie Andrews?

October 31, 2023 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Commission, October 2019, Based on Brian Rolland’s TPB cover, The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen

As a kid, I loved the goofy adventures of Jimmy Olsen.

As an adult, I love Brian Bolland’s art. I wish I had the good sense to acquire a cover years ago, when the price was in a lower level of the stratosphere. But of course, hindsight is 20/20, etc.

So naturally, I get a kick out of Brian’s cover for The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen. Peanut Butter and Chocolate, yes?

Well, mostly. I think Bolland’s interpretation of Jimmy is a just a bit too “adult” — despite the bizarre themes and eccentric characterizations.

Enter Archie All-Star Artist Dan Parent: Turn Jimmy Olsen into Archie Andrews, and presto, you have the goofiness and joy this treatment deserves.

My pal Dan knocked it out of the park, and he is kind enough to show appreciation for my wacky commission ideas.

And let’s face it, the 60s Jimmy Olsen is pretty much a Pete Costanza or Curt Swan version of Archie anyway. Wait a minute — now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of them in the same place at the same time. Hmmmm…

Happy Halloween!

*My first two issues of Jimmy Olsen (#104 and 105, 1967) obviously shaped my Olsen worldview forever.*

Jack Kirby — Happy 102!

August 28, 2019 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Jack Kirby and Steve Rude, Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby – Volume 1

Today, let’s celebrate The King’s birthday with some help from an unabashed professional Kirby admirer — Steve “The Dude” Rude. Steve completed a previously unpublished Kirby Jimmy Olsen cover rough for a TPB collection in 2003. I love the power and playfulness in this image, and Steve’s inks nailed it.

Interesting that the initial color version of the cover, used for solicit purposes, is realized in the “classic” style, while the final printed version is digitally rendered in the “modern” style.

Anyone want to guess which version I prefer? Anyone?

(On the subject of Superman’s likeness in the DC Kirbyverse, Kirby expert and author Mark Evanier has some illuminating background here.)

Happy Birthday Jack!

Preliminary color
Published color