When I was a kid, I could buy comic books at lots of places, including supermarkets, pharmacies, flea markets, department stores, and convenient stores. One memorable acquisition for me was Ambush Bug #3 that I got at the Cumberland Farms by my house. I was 12, and it contained a comedic mini-history of the DC Comics universe, including lots of Silver Age madness and strange things like Glop, Egg Fu, Itty, Mopee, and Julius Schwartz. A lot of what I read was unfamiliar but it fired me up to learn more about these fantastical and arcane cast of characters.
This slice of history is a prologue to why I think Jimmy Olsen's Supercyclopedia might also be a sort of gateway book. My first impression after reading it was to question its audience. I loved the book, but it's full of references that I get because I've read comic books for a very long time. I am all in for a dance battle between the Legion of Superheroes and the Legion of Substitute Heroes. I grin at appearances of Space Cabbie, Blue Devil, Mr. Mind, and Ultra the Ultra-Alien. I know the rules about engaging with Mister Mxyzptlk. And I think it's clever that Toyboy's robot minions have heads shaped like the Hall of Doom. And I feel these things might be lost on younger readers in ordinary circumstances, but the structure of this book has a layer of informational assistance in the form of mini-encyclopedia entries like this one:
Many of the obscure references get explained in quick fashion in a way that does not detract from the story. This book is as much an updated version of Who's Who for a new generation as it is its own adventure. The result is a fun romp through the DC Universe with a wonderful mix of the familiar and new.
The main narrative is a sort of version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with Jimmy Olsen playing the Ford Prefect role. His presence is in a different appearance, as a black teen and not the original freckled faced, red-headed white boy, but the bones of his existence are still based on his many Silver Age shenanigans. When he is tasked with creating and propagating the Supercyclopedia by the New Gods, he gets some unwanted attention from the villainous Toyboy, who steals it and corrupts it into evil. And Jimmy is well suited to solving the problem by relying on his teen pals Rip Hunter and Linda Park and not simply calling in the Big Blue Boy Scout.
The artwork conveys action as well as many fun moments, and it is jam-packed with Easter eggs for attentive readers. I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I hope that it might attract some newer, younger attention to this vibrant cast of characters. From its cover paying homage to Flash #163 to its conclusion, this book is a love letter to the weird and wonderful DC Multiverse.
The Supercyclopedia is a collaboration between writer Gabe Soria and artist Sandy Jarrell. Soria writes all sorts of things, including books, comics, role-playing games, and album liner notes. He is the creator of the Sword & Backpack RPG, the Midnight Arcade series, and has also co-written the graphic novel Life Sucks. Jarrell has drawn lots of comics, including Meteor Men, Batman 66, and The Legendary Lynx.
I was not able to find many reviews of it online, but the one I did read was a rave: J. Caleb Mozzocco liked the book so much, he actually bought a physical copy (He works in a library so that is a big deal!). He also wrote, "If you're a DC Comics fan, or are just curious about the publisher, it's a real love letter to the company, its creators and its universe, filled with appearances of many less-seen characters (Warlord, Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew, Angel and The Ape) and intriguing reinventions of a handful of characters (Cain and Abel as TV horror hosts, Doc Magnus as a kid with action figure-sized Metal Men)."
Jimmy Olsen's Supercyclopedia was published by DC Comics, and they offer more info about it here.
