Anorexic Jimmy

Again we foray into the Silver Age. This time it's 1955's "Jockey Olsen Rides Star Flash" from Jimmy Olsen #6.  If you thought that Lois had a rocky relationship with Superman, you haven't seen anything yet.  At least Lois had something to gain from her obsession with Superman (crazy, far-out alien sex), but Jimmy was just a pathetic fanboy, "Superman's Pal."  Supes couldn't resist screwing with the kid.  Here's just one of those many occasions:

"Nothing like a hearty lunch, I always say!"  Although this scene doesn't happen in the comic per se, it really sums up the story as a whole.  Superman seems to put all of his jobs on hold (time he could have spent saving people and stuff) to starve Jimmy.

Yeah, Jimmy.  You don't want to be a "hog," do you?  Seriously, look at that lunch!  I know he's supposed to slim down, but really, Superman?  Then again, his afternoon snack is kinda huge, so I can see where Supes is coming from in that case, but still.

Also, according to Perry White, there's no money involved, so what's Superman doing wasting his time on making Jimmy slimmy when he could, once again, be improving the lives of other citizens for real?  In the golden age, Superman exposed corrupt politicians and improved the lives of the impoverished, but here he's just dead-set on helping the Planet with a minor race.

I think that the ice cream guy, Chuck, is my favorite character in the story.  The way he stares at Jimmy in panel four is intense.  Yeah, you eat that ice cream, Jimmy.  You eat it and LIKE IT.  Meanwhile, the writers assure us that Superman is still taking time to save people (thank goodness), but his heart doesn't seem to be in it, as he refuses to make eye contact with the rescued mother and child, and instead uses his heat vision to melt the ice cream.  Woe to anyone who walked in the path between Superman's eyes and the ice cream bar.

But evil Chuck is not done!  When his ice cream plan fails, he tries to sabotage Jimmy yet again!  Oh, Chuck, what are we going to do with you?

Really, Superman?  Really?  Blinders?  Wouldn't it be easier to just eat somewhere privately?  And Jimmy totally goes along with it, too.  I guess he's been publicly humiliated so many times in the past, one more go at it wouldn't hurt.

"Superman, how could you?"  Yep, Supes actually makes him watch.  I know Chuck is supposed to be the villain here, but Superman is really pushing it.  Jimmy's not even safe in his dreams.  To make things worse, Superman was apparently right in starving Jimmy, as he ends up being three pounds overweight!

Sob!  Choke!  Sob-sob!  This looks like a job for Superman!

Yes, the training somehow even get more painful as Jimmy is forced to thrust himself into Superman's legs.  Actually, knowing Jimmy, he might kind of like it.

Yay-yyyyy!  So all ends well.  Chuck presumably gets fired (man, I liked you before, Chuck, but you're an idiot for telling your boss that.  Who in their right mind would make that kind of bet?) and Jimmy ends up looking like Luthor, but gets to pig out.

Also, why would that be their front page headline?  Must have been a really slow news day.