Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #12 is an issue of the series Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1956.
Synopsis for "Jimmy Olsen, Prince of Clowns"
Jimmy Olsen is covering a story about Joe King and his son Tad, who are a father and son clown act that performs for the Metropolis circus. This is their big night where they are unveiling their act, however, when Tad injures himself, Jimmy secretly takes Tad's place so that the show doesn't get canceled.
Observing with the audience, Clark Kent realizes that "Tad" is really Jimmy in disguise and that somebody has been sabotaging the clown props. After secretly using his super-powers to turn the sabotaging into a function act, Clark decides to investigate as Superman. Looking in Joe's diary, he learns that he doesn't want his son to follow in his footsteps for fear that his son would be a second-rate clown and that he had purposely sabotaged the props to discourage his son from following a career in clowning.
After a brief intermission where Jimmy goes backstage to touch up his greasepaint the show goes on. At the end of the show, Joe reveals that he figured out that "Tad" was really Jimmy in disguise and that he knows that Superman helped Jimmy out. However, to his surprise when "Jimmy" takes off his greasepaint it's really Tad. Tad and Jimmy reveal that they switched places again during the last act and that Tad pulled off all the clown stunts flawlessly on his own without Superman's help. Realizing how good his son is at clowning, Joe proudly encourages his son to continue his career.
After Jimmy publishes the story, he gets scolded by Perry White for all the spelling mistakes he made in the story.
Appearing in "Jimmy Olsen, Prince of Clowns"
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Synopsis for "The Secret of Dinosaur Island"
Hearing a rumor about dinosaurs existing on Mystic Isle, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent are sent out to report the truth in the Flying Newsroom. Arriving there, they are surprised to find that the rumors are true, and the island is inhabited by Dinosaurs. Clark feigns illness and lets Jimmy explore on his own, allowing Clark to secretly use his super-powers to protect the boy from any danger.
When Jimmy stumbles across a robot with a sign telling anyone with a camera would have the device destroy, Jimmy makes a run for it and manages to get away. Clark destroys the robot, and puts on its metallic skin and follows it's radio frequencies back to its source. There Clark finds a shack owned by William March a naturalist who discovered frozen Dinosaurs within a cave on Mystic Island. Thawing them out, he realized that they were still alive and intended to start his own Dinosaur Preserve, and built the robot to detour people from photographing or otherwise exploiting the creatures.
Realizing that he and the dinosaurs all have a year to live -- March because of a heart condition, and the Dinosaurs due to being poisoned by the air quality, he commands the "robot" to prevent Jimmy from getting proof back to civilization that the dinosaurs exist. Clark, not wishing to reveal his secret identity complies. After ruining shots, Clark is glad the suit of armor he is wearing is made out of lead and is immune to the island's abundance of Kryptonite. However, when March builds a new robot out of steel, and Clark unknowingly dons its armor, he's affected when Jimmy drops a Kryptonite bolder on him. Saved by March, Clark is forced to reveal his secret identity of Superman to March. However, the two make a deal: Clark would foil any attempt Jimmy makes to find proof of the island, and March would not reveal Superman's secret identity. Also, March agrees to take photographs of the dinosaurs which he would send to the Daily Planet prior to his death.
Foiling Jimmy to the point where he gives up, he returns to the Flying Newsroom where Clark is waiting for him, the two leave the island and Jimmy is upset that they have to publish a story saying that the Mystic Island Dinosaurs are a hoax.
Appearing in "The Secret of Dinosaur Island"
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Synopsis for "The Invisible Jimmy Olsen"
Jimmy Olsen is sent on assignment to write a report on Professor Brane, who claims to have built a device that can send people into the 4th Dimension. Jimmy scoffs at this idea, figuring it won't work and agrees to enter the chamber that would transport him to the 4th Dimension. To his surprise, he ends up eating his own words because Professor Brane's device works and Jimmy is transported into the 4th Dimension. Invisible to all, Jimmy could still interact with objects in the real world. When Brane is unable to reverse the process, he has to come up with a way to fix the device otherwise Jimmy will be trapped in the 4th Dimension forever.
Realizing that his co-workers would wonder what happened to him, Jimmy travels to the Daily Planet and tries to get their attention, however, whatever he tries to do is dismissed as nerves at best, and fears that the Daily Planet building may be haunted at worst. Jimmy finally gets through to someone when he manages to use a typewriter to write a note to Clark Kent explaining to him what happened.
Just then a bunch of crooks Clark is about to write an exposé on burst into the room and take him hostage. However, Jimmy uses his sectoral form to save Clark and make the crooks think that Clark is really Superman, and they surrender thinking they know Superman's secret identity. Clark then secretly changes into Superman and goes back to Professor Brane's lab, where he helps the Professor free Jimmy from the 4th Dimension. Later, Jimmy writes a story about his experience, dispelling the belief of the captured crooks that Superman is really Clark Kent.
Appearing in "The Invisible Jimmy Olsen"
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Notes
- This issue is reprinted in its entirety in Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 1.
See Also