REVIEW: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen’s Boss Perry White #1

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen’s Boss Perry White #1 is an anthology one-shot that reunites the Eisner Award winning team from 2020’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen series for a brand new story.

For the first time in DC Comics publication history, Perry White has gotten his own titular comic book. The issue includes various excerpts of Perry White’s adventures from throughout his 82 year history.  Clocking in at 48 pages with 5 complete stories, this issue is a lot of bang for your buck. 

Steve Lieber and Nathan Fairbairn give us a cartoon style cover showcasing the importance of Perry White in Superman lore. Holding up the Daily Planet globe like Altlas holds up the Earth in Greek Mythology, Perry carries the weight of the newspaper titans he employs. Featuring headshots of Lois, Jimmy, and Clark, it’s easy to make the argument these three may have not found each other if it hadn’t been for Perry White. Standing tall over Metropolis, Perry has always been a champion of truth and takes his responsibility to the city seriously. 

The lead story’s art is also done by Steve Lieber with colorist Nathan Fairbairn and just begs to be animated. It may come off as a more simple style, but the amount of depth and detail they put into a scene is enough to render the use of sound effects unnecessary.  It easily conveys an innocence or softer approach to the modern comic styles we’ve become accustomed to without lampooning the medium. There’s no question as to why this creative team won an Eisner for their similar work on 2020’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. 

Matt Fraction handles the writing on the lead completing the aforementioned Jimmy Olsen creative team reunion. Done entirely in the narrative of Perry White, we follow his retrospective on a few major DC Universe storylines and why this day’s headline is important. Fraction packs enough insight and relevance in this 7 page story to have the feel of a typical 32 page comic. Never one to waste space, there’s also a few comical headlines along side the main ones we’re to focus on that’s worth the time to read. It may be short but in and of itself this story is worth picking up the entire issue. 

We then get treated to some reprinted gems. Going straight into the acclaimed Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen series with “Force Mineur”, Perry’s faced with trying to solve a problem. Following that we have two Elliot Maggin and Curt Swan 1970’s era Action Comics stories and a Wildcat team-up story by Neil Kleid, Dean Haspiel, and Joe Infurnari from the 2011 Superman 80-Page Giant. The issue is topped off with a touching moment from Brian Micheal Bendis’s run where we see Clark reveal his secret to Perry.  

All in all Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen’s Boss Perry White #1 is a great relaxing read with whimsical yet relevant stories honoring the timeless career of the Daily Planet’s beloved Editor in Chief.