Spinner Rack: Agent Double 5 and the Man from S.C.A.R.

Making Jimmy Olsen into an action hero took chutzpah. He never struck me as having the potential to be a secret agent, or a vigilante, or a superhero, and yet, his series cast him in those roles and many more. As "Agent Double Five" (the code name derived from his first and last names each having five letters) he was … well, wait a minute. I have to think about this. The only similarity between Jimmy and James Bond were the numbers in their agent names. He wasn’t suave, didn't change his mode of dress or his looks, still relied heavily on his pal Superman and didn't do any better with the ladies. Okay, as Agent Double Five, Jimmy remained Jimmy. He just thought he was more of a detective or secret agent or non-Jimmylike-guy. Thankfully, his new code name didn't affect his goofy weirdness.

In Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #92 (April 1966), Jimmy battled “The Man from S.C.A.R.” The splash page shows a man in purple and orange standing in the middle of a blazing inferno with Superman, Supergirl, Lois Lane, Perry White, Batman and Jimmy Olsen all staring at him in shock. How the heck did Jimmy Olsen become the center of attention in a story with that many heroes? Batman? Supergirl? Superman? And the real conquering hero: Jimmy Olsen? This I have to see.

The story begins in a “criminal lair” in the lab of Dr. Rembrandt. He's working for a guy named Mr. Nero, who looks a bit like Drew Carey. The object of their attention is a well-built young redhead who when the bandages are removed, looks like Jimmy Olsen. “Right down to the last freckle!” says Mr. Nero. Dubbed Olsen-X, our new Jimmy, complete with bowtie and green jacket, heads to the real Jimmy's apartment. He uses a fancy, futuristic-looking ray gun to duplicate Jimmy's apartment key and breaks in after Jimmy has left for work. Nice to know someone dedicated his life to perfecting a device that does the job of a hardware store's key duplicator instead of trying to cure cancer or something.

Fake Jimmy doesn't realize that “Jimmy Olsen has a few gimmicks of his own.” And I have to say, this is a gimmick that made me know this story was one I had to read. What is it? An electric bowtie alarm (because let's face it – everyone wears bowties. Men, women, children – you're not limiting your customer base at all by putting your high-tech alarm in a bowtie). Jimmy's electric bow tie alarm heats up, making Jimmy think, “That signal tickling my tonsils means someone just broke into my apartment!” It does make me wonder, where does one buy an electronic bowtie alarm? Even I'd wear bowties if I could have one of those. I suppose it could be one of his Superman souvenirs. Or maybe Jimmy was just lucky enough that the dude who made alarms was a big fan of bowties? Whatever the source (and we never learn who or what that source is), Jimmy goes running back to his apartment.

The fake Jimmy has swapped out a photograph of Superman, replacing Jimmy's (unsigned 8x10 – he couldn't even get an autograph on that bad boy?). The new one looks the same but is actually a secret communicator used to contact headquarters. But Jimmy comes rushing into the apartment and Olsen-X thinks, “The real Olson! I'm in the soup up to my eyeballs.” (The thing that is remarkable is that his second sentence in his thought balloon ends with a period instead of an exclamation point or ellipses. I can't recall that ever happening in DC's Silver Age. The value of this comic will probably shoot sky-high in the next edition of Overstreet due to this anomaly, especially since you can find those declarative, un-exclaimed pieces of dialogue throughout this issue.)

Our powerhouse Jimmy Olsen — the real deal in a natty striped suit — easily overpowers the fake Jimmy. The fight culminates with Jimmy knocking Jimmy-X through a door right in the way of a beam of light from one of his space souvenirs. Conveniently, it puts the fake Jimmy into suspended animation for a week. That'll come in handy.

Jimmy discovers electronics in the photo that the fake Jimmy had planted in his apartment. He activates it and sees Mr. Nero, who mistakenly thinks he's speaking to Olson-X. Nero gives Jimmy orders to meet him at SCAR headquarters. In a moment of clarity, Jimmy figures out that they probably aren't interested in him so much as they are in his best pal, Superman. So he uses his signal watch. There is no response from Supes, but Jimmy's signal watch tunes in to the wavelength of the fake picture, giving him an idea of how to find SCAR headquarters.

Jimmy switches clothes with his fake double (leaving his bowtie signal device behind) and follows the sound of his signal watch. He sees Robin climbing down the side of the building. Robin hails him as Olson-X, making Jimmy wonder what Robin knows. Before Jimmy can say much of anything Robin warns him to steer clear of SCAR and stay away from "77 Columbia St.” And with that, he is zapped out of existence. There is a big zap, a green outline where Robin once stood, and then a small black cloud. Robin is no more. Robin sure does die a lot. Sheesh!

The address Robin gave is for a costume shop that features a Superman and Batman costume in the window, as well as the ubiquitous clown and, um, red dress. Couldn't they have figured out a woman's costume that would be recognizable? Or maybe I'm just not familiar with “blonde lady in a red dress.” Perhaps she was famous in the 60s. Inside the shop Jimmy catches a break due to a cop wanting to rent a convict outfit for the Policeman's Ball. Jimmy figures the members of SCAR won't try anything hinky with a cop around.

Before Jimmy can get out his cover story, the costume shop's tailor leads him to a set of mirrors. Jimmy steps closer and whoosh, they whisk him out of the shop and into a hidden office complex. He is called “Olsen-X” and sent to an office down the hallway. Jimmy immediately figures out this is SCAR headquarters! Good guess, Jimmy, since that is the address you were given! The man is a brilliant secret agent.

So brilliant, in fact, that I am swooning so strongly I can't continue. Come back next month for part two of Agent Double Five and the Man from S.C.A.R.!

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This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.