Comments on: Strange Drugs of the Silver Age: Jimmy Olsen’s Beard Tonic

By: Grumpy Old Fan | Who wants a piece of Mr. Action? | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:01:46 +0000

[...] Jimmy Olsen spent much of the Silver Age bouncing from one misadventure to another: traveling through time, uncontrollably growing facial hair, transforming into strange creatures, blah blah blah. In fairness to Jimmy, many times these consequences were somewhat undeserved (although he was kinda asking for trouble drinking that beard tonic). [...]

By: GW Crawford

GW Crawford — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:14:45 +0000

Jimmy Olsen is famous because he is the friend of someone famous… he was the Kato Kaelin of his day! (or Kato is the Jimmy of ours)

By: John Biles

John Biles — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:52:17 +0000

You forget, this is SILVER AGE Jimmy Olsen. He’s so influential, he has his own fan club. And he’s Superman’s pal. Ergo, Jimmy has pull.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:53:56 +0000

The question for me is why do these bearded guys have such low self-esteem that they want to force everyone else to take up their hobby? Can’t they just be happy with their own beards? And does the drug they plan to put in the water make women grow beards? Is this actually some personal kink they’re expressing, or did they just not think it through (I’m betting on the latter)?

By: Harvey

Harvey — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:35:42 +0000

Only Communists wear beards anyway. When was the last time a politician in America was elected with a beard?

By: gW Crawford

gW Crawford — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:15:25 +0000

Jimmy drank more alien potions, handled more strange alien artefacts, collected more crap Superman bent and dressed as a girl more than anyone

None of which points to a rational human being

Someone once said that being around gods damages normal men – and Jimmy is house-buddies with god on Earth (one)

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:10:13 +0000

Hmmm … wait — I get it! It’s an allegory! It’s really about the temptation to try drugs to “fit in” with the “hip” crowd, which is really only interested in “hooking” new members to profit from their addiction.

If this had been in the early 1990s I’d have suspected the White House was paying them off.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:39:45 +0000

Stories like this are proof that drugs and alcohol were of higher quality in the past.

By: ScienceGiant

ScienceGiant — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:55:54 +0000

Ah, thank you Dr. Scott, I’ve always wondered if Grant Morrison just dreamed up the Bearded Gentlemen’s Club of Metropolis, as seen here in Doom Patrol #45
http://www.superheroes-r-us.com/wp-content/gallery/doom-patrol-45/09.jpg

(Actually, the whole thing is online for reading here
http://www.superheroes-r-us.com/index.php/image-galleries/?album=3&gallery=4