This book really captures DC at the time: some cool moments, honoring some of its history, crapping on other parts...

It reminded me of Countdown to Infinite Crisis, really; although since I'm not as attached to some of these characters I'm probably not going to be as hard on it. From 2008, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #1, "From a Cub to a Wolf" Written by James Robinson, pencils by Jesus Merino, Leno Carvalho, and Steve Scott, inks by Jesus Merino, Nelson Pereira, and Kevin Stokes.

Jimmy Olsen feels there's something missing in his life, drifting away from his old friends and his hookup girl, wanting more from work than struggling to keep Perry White's coffee warm. Also, at a recent fight between Superman and Atlas, he had caught a couple photos of something: a floating man, who he recognized from the funeral for a woman killed by the mob. Clark Kent encourages him to take some time off to pursue the story, with Perry grudgingly giving him two weeks.

From there, Jimmy pulls on string after string, pretty quickly getting a secret file, witnessing a murder, and getting chased by the psychic-powered Codename: Assassin! If you recognize that one, it's a deep cut: he only appeared once before, in 1st Issue Special #11 back in 1976! That's given a two-page recap, in somewhat loving detail. Despite having flight and some heavy-duty guns, C:A is troubled that he isn't able to read Jimmy's mind, which keeps him one step ahead. The file also has a link most everyone else would not have seen but that Jimmy recognizes, to Cadmus, which he remembers "even at my young age now seems like a fairy tale from long ago." He suspects the worst, then confirms his fears: the original Newsboy Legionnaires had all been killed.

Returning to Cadmus, he finds the vast facility cleaned out, with the exception of Dubbilex, who reveals another piece: the man who would later become Codename: Assassin had been Cadmus's head of security once, but was let go after killing Jim Harper, the original Guardian, in front of his own clone. Every time Jimmy had seen Guardian, that had been a clone, or possibly a clone of a clone: Harper's DNA had been special, suited for cloning. Dubbilex tells Jimmy all this before revealing he was bleeding out, already killed by Codename: Assassin.

Jimmy follows a final clue, to Warpath, Arizona; a border town that used to be the first stop for troublemakers or super-villains headed north, but had recently picked up some law. After a rather daring escape from Codename, Jimmy meets one of the men that cleaned up Warpath: Sheriff Greg Saunders, aka the original Vigilante! Who apparently works doubles, days as the sheriff, nights as the Vigilante, although sadly out of costume. He seems to pick up a hat mid-fight though, while punching up a ton of low-rent no-name super-villains with his pal, the Guardian! Or a Guardian, I guess; who similarly seems to grow a big-ass mustache overnight! This motorhome Jim Harper has a young daughter and a bit of distrust for Jimmy, but he has a story for him, that sends Jimmy racing back to Metropolis, to save Superman!

With the exception of a couple art hiccups, and an recruitment insert for the Navy, I should be more up on this one. But. I don't get how this could be virtually reverent of a one-shot wonder, while killing off multiple Jack Kirby creations, many of them off-panel? I did look up to confirm, this was Dubbilex's last appearance, at least pre-New 52. Also, the cover says "One-shot" and this wasn't, it's continued in Superman: New Krypton Special #1, and another Jimmy Olsen special, then more issues! Good effort in getting me to read that one, but no thanks: I'm pretty sure it ended with everyone involved who wasn't a regular character killed off or written out forever.