SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #137

Cover shows good gloss and bright inks overall; a vertical crease/stress line runs through the lower left corner near the 'B' of 'BRED' text, and there is minor edge wear along the top and right borders. Corners appear reasonably sharp with slight blunting at the bottom right. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits close inspection of spine ticks and surface scuffing; interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #137 arrived during Jack Kirby's celebrated 1970-73 tenure on the title, the run he used to weave elements of his Fourth World mythology into DC's mainstream Superman line. By this issue Kirby had already reintroduced the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion and established the Project Cadmus setting that would recur throughout the series; #137 continues that serialized storyline with Kirby's signature blend of science-fiction spectacle and high-energy action. Kirby both wrote and penciled the book, with Vince Colletta inking, placing it squarely within one of the most examined creator-driven runs of the early Bronze Age.

Market data reflects a book that trades as a solid but unspectacular piece of the Kirby Jimmy Olsen run rather than a headline key. Census figures show a healthy population across the grading spectrum, with the bulk of copies concentrated in the 9.0-9.6 range, and pricing climbs sharply only at the very top: values hold in the $28-$40 band through most of the mid-to-high grades before nearly quintupling at 9.8, where population thins to a handful of copies. That steep late curve is typical of Bronze Age DC issues with decent survival rates in mid-grade but real scarcity in pristine, unrestored condition.

Demand centers on completists building the full Kirby Jimmy Olsen run and Fourth World collectors filling out adjacent material, rather than speculators chasing a single first appearance. Mid-grade raw copies remain an inexpensive, easy entry point and see steady but modest turnover, while low-grade copies function largely as reading or filler copies with limited resale appeal. The real premium is reserved for true Gem Mint or near-Gem 9.8 submissions, where limited census population and persistent Kirby-run interest support outsized pricing relative to the rest of the grade curve.