SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #142

Cover shows moderate wear consistent with a well-read Bronze Age book: visible spine stress lines and slight whitening along the spine, a corner crease noted at the top edge, and minor surface scuffing. Colors remain bright with no major fading or staining apparent, and no tears or missing pieces are visible. The book is in a protective sleeve, which slightly obscures fine edge detail; interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #142 (October 1971) falls within Jack Kirby's celebrated run on the title after his move from Marvel to DC in 1970, during which he used the long-running Jimmy Olsen book as a vehicle to introduce his Fourth World mythology into the Superman family of titles. This issue continues the saga involving Darkseid, the DNAliens, the Evil Factory duo of Simyan and Mokkari, and the Guardian and Newsboy Legion supporting cast, while also carrying forward the humor subplot begun in the prior issue featuring a comedic cameo likeness of entertainer Don Rickles as "Goody Rickels." It stands as a middle chapter in one of the more unusual and ambitious crossovers of Kirby's DC tenure, blending cosmic science-fiction concepts with the established Superman supporting cast.

Certified population data shows a book that circulates steadily but without the kind of single defining first appearance that drives outsized demand. Values climb gradually through the graded tiers, from modest figures in the low 9-point range up through the mid-hundreds at 9.6, with population thinning noticeably above that point; no 9.8 has yet been certified across a census of roughly one hundred graded copies. Sales activity is thin at the extremes, reflecting a book collected primarily by readers assembling the full Fourth World arc or pursuing Darkseid-adjacent material rather than a discrete key-issue audience.

The issue trades as a solid, affordable piece of a larger Kirby Fourth World collection rather than as a standalone investment target. Raw copies in lower and mid grades remain widely available and inexpensive, appealing mainly to readers filling out a run, while high-grade CGC copies are scarcer and command a real premium from census-focused collectors given the current absence of any 9.8. Long-term interest tracks the broader visibility of Darkseid and Kirby's Fourth World concepts in adaptations and popular culture, which continues to support gradual demand for early appearances across this stretch of the Jimmy Olsen title.