Jimmy Olsen's age

[LORD FALLEN ELDOR]

how old would you say Jimmy curently is?

[Mister Intensity]

If anyone is paying attention, he should be in his mid-20's (around the same age as the former New Titans) but for some reason they keep on "de-aging" him.

Jimmy Olsen is probably the one character who was shafted post-triangle era (say what you want about that era but at least the supporting cast go to shine, something that was neglected when Berganza became Editor).

Mister Intensity

[dancj]

I think Jimmy is around his mid-late 20's except the Ultimate version who's still at school.





Oh no wait, that's Peter Parker

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Jimmy has generally always been between 16 and 19. They tried bumping him up to his mid-20s during the Carlin era, but it kinda missed the point of the character. He's supposed to be a kid, not a young adult.

How that jibes with the ever-changing world of continuity obsessive compusives, I dunno, but that's the way the character has been written for the vast majority of his history and how he will no doubt be portrayed for the foreseeable future.

According to Kurt Busiek, Jimmy is currently about 19 years old.

[Michael P]

Jimmy is perpetually old enough to know better, but too young to care.

[Viking Bastard]

Jimmy has generally always been between 16 and 19.Dunno, I've always imagined him in his early 20s, not as a teenager.

[algertman]

23 at the oldest

[dupersuper]

In current continuity, if he's 19 he started at the planet at, like, 4.

[Alan2099]

In current continuity, if he's 19 he started at the planet at, like, 4.
nah. He just started it at 19. 16 At the earliest. He just exists in that same kind of age void that lets Nightwing grow up without Bruce aging any.

[NotSuper]

I think Jimmy should be twenty years old in current continuity. He's an adult but not old enough to drink.

[Mister Intensity]

I don't see anything wrong with Jimmy being in his mid-20's. He would still be young enough to make the mistakes that young people make. Also, while Jimmy was a teen through the 60's, he did age to his mid-20's in the 70's before he was de-aged during the post-Crisis reboot. Besides, I think the reason why "continuity problem" is because the comic companies keep on refusing to let the characters evolve while wanting to maintain a shared universe with continuity. Until the companies decide one or the other there will be a problem.

Mister Intensity

[Damo]

Old enough that his life shouldn't revolve around an older married man.

...

GET A DOG JIMMY!

[Pinnacle]

I'm of the opinion that Jimmy is in his mid-twenties. He should be a few years younger than Lois and Clark but not so much that he doesn't fit into their adult world.

[phantom1592]

I like the idea that he is younger than Superman was when they met. If he's now as old and wise as the person who used to get him out of his stupid mistakes.... then he doesn't have an excuse to keep ending up in thos situations does he ;)


I useually think of Superman starting around 25-28 and Jimmy being around 18-20. Young enough to jump when perry barks without looking like a total loser.

[LORD FALLEN ELDOR]

If anyone is paying attention, he should be in his mid-20's (around the same age as the former New Titans) but for some reason they keep on "de-aging" him.

Jimmy Olsen is probably the one character who was shafted post-triangle era (say what you want about that era but at least the supporting cast go to shine, something that was neglected when Berganza became Editor).

Mister Intensity

Wouldn't Jimmy have to be older then Nightwing? Dick was 10 or 13 when superman was already active in metropolis for how long? if Dick is 24 (Donna said she was...) then that would make Jimmy 27-31...yeah...I liked anchorman Jimmy, why not go back to that? Or if they want to keep him young, why not make him the graphic designer of the Planet's web site? It worked for Peter Parker

What if this Jimmy is just another Cadmus clone of the original Jimmy like the newsboy legion? Yeah I agree about the "triangle era". I loved the non superman characters like gangbuster and Alpha Centurion.


According to Kurt Busiek, Jimmy is currently about 19 years old.

really? huh, when did he say that?!? That would make him the same age as Beastboy currently is. I'm really looking forward to the backup in 52 to answer some of these pesky chronological questions. Jimmy being 19 currently is just wrong...

[Mister Intensity]

Wouldn't Jimmy have to be older then Nightwing? Dick was 10 or 13 when superman was already active in metropolis for how long? if Dick is 24 (Donna said she was...) then that would make Jimmy 27-31...yeah...I liked anchorman Jimmy, why not go back to that? Or if they want to keep him young, why not make him the graphic designer of the Planet's web site? It worked for Peter Parker

What if this Jimmy is just another Cadmus clone of the original Jimmy like the newsboy legion? Yeah I agree about the "triangle era". I loved the non superman characters like gangbuster and Alpha Centurion.



really? huh, when did he say that?!? That would make him the same age as Beastboy currently is. I'm really looking forward to the backup in 52 to answer some of these pesky chronological questions. Jimmy being 19 currently is just wrong...

It seems that DC is undoing a lot of the evolutionary changes their characters faced over the past few years, in favor of big events that "changes things forever," but instead just reinforces the status quo. Heck, Beast Boy should be a few years older than 21 at this point.

I heard the arguments for keeping Jimmy at 19, but those arguments don't wash when the primarily audience is over 25, instead of 9-14 during the "Classic Superman" era.

Mister Intensity

[Captain Smith]

Age is like mercury, just slips away. I like the Spenser mysteries. He fought in the Korean War, so did the 87th precinct detectives.

Those authors didn't need a crisis - they just ignored it.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

really? huh, when did he say that?!? That would make him the same age as Beastboy currently is. I'm really looking forward to the backup in 52 to answer some of these pesky chronological questions. Jimmy being 19 currently is just wrong...

On one of the various "Ask Kurt Busiek" threads that are scattered throughout the internet. He wasn't making an official proclamation though. He was just saying that that's generally the age he writes Jimmy as. His exact age will likely be kept vague so as not to give any continuity cops a stroke.