Genius Jones
Encyclopedia
Genius Jones is a comic book
character from the Golden Age of Comic Books
who first appeared in the DC Comics
published, Adventure Comics
#77 (August 1942). He was created by Alfred Bester
and Stan Kaye.
), debuted in Adventure Comics #77 (August, 1942) with "The Case of the Off-Key Crooner." He also called himself The Answer Man, although in a twist that pre-dated The Elongated Man
by nearly 20 years, he made no attempt to hide his secret identity. His costume of purple gray tights, red cape and yellow helmet was designed by Stan Kaye, who kept drawing the feature even after Bester left. Long-time editor-artist Whitney Ellsworth replaced him. Ellsworth later played a big role in TV's "The Adventures of Superman
" during the 1950s.
In Jones' first cover appearance (Adventure #82), he appeared in a small box inviting readers to join him inside. He appeared in a similar manner in Adventure #83. His first full cover appearance was on the cover of All Funny Comics #5 in the winter of 1944-45. Jones' stories were usually had imaginative titles. Examples include: "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?", "Way Down Yonder In the Corn Field," "Fish Are Such Liars," and Adventure #88's "The Death of Genius Jones."
Alfred Bester's last Genius Jones tale (according to the Grand Comics Database) was Adventure Comics #92's "The Saving Scot and The Gypsy Gyp." Bester left to write science fiction novels, (such as The Demolished Man
), and travel articles for the magazine Holiday.
Genius Jones features continued in Adventure Comics until #102. Following issue #102, the More Fun superhero stable of Superboy
, Green Arrow, Aquaman
, and Johnny Quick
moved to Adventure while Genius Jones, more a humor feature than a superhero one, moved to More Fun. Jones' More Fun adventures started with #108 where he shared the cover with Harry Boltinoff's twin detectives Dover and Clover. They alternated covers until the introduction of Howard Post's "Jimminy and the Magic Book" in #121. "Jimminy and the Magic Book" appeared on the covers during More Fun's final year. More Fun, which had been DC's oldest title, was cancelled in late 1947.
Genius's adventures in More Fun had titles like "Genius Meets Genius", "The Tell-Tale Tornado" and "Battle of the Pretzel Benders", according to the Comic Values Annual 2001. The last one, "The Case of the Gravy Spots," appeared in More Fun #126. These and other tales were probably written by Whitney Ellsworth.
Around this time, Jones also appeared in All Funny Comics, his last issue being #19. His weirdest titled tale "The Mystery of Etaoin Shrdlu!", in which he solved a mystery at a typing school, appeared in All Funny #13.
Genius Jones disappeared from the DC Universe in the next-to-last issue of More Fun Comics (# 126) in late 1947.
in 2007, (collected in the TPB 'Architecture & Mortality'). First in dream sequences hinting at Doctor Thirteen
's demise before the universe-altering effects of Infinite Crisis
, then offering his services for his usual fee in a convoluted adventure involving other forgotten Golden and Silver Age characters: Anthro
, I...Vampire, Infectious Lass, Captain Fear, Haunted Tank, and Count Julius from the Primate Patrol. He reveals that he is aware of the fourth wall
, cryptically talking about the commercial wars between Marvel Comics
and DC Comics
, and how DC's editors, the Architects, had to reboot or modify their respective fictional worlds to increase sales. They confront the Architects directly and try to justify their continued existence. They seem to have succeeded, and are in fact pursuing Captain Fear, kidnapped by Black Manta
, when Dr. Thirteen discovers an old DC comic from 1969. It makes him realize they are characters in a story. The story ends with the rest of the characters entering an elevator, as Dr. Thirteen begs the reader not to turn the page.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character from the Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
who first appeared in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
published, Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
#77 (August 1942). He was created by Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
and Stan Kaye.
Publication history
Genius Jones (created by science fiction writer Alfred BesterAlfred Bester
Alfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
), debuted in Adventure Comics #77 (August, 1942) with "The Case of the Off-Key Crooner." He also called himself The Answer Man, although in a twist that pre-dated The Elongated Man
Elongated Man
The Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. He is a reserve member of the Justice League. His first appearance was in The Flash vol. 1, #112...
by nearly 20 years, he made no attempt to hide his secret identity. His costume of purple gray tights, red cape and yellow helmet was designed by Stan Kaye, who kept drawing the feature even after Bester left. Long-time editor-artist Whitney Ellsworth replaced him. Ellsworth later played a big role in TV's "The Adventures of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
" during the 1950s.
Fictional character biography
Johnny "Genius" Jones, a young boy, is stranded on a desert island (New Zealand) with 734 books. Jones reads every book, memorizing every bit of information from them. He ultimately burns the books to attract the attention of a passing ship. Once back in civilization he sets himself up as the Answer Man, a costumed hero who answered questions and solved crimes for one dime. He had no superpowers but had a very advanced lab. He was also aided by an adult sidekick named Mr. Oldster.In Jones' first cover appearance (Adventure #82), he appeared in a small box inviting readers to join him inside. He appeared in a similar manner in Adventure #83. His first full cover appearance was on the cover of All Funny Comics #5 in the winter of 1944-45. Jones' stories were usually had imaginative titles. Examples include: "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?", "Way Down Yonder In the Corn Field," "Fish Are Such Liars," and Adventure #88's "The Death of Genius Jones."
Alfred Bester's last Genius Jones tale (according to the Grand Comics Database) was Adventure Comics #92's "The Saving Scot and The Gypsy Gyp." Bester left to write science fiction novels, (such as The Demolished Man
The Demolished Man
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester, is a science fiction novel that was the first Hugo Award winner in 1953. The story was first serialized in three parts, beginning with the January 1952 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction, followed by publication of the novel in 1953. The novel is dedicated to...
), and travel articles for the magazine Holiday.
Genius Jones features continued in Adventure Comics until #102. Following issue #102, the More Fun superhero stable of Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
, Green Arrow, Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
, and Johnny Quick
Johnny Quick
Johnny Quick is the name of two DC Comics characters, each with the power of superhuman speed. The first was a superhero who appeared mostly in More Fun Comics during the Golden Age...
moved to Adventure while Genius Jones, more a humor feature than a superhero one, moved to More Fun. Jones' More Fun adventures started with #108 where he shared the cover with Harry Boltinoff's twin detectives Dover and Clover. They alternated covers until the introduction of Howard Post's "Jimminy and the Magic Book" in #121. "Jimminy and the Magic Book" appeared on the covers during More Fun's final year. More Fun, which had been DC's oldest title, was cancelled in late 1947.
Genius's adventures in More Fun had titles like "Genius Meets Genius", "The Tell-Tale Tornado" and "Battle of the Pretzel Benders", according to the Comic Values Annual 2001. The last one, "The Case of the Gravy Spots," appeared in More Fun #126. These and other tales were probably written by Whitney Ellsworth.
Around this time, Jones also appeared in All Funny Comics, his last issue being #19. His weirdest titled tale "The Mystery of Etaoin Shrdlu!", in which he solved a mystery at a typing school, appeared in All Funny #13.
Genius Jones disappeared from the DC Universe in the next-to-last issue of More Fun Comics (# 126) in late 1947.
One Year Later
Genius Jones recently resurfaced into the pages of Tales of the UnexpectedTales of the Unexpected (comics)
Tales of the Unexpected was a science fiction comic book published by DC Comics from 1956 to 1968 for 104 issues. It was later renamed The Unexpected although the numbering continued and it ended at issue 222, in 1982...
in 2007, (collected in the TPB 'Architecture & Mortality'). First in dream sequences hinting at Doctor Thirteen
Doctor Thirteen
Dr. Terrence Thirteen, known simply as Doctor Thirteen or Dr. 13, is a fictional character in comic books set in the DC Universe. The character's first published appearance is in Star Spangled Comics #122, ....
's demise before the universe-altering effects of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, then offering his services for his usual fee in a convoluted adventure involving other forgotten Golden and Silver Age characters: Anthro
Anthro (comics)
Anthro is a fictional character published by DC Comics. Anthro was created by cartoonist Howard Post; he first appeared in Showcase #74, .-Publication history:...
, I...Vampire, Infectious Lass, Captain Fear, Haunted Tank, and Count Julius from the Primate Patrol. He reveals that he is aware of the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, cryptically talking about the commercial wars between Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and how DC's editors, the Architects, had to reboot or modify their respective fictional worlds to increase sales. They confront the Architects directly and try to justify their continued existence. They seem to have succeeded, and are in fact pursuing Captain Fear, kidnapped by Black Manta
Black Manta
Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as the archenemy of Aquaman. The character debuted in Aquaman #35 .-Fictional character biography:...
, when Dr. Thirteen discovers an old DC comic from 1969. It makes him realize they are characters in a story. The story ends with the rest of the characters entering an elevator, as Dr. Thirteen begs the reader not to turn the page.
External links
- Toonopedia: Genius Jones
- Genius Jones at the Guide to the DC Universe