Name: Jimmy Olsen
Universe: Earth-1
Alter Ego: James Bartholomew Olsen; Elastic Lad
Occupation: Reporter
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: Legion of Super-Heroes
Base of Operations: City of Metropolis
Known Relatives: Mark Olsen (father), Jerry Olsen (cousin)
Height: 5 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 164 lbs.
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue
First Appearance: Superman #91

History:
Jimmy Olsen, famous as one of Superman’s best friends, has risen over the years from office boy to cub reporter to one of the top reporters for Metropolis’s Daily Planet newspaper.

Superman once found and brought back a chest that was floating in space and that contained a bottle of a mysterious green glowing liquid. Jimmy tripped and broke the bottle, the contents of which splashed all over him. The liquid gave Jimmy super-human stretching abilities, and he became known as Elastic Lad. Shortly thereafter, Jimmy lost his new powers through exposure to Kryptonite radiation.

Sometime later, Jimmy’s friend, the eccentric scientist Professor Phineas Potter, developed a serum that could give people stretching powers. Olsen drank the serum and again became Elastic Lad. The serum only grants powers temporarily, however, and they soon wore off. Olsen has become Elastic Lad occasionally over the years, although he has not done so recently.

Upon passing an initiation test, Olsen was inducted as an honorary member of the 30th Century’s Legion of Super-Heroes in his role as Elastic Lad.

Powers:
Professor Potter’s "elastic serum" gives Olsen the power to stretch any part of his body to incredible lengths for a limited period of time. The exact time limit appears to depend on the amount of serum that Olsen drinks. As Elastic Lad, Olsen can stretch his entire body so as to become a giant in size (but not in mass). Kryptonite radiation will not undo the effects of Potter’s serum.

The relationship, if any, of Potter’s serum to the Elongated Man’s gingold extract, or to the chemicals that gave Plastic Man his stretching powers, is unknown.

As Elastic Lad, Olsen wears a special costume that expands and contracts as he does.

Olsen is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant but, without his Elastic Lad powers, not an extraordinary one.