Genius Jones

Genius Jones
Genius Jones, artist Stan Kaye (who)
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Adventure Comics #77, August 1942
Created by	Alfred Bester (writer) Stan Kaye (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Johnny Jones
Notable aliases	Answer Man
Abilities	Genius-level intelligence

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.

Genius Jones (created by science fiction writer Alfred Bester), 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 boots, and yellow helmet was designed by Stan Kaye, who kept drawing the feature even after Bester left.

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), 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.