As most of you know, I'm pursuing my Master's degree in Journalism at the University of Memphis -- and my thesis combines journalism and comics. But I've narrowed down the topic, and need your help to make it as comprehensive as possible.
The topic is still how journalism is portrayed in the comics, but I've narrowed it down to one decade: the 1960s. I needed to narrow the concept down to A) an era where I had most of the texts, and B) an era where there was some (but not too much) diversity. The 1960s seem to fit best, a decade where I own most of the material (or it is available in reprint) and where I can. at the very least, compare the Daily Planet staff vs. the Daily Bugle folks.
My primary interest is journalism ethics, but in general I'm interested in any story that features a journalist or the role of journalism in a significant role.
Still, that's a lot of comics! So if the Legionnaires can help me pinpoint the major stories or storylines, without re-reading hundreds of books, I'd be most grateful. Where I've focused on so far, and where I need help:
* Amazing Spider-Man
-- the ethical issue of Peter Parker selling photos of Spider-Man without revealing they are one and the same. There's the issue where he faked being Electro (I think), which even in the book was treated as a serious ethical breach. But I need to find a few instances where he evades JJJ's questions or outright lies to him -- or instances where JJJ says he doesn't care how he got the pix, which is also an ethical issue.
-- J. Jonah Jameson violating just about every ethic in sight in his vendetta against Spidey. (Anyone remember some particularly juicy scenes?) Isn't there a scene somewhere where he admits he's jealous of the wall-crawler?
-- Frederick Foswell, going back and forth as undercover good guy (Patch) and undercover bad guy (The Big Man).
-- Anybody remember anything about Ned Leeds from the '60s? I seem to remember Parker referring to him as a "good guy," but that's it.
* Harris Hobbs blackmailing Thor in Journey Into Mystery #120-123.
* Action, Superman, Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and World's Finest from Jan 60-Dec 69. I'd rather not re-read ALL of those, so if anyone remembers any particularly newspaper-heavy stories, or just some representative ones (of Clark Kent being super-honest, or Lois pulling some cheesy trick, or Jimmy dressing up, or Perry White being editor-ish) I'd be grateful. And when did Lana Lang become a TV reporter? (And should I really bother with Lois Lane? All I remember from that book is conniving, not reporting.)
* Jack Ryder, Showcase #73 and Beware the Creeper #1-6.
* Vic "The Question" Sage, Blue Beetle #1-5.
* Anybody remember any '60s Vicki Vale stories? Or was she all in the '50s?
* Speaking of Batman, wasn't there a reporter in the Gotham City Mystery Club? (Or whatever it was called.) Seems to me she and Bats had a near-miss in the romance department, but I don't remember where or when. Were there any other Bat-related reporter stories?
* Did Iris West ever do anything reporter-ish in Flash, or did she just nag Barry about his tardiness?
Anybody remember any others? I'm excluding comic strips for now (I'll save that for the dissertation), but there must be more. And it doesn't have to be superheroes -- I just don't remember any non-Spandex books that involved reporters. There were probably dozens of short stories in the mystery books that featured unsavory reporters, but since they would all be one-shots, I can safely write them off as minor. Still, I wouldn't mind one or two for completeness' sake.
Anything else? I've got to have a rough draft by June 1, so the clock's ticking!
(And thanks in advance!)
You need to be a member of Captain Comics to add comments!
Replies
-He fakes shots of himself changing into Electro in #9.
-JJJ admits to himself that he tries to tear Spider-Man down because he's jealous of him in #10.
-Foswell actually was the Big Man in #10. Jameson gave him a second chance later.
In “The Death March!” from Jimmy Olsen #76 Perry enters into a bet with another editor to prove the loyalty of his staff to the Planet. Their plan involves Perry’s leading Clark, Lois and Jimmy on a march through a desert in Civil War-era costume while heaping abuse on them.
I think you’ll find quite a number of Lois stories involve Lois’s being sent on assignment, doing something outrageous to get a story, or trying to catch a criminal for the story. Tales that leap to my mind include:
-“Lois Lane’s Other Life!” (Lois Lane #35, reprinted as “The Day Lois Lost her Mind!”), in which (from memory) she disguises herself as reporter “Sheila Dexter” to get an interview with a man she knows would refuse to be interviewed by her real self
-“Lois Lane, Super-Telepath!” (Lois Lane #56), in which she and Jimmy perform a mentalist nightclub act in order to get her abducted by a gangster as part of a scheme to capture him
-“The Amazing Hydro-Girl!” (Lois Lane #60), in which she drinks an experimental serum that allows people to breathe underwater so she can write about it.
Incidentally, it's easy to think of Lois Lane as an also-ran title, but according to the statements of ownership average circulation figures complied by John Jackson Miller at Comichron it was a top-selling title in the 60s: also, in the years in which it reported, the reporting female-lead title with the highest average tales (with Betty and Veronica just behind it in 1969). The reporting romance titles had lower average sales too.
In “Miss Jimmy Olsen!” (Jimmy Olsen #44) Jimmy disguises himself in drag and joins a chorus line as part of his investigation of a criminal.
In the first Olsen-Robin team story from World’s Finest #141 Jimmy and Robin don’t think Superman will believe them because of bum tips Jimmy has recently given Superman.
My recollection is Iris does some reporting in “The Man Who Mastered Absolute Zero!” in Flash #134. She goes to a jail to report on Captain Cold’s recent escape, and learns he’s now infatuated with a dancer called Miss Twist.
The fan website www.dcuguide.com lists 60s appearances by Vicki Vale in the following stories (text copied from the website):
Detective Comics #309 (November 1962): "The Mystery of the Mardi Gras Murders"
Batman #155/2 (May 1963): "The Return of the Penguin"
Detective Comics #316 (June 1963): "Double Batman vs. Double X"
Batman #157/2 (August 1963): "The Hunt for Batman's Secret Identity"
World's Finest Comics #136 (September 1963): "The Batman Nobody Remembered"
Detective Comics #320 (October 1963): "Batman and Robin, the Mummy Crime-Fighters"
World's Finest Comics #156 (March 1966): "The Federation of Bizarro Idiots"