I must turn to you once again, Legionnaires, to help me with research. McFarland wants me to update my book on "Journalism in Comics" to the present. It currently leaves off around 2005, when I finished my master's thesis.
A number of things have happened vis-a-vis journalism in comics, some I know about, and some I don't. I need help zeroing in on the things I kinda know about, and a head's up about the things I don't.
So: Peter Parker.
I gather that J. Jonah Jameson sued Peter Parker for fraud when he revealed his secret ID in "Civil War." When was that, and how did it turn out?
After "Brand New Day," that would no longer be an issue. But somehow Parker stopped working for The Daily Bugle. I read something about another fraud case, where Parker faked a photo to help JJJ, but I don't know where that was or what happened.
And did he ever work for The Front Line?
And what's the status of the Bugle now that Jameson is mayor of New York? I know that it was bought at some point buy a guy whose initials were D.B., and it was turned into "The DB," but again, I don't know much more than that, or where all that happened.
So: Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
Did anything significant happen at The Daily Planet from 2005-2011?
In Rebirth, I know Clark Kent's back story was amended to where he was a blogger or something. What and where?
Lois Lane was became some sort of social media whiz or cable news whiz at Galaxy? Something like that. I remember thinking her new job was not very honorable, but I don't remember why.
And then she outed Clark. Where and when?
Then, "Rebirth."
What were Clark and Lois doing immediately after Rebirth?
I know the New 52 Lois died, and was replaced by post-Crisis Lois, and then later much the same happened to Clark/Superman. What was the status of their jobs at the Planet during all this transition?
What has Jimmy Olsen been doing since "New 52"?
And now that Clark and Lois are back at the Planet, what is their status? Does Lois still have a Pulitzer? For a while there Clark was a columnist, but I don't remember where and when. Is he back doing regular reporting again?
And what else has happened journalism-wise in comics in the last decade or so?
That's a lot of questions for a guy from Memphis. But if you'll point me in the right direction, I'll do the rest.
Replies
So: Peter Parker.
In The Pulse # 1-5 (2004), Norman Osborn was exposed as the Green Goblin, and was arrested and sent to jail for the first time.
In Marvel Knights; Spider-Man # 1-12 (2004-2005), Osborn is still screwing with Peter from behind bars, masterminding a kidnapping of May Parker, and giving Jonah $5 million anonymously to give to anyone who publicly exposes Spider-Man's identity, and many other heinous things. Peter gets John Jameson to pretend to be Spidey and takes several photos of him unmasked as Spidey in MK:SM #8 (Jan 2005). Peter convinces Jonah the photos are legit and Jonah gives him $500,000 - 10% - because he'll never run the photos.
In Civil War #2 (Aug 2006), Spidey reveals his true identity to the world. Jonah faints.
In She-Hulk #9 (also Aug 2006). Jonah is ready to sue Peter when he learns that all the heroes that register with the government get amnesty for all past actions, possibly including anything done to conceal their identities. Later in the same issue, John Jameson marries Jennifer Walters and the newlyweds have dinner with Jonah and Marla. Jonah attacks She-Hulk with the original Spider-Slayer, which she demolishes in seconds. They reach a truce when Jonah accuses her of being in cahoots with Spider-Man trying to drive him crazy. She-Hulk says she's not working with Spidey and that Peter definitely committed fraud with the pictures, and offers to help Jonah sue Peter, but later tells John she'll keep it tied up in court for years.
In Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man # 21 (Aug 2007), Jonah and Robbie get into a loud argument over Spider-Man in front of the staff of the Daily Bugle. Robbie verbally humiliates Jonah and tells him to lay off Peter. Jonah later fires him. In FNSM #23 (Oct 2007), Peter and Jonah have (in Peter's words) a long overdue chat. Peter tries to convince Jonah to rehire Robbie; Jonah gives him a choice - rehire Robbie, or drop his lawsuit against Peter for fraud. They continue to argue until he convinces Jonah to punch him repeatedly; Peter doesn't hit back. Jonah keepd punching until he breaks his hand. Peter tells him he filmed the whole thing and gives it to Jonah telling him he can print it and say "Spider-Man too afraid to lift hand against crusading Bugle editor.", and leaves. Jonah destroys the film, rehires Robbie, and drops the lawsuit.
The One More Day storyline takes place the following month, which retcons Peter's identity to once again being secret. After OMD, the Daily Bugle is falling on hard times, and is facing a buyout from Jonah's rival Dexter Bennett. Peter and Jonah have an argument over money, and Jonah has a heart attack. While he is ill, Dexter Bennett buys the Bugle. Peter continues to work for the Bugle, now the DB, which is becoming a sleazy tabloid, but later gets himself fired by defying Bennett (ASM # 561), and he, like many former Bugle employees, goes to work for Robbie and Ben Urich at the Front Line (ASM # 568).
Jonah recovers, becomes Mayor of NYC (ASM # 591), and hires Peter as his staff photographer. He gives a financial bailout to the DB, which had seen its circulation plummet from being a tabloid. There's a public backlash to this, exploited by Electro, who destroys the Daily Bugle building in a battle with Spider-Man; Bennett is crushed in the rubble and he becomes a paraplegic (ASM # 614).
Jonah is attacked by the new Vulture, and a security guard dies trying to save him. Jonah is greatly affected by this (previously he didn't know the man's name) and Peter doctors a photo to show Jonah attacking the Vulture. Jonah's popularity with the public begins to recover, but he knows the photo is a fake, and he publicly fires Peter at a press conference and gets him blacklisted from working in the media to boot, ending Peter's photo career (ASM # 623-624).
In ASM # 648, Jonah buys back the shares of the DB from Bennett's shareholders, and gives the name of the Daily Bugle free and clear to Robbie Robertson, so that he can rename the Front Line to the Daily Bugle. Front Line was mostly all former Bugle staffers, so it's an easy transition.
Jonah resigns as Mayor in Superior Spider-Man # 31, and later joins "The Fact Channel", a TV news organization.
Good lord! I've missed a lot!
Fantastic narrative/research, John. I know exactly where and what I need to read, which is a lot more than I was expecting!
John Dunbar (the mod of maple) said:
I still
at that one. That is blatantly unethical behavior on She-Hulk's part. First, because She-Hulk was already Spider-Man's lawyer and, because of attorney-client privilege, had no business telling Jonah anything about Peter's business. Second, She-Hulk suggests ways Jonah can sue Peter(!). Third, in declaring she'll keep the matter tied up in court, she's working against her client's wishes and interest!
John Dunbar (the mod of maple) said:
"Becoming" a sleazy tabloid? Wasn't the Daily Bugle already a tabloid?
To help with the question(s) that launched this thread, I don't have much; admittedly, I haven't been reading a lot of Superman comics the past few years. But I do know where and when Lois outed Clark: in a Free Comic Book Day special, Divergence #1, followed by a story in Action Comics #41.
At the time, Clark was being extorted by some high-tech villain called Hordr-Root. The only way to beat an extortionist -- short of killing him and retrieving whatever dirt he has on you and killing everyone else who knows what the dirt is -- is to reveal your secret first. So, Lois did him that "favor," not that he asked her to, because he didn't.
ClarkKent_DC said:
Agreed. I think Dan Slott was going for slapstick type humor - Jonah is pretty much deranged here - but it just didn't work for me, for the reasons you outlined. I think he wanted to do a fix-up on the situation that Civil War writer Mark Millar and Amazing Spider-Man writer J. Michael Straczynski chose not to address. Millar had Jonah faint when Peter reveal his identity and didn't use him again in CW. JMS has a scene with Jonah and Robbie where Jonah goes on and on and said he felt betrayed because he considered Peter like a son and also "He's the only one who's always been straight with me. The last honest guy in town." The scene ends with Jonah implying Peter will pay a high price (iow, a lawsuit) but JMS goes no further with this. It's left to Peter David in FNSM #21-23 to resolve this.
As an aside, I was and continue to be gobsmacked that Jonah says the above to Joe Robertson's face. It's a perfect illustration to me why I didn't care for JMS' writing on ASM. Jonah didn't mean Peter was the last honest person among all his photographers and other freelancers, he meant everyone, which would include Robbie, his, er, trusted right hand man of many years. It's like JMS never read any Spider-Man comics prior to writing the book.
The DB was much sleazier than the Bugle. Peter went from taking crime photos to being a celeb chasing paparazzi, which didn't sit well with him. He refused to give Bennett pictures of Mary Jane and an actor she was dating, and Bennett fired him for it. A lot of former Bugle employees quit because of Bennett's lack of ethics.
It's like JMS never read any Spider-Man comics prior to writing the book.
I don't think JMS had kept up with Spider-Man's latest stories at that point. When asked* about baby May and her fate in San Diego he looked genuinely puzzled. He didn't know there even was a baby.
* I was there and heard the question. I think Cap later said he was the one who asked the question.
If it needs saying, I will happily say it again: By amazing coincidence, Richard Willis and I attended the same San Diego Comic-Con, attended the same panel, and I asked a question that he heard and remembered -- all before either of us knew each other.
Comics bring people together!
We were sitting 'way in the back. I didn't know it was you but was happy you asked the question. I don't know if they would have called on me but it was the question I wanted to ask, too.