| Daily Planet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| First appearance | Action Comics #23 (April 1940) |
| In-story information | |
| Type of business | Newspaper |
| Owner(s) | Morgan Edge Franklin Stern Lex Luthor Bruce Wayne |
| Employee(s) | Perry White (editor-in-chief) Clark Kent Lois Lane Jimmy Olsen Cat Grant Ron Troupe Steve Lombard Lana Lang |
TheDaily Planet is a fictional newspaper appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics, commonly in association withSuperman.[1] The newspaper was first mentioned inAction Comics #9 (November 13, 1939) – Underworld Politics, War on Crime. TheDaily Planet building's distinguishing feature is the enormousglobe that sits on top of the building.[2]
Based in the fictional city ofMetropolis, the paper employsClark Kent,Lois Lane,Jimmy Olsen, andPerry White as its editor-in-chief. The building's original features were inspired by theOld Toronto Star Building where Superman's co-creator,Joe Shuster, was a newsboy when theToronto Star was still called theDaily Star. Shuster has claimed that Metropolis was visually inspired byToronto.[3] Over the years, however, Metropolis has come to serve as an analogue toNew York City.[4]
When Superman first appeared in comics (specifically 1938'sAction Comics #1), hisalter egoClark Kent worked for a newspaper named theDaily Star, under editorGeorge Taylor.[5]Joe Shuster named theDaily Star after theToronto Daily Star newspaper inToronto,Ontario, which had been the newspaper that Shuster's parents received and for which Shuster had worked as a newsboy. It was not until later that the fictional paper became theDaily Planet. (The real-world newspaper was called theEvening Star prior to 1899; theToronto Daily Star is now known as theToronto Star.)[3]
While choosing a name for the fictitious newspaper, consideration was given to combining the names ofThe Globe and Mail (another Toronto newspaper) and theDaily Star to becomeThe Daily Globe. But when thecomic strip appeared, the newspaper's name was permanently made theDaily Planet to avoid a name conflict with real newspapers. InSuperman #5 (Summer 1940), the publisher of theDaily Planet is shown to be Burt Mason, a man who is determined to print the truth even when corrupt politician Alex Evell threatens him. InSuperman #6 (September–October 1940), Mason gives free printing equipment toThe Gateston Gazette after its editor, Jim Tirrell, is killed and its equipment is destroyed by racketeers that Tirrell insisted on reporting.
When DC made use of itsmultiverse means of continuity tracking between the early 1960s and mid-1980s, it was declared that theDaily Star was the newspaper's name in theGolden Age or "Earth-Two" versions of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, while theDaily Planet was used in theSilver Age or "Earth-One" versions. TheClark Kent of Earth-Two eventually became the editor-in-chief of theDaily Star, something his Earth-One counterpart did not achieve.[6]
In the Silver and Bronze Age universes, Clark's first contact with theDaily Planet came when reporter (and future editor) Perry White came toSmallville to write a story aboutSuperboy, and wound up getting an interview where the Boy of Steel first revealed hisextraterrestrial origins. The story resulted in Perry earning aPulitzer Prize.[7] During Clark Kent's years in college, Perry White was promoted to editor-in-chief upon the retirement of theDaily Planet's previous editor, the Earth-One version of George Taylor.[8]
After graduating from Metropolis University with a degree in journalism, Clark Kent went to work at thePlanet, and quickly met Lois Lane (who had been working there for some time already).[8][9] After Clark was hired, Jimmy Olsen joined the paper's staff.[10]
In 1971, theDaily Planet was purchased byMorgan Edge, president of theGalaxy Broadcasting System. Edge proceeded to integrate Metropolistelevision station WGBS-TV's studios into theDaily Planet building, and named Clark Kent as the anchor for the WGBS evening news.[11]Lana Lang, Clark's former schoolmate from Smallville, joins him as a co-anchor.[12]
After the 1985–1986 miniseriesCrisis on Infinite Earths, many of these elements, including Morgan Edge buying theDaily Planet, wereretroactively changed or eliminated from the Superman canon.
In the post-Crisis comics' canon, years before Clark or Lois began working for the paper,Lex Luthor owned theDaily Planet. When Luthor, deciding to sell the paper, began taking bids for thePlanet, Perry White convinced an international conglomerate, TransNational Enterprises, to buy the paper. They agreed to this venture with only one stipulation: that White would become editor-in-chief. White had served as thePlanet editor-in-chief ever since, barring the few times he was absent. During those times, people such as Sam Foswell and Clark Kent have looked after the paper.Franklin Stern, an old friend of White's, became theDaily Planet's publisher.
ThePlanet saw its share of rough times during White's tenure. For example, it had many violent workerstrikes. The building itself, along with most of the city, was destroyed during the "Fall of Metropolis" storyline; it is only much later that it was restored by the efforts of various superheroes. ThePlanet building sustained heavy damages after the villainDoomsday's rampage. Later, Franklin Stern decided to put the paper up for sale.Lex Luthor, disliking the heavy criticism of himself and his company that thePlanet became noted for, purchased theDaily Planet and subsequently closed the paper down. Luthor fired every employee of the newspaper except for four people: Simone D'Neige, Dirk Armstrong,Jimmy Olsen, andLois Lane. As a final insult, Luthor saw to it that thePlanet globe was unceremoniously dumped in the Metropolislandfill. In thePlanet's place emerged LexCom. a news-orientedInternet website that primarily catered to Luthor's views of "quality journalism."
After Lois Lane made a deal with Luthor where, in exchange for him returning thePlanet to Perry, she would kill one story of his choosing with no questions asked, Luthor sold theDaily Planet to Perry White for the token sum of one dollar. The paper was quickly reinstated, rehiring all of its old staff. Sometime later, ownership of thePlanet fell into the hands ofBruce Wayne, where it has remained ever since. In theBatman: Hush storyline, it is named asubsidiary ofWayne Entertainment.
During the "Y2K" storyline (involving the city of Metropolis being infused with futuristic technology thanks to a descendant of the villainBrainiac), theDaily Planet building was "upgraded" along with the rest of Metropolis, and a holographic globe replaced the physical one. Eventually due to temporal instabilities caused by the B13 Virus, Metropolis and the Daily Planet building, globe and all, were restored to their former states.
In the current comics and media spinoffs, theDaily Planet is presented as a thoroughly modern news operation, including operating an Internet website much like most large newspapers. ThePlanet's reporters also have access to the best modern equipment to aid their work, though Perry White has often been shown as still favoring his manualtypewriter. In 2008, it was said that Clark (at least in this era/continuity) uses a typewriter at his desk due to his powers causing minor interference in regular desktop computers.[13]
During this era, thePlanet's major competitors in Metropolis include thetabloid newspaper theDaily Star, WGBS-TV (which also employedJimmy Olsen andCat Grant for a time), andLex Luthor's various media operations. A contemporary publication isNewstime Magazine, where Clark Kent worked as the editor for a time. The publisher ofNewstime is Colin Thornton, who is secretly the demonSatanus, an enemy of Superman.
In theSuperman: Birthright limited series, theDaily Planet's publisher was Quentin Galloway, an abrasive overbearing loudmouth who bullied Jimmy Olsen, and later Clark Kent, before being told off by Lois Lane, whom Galloway could not fire because of her star status.[14] This was meant to be a new origin for Superman but one that applied to the Post-Crisis continuity, so laterPlanet history concerning Luthor temporarily owning it and other events still applied.
During the storyInfinite Crisis, parts of the Post-Crisis history were altered. These changes were explained gradually over the next several years. The 2009 mini-seriesSuperman: Secret Origin clarified the earlier history of thePlanet in the new continuity. The story established that while Lex Luthor, in the revised history, owns every media in Metropolis and uses it to enforce hispublic image as a wealthy benefactor, thePlanet had always stood free, refusing him ownership and even condemning his actions in editorials signed by Perry White himself. As a result, when Clark Kent is first inducted into thePlanet, the newspaper was almost bankrupt, dilapidated and unable to afford new reporters.[15] This changed after Superman begins his career. Thanks to Superman granting exclusive interviews and photographs to Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen when he debuts, the paper's circulation increased 700%.
GeneralSam Lane (Lois' father) attempted to capture Superman, seeing him as an alien threat. When he failed to do so, he forcibly shut down thePlanet as part of an attempt to force Perry White and Lois to turn over any information they had on Superman that they haven't released to the public. Eventually, Superman turned the public to his favor and Sam Lane was seen in a bad light after his soldier John Corben AKAMetallo ruthlessly endangered civilians. These events lead to the people of Metropolis no longer looking at Lex Luthor as a savior andThe Daily Planet becomes the city's top-selling paper, as well as a major player in media.
InFinal Crisis #2, the villainClayface triggers an explosion in TheDaily Planet building, greatly damaging the offices, leaving many injured and at least one person dead. Lois Lane is hospitalized. Despite the chaos ofFinal Crisis and more than half of humanity being enslaved by evil, the newspaper continues to spread news and inform the public via a printing press in Superman'sFortress of Solitude. InFinal Crisis #7, it is shown functioning once again.
With the reboot of DC's line of comics in 2011, theDaily Planet was shown in theSuperman comics as being bought by Morgan Edge and merged with theGalaxy Broadcasting System, similar to the Silver/Bronze Age continuity.[16] InAction Comics, it is revealed that in the new history/universe, Clark Kent begins his journalism career in Metropolis roughly six years before Galaxy Broadcasting merges with theDaily Planet. Along with being a writer forThe Daily Star, partly because editor George Taylor was a friend of his adopted parents, Clark is an active blogger who speaks against political corruption and reports on the troubles of everyday citizens who are not often the focus of news media. While working at theStar, Clark meetsPlanet photographer Jimmy Olsen and the two become friends despite working at rival publications. Clark is also a great fan of Lois Lane's work at theDaily Planet, eventually meeting her through Jimmy. Months after Superman makes his public debut, Clark leavesThe Daily Star on good terms and accepts a position atThe Daily Planet.
After the merger with Galaxy Broadcasting, Lois was promoted to run the TV division, with Clark acting as an on-the-scene reporter for the TV division. Clark is later assigned the "Superman beat." But after rising tension between himself and Lois, as well as with Galaxy Broadcasting head Morgan Edge, Clark concludes that theDaily Planet is now more concerned with ratings and internet page views than actual journalism. He quits and goes off to begin an independent, internet news site with fellow journalist Cat Grant. Though Lois and Jimmy consider this to be a bad and risky decision, they continue to act as Clark's friends and confidants, offering aid when they can.
At the conclusion of the New 52, following the New 52 Superman's death, Lex Luthor buys theDaily Planet.[17]
In virtually every incarnation of the era inhabited by theLegion of Super-Heroes, theDaily Planet is depicted as a fixture in Metropolis, and one of Earth's major media sources. Frequently, theFlash's wifeIris West (a native of the era) is depicted as a member of its staff or editorial board.
Daily Planet's staff at various times included:
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