TheDaily Bugle is featured prominently in many Marvel Comics titles, especially those in whichSpider-Man is the lead character. In1996, a three-issue (black and white) limited series was printed.
Since2006, Marvel has published a monthlyDaily Bugle newspaper reporting on the company's publications and authors. Marvel earlier used the newspaper format to promote Marvel's crossover eventsCivil War andHouse of M—reporting on storyline events as if the comic bookDaily Bugle had come to life. Marvel restored this promotional function for the2007 death ofCaptain America.
TheDaily Bugle was founded in 1898 and has been published daily ever since. TheDaily Bugle is printed in tabloid format like its rival theDaily Globe. The editor and publisher of theBugle,J. Jonah Jameson, began his journalistic career as a reporter for theBugle while still in high school. Jameson purchased the then-flounderingBugle with inheritance funds, from his recently deceased father-in-law and turned the paper into a popular success. Other magazines published from time-to-time include the revivedNow magazine and the now-defunctWoman magazine, edited byCarol Danvers.
J. Jonah Jameson, Inc. purchased the Goodman Building on39th Street andSecond Avenue in 1936 and moved its entire editorial and publishing facilities there.[3] Now called the Daily Bugle Building, the office complex is forty-six stories tall, and is capped by theDaily Bugle logo in 30-foot (9.1 m) letters on the roof. There are loading docks in the rear of the building, reached by a back alley. Three floors are devoted to the editorial office of theBugle and two sub-basement levels to the printing presses, while the rest of the floors are rented. (A panel in #105 ofThe Amazing Spider-Man showed theBugle building located near a street sign at the corner ofMadison Avenue and a street in the East Fifties (the second digit was not shown). This suggests that the building may have been relocated at some point.)
The newspaper is noted for its anti-superhero slant, especially concerningSpider-Man, whom the paper constantly smears as a part of its editorial policy. However, the Editor-in-Chief, "Robbie" Robertson, the only subordinate to Jameson who isnot intimidated by him, has worked to moderate it. More positively, the newspaper has also published important exposés of political corruption and organized crime in the city, and also takes a strong stance in favor ofmutant rights, which has led to its being targeted by various criminals and hate groups.
Due to declining circulation, Jameson has conceded to Robertson's objections and has created a special feature section of the paper calledThe Pulse, which focuses on superheroes. In addition, the paper also intermittently ran aglossy magazine calledNow Magazine.
Soon after the team's formation, theNew Avengers decided to strike a deal with Jameson regarding exclusive content in exchange for removing the strong anti-Spider-Man sentiment from the newspaper, to which Jameson agreed. Merely one day later, Jameson broke the spirit (though not the letter) of his agreement withIron Man, using the headline "a wanted murderer (Wolverine),an alleged ex-member of a terrorist organization (Spider-Woman)and a convicted heroin-dealer (Luke Cage)are just some of the new recruits set to bury the once good name of theAvengers," but refraining from attacking Spider-Man. This promptedJessica Jones to sell the first pictures of her newborn baby to one of theBugle's competitors instead.
In the first issue ofRunaways (vol. 2),Victor Mancha states in an exchange about Spider-Man that"The only people who think he's a criminal areFox News and theDaily Bugle. And theBugle is, like, the least respected newspaper in New York City." The paper's major named competitors are theDaily Globe, which implicitly takes a more balanced look at superheroes,Front Line, run by EICBen Urich and Sally Floyd, andThe Alternative. After Peter Parker revealed that he is Spider-Man and theBugle planned to sue him for fraud, the paper itself was put on the defensive with front page accusations from theGlobe (with information secretly supplied byBugle reporterBetty Brant) oflibeling the superhero.
The adventures of the staff of the newspaper beyond Peter Parker have been depicted in two series,Daily Bugle andThe Pulse.
After Jameson suffered a near-fatal heart attack, his wife sold theBugle to rival newspaper manDexter Bennett, who changed the name toThe DB! (either standing for Dexter Bennett orDaily Bugle), and transformed it into ascandal sheet.[2] Since afterBrand New Day no one knows the secret identity of Spider-Man anymore, the animosity between Jameson and Parker isretconned as a simple financial question, with Jameson's heart attack coming right after a monetary request from Peter.
The reputation of theDB! since the mention inRunaways (vol. 2) has plummeted downward because of the new, scandalistic angle Bennett gives it. Several reporters unwilling, or refusing the new course, like Peter himself, are forced to go away, finding a new safe haven in theFront Line, the only magazine willing to accept people that were fired by Bennett, pursuing ascorched earth policy over them.
The villainElectro targeted Dexter Bennett because of a government bailout plan for the financially strapped paper. Spider-Man intervened, and during a battle inside theDB! offices, the entire building was demolished, bringing an end to the newspaper as well.[4]
Front Line was a newspaper founded and run byBen Urich and Sally Floyd. The organization was formed inCivil War: Front Line #11 asFrontlines.com. The newspaper appeared in the miniseriesWorld War Hulk: Front Line andSiege: Embedded. Originally it was not competitive with theDaily Bugle while Jameson was still in charge, but it became an alternative view toThe DB! once Bennett took control.
Sometime after theDB!'s destruction, Jameson, now the mayor of New York, cashed in theDB! shares that he acquired from Bennett and gave the money to Robbie Robertson. Jameson asked Robertson to remakeFront Line (which itself was on hard times) into the newDaily Bugle.[5]
Cliff Garner (reporter)[40][112] – formerly of theAir Force, investigated the possible conspiracy of Control, slain by co-conspiracy theorist General Edward Harrison[113]
Simon J. Goodman (publisher)[114] – publisher in the 1940s, name is probably a reference toMartin Goodman, first publisher of Marvel Comics.
unknown female reporter (reporter)[116] – Mystique in disguise, seen working as aDaily Bugle reporter inX-Factor
Amber Grant (freelance photographer)[117] – made Peter Parker envious of her ability to tell off Jameson and still sell to him; current status unknown
Jeffrey Haight (photographer)[118] – former boyfriend ofAnna Kefkin, made alliance withDr. Octopus in desperate effort to gain a front-page photograph. Sent to prison for assisting in Dr. Octopus' escape.
Walter "Old Man"Jameson (Editor/Reporter)[119] – Mistakenly assumed to be JJJ's father, David Jameson.
Peter Parker (photographer, usuallyfreelance):[136] Fired for refusing to accept Dexter Bennett's way of doing business.[137] Presently works as a freelance photographer for the "Frontline".[138]
Jess Patton (Secretary)[139] – Killed and body taken over by the Thousand
Addie Pinckney (Los Angeles Correspondent)[140] – status unknown, was elderly when depicted.
In theAge of Apocalypse timeline, theDaily Bugle is a clandestine paper run by humans meant to inform the public about the secrets ofApocalypse, here the tyrannical ruler of North America. ThisDaily Bugle is run by Robbie Robertson, who is killed by aBrood-infectedChristopher Summers, leaving the status of the paper unknown.[154]
TheGotham Bugle (an amalgamation of theDaily Bugle andDC Comics' theGotham Gazette) appears in theAmalgam Comics world. Similar to the mainstreamDaily Bugle, employees include J. Jonah White, Jimmy Urich, Tana Moon, Jack Ryder andSpider-Boy. In this world, theGotham Bugle regularly produces cover stories revolving around Spider-Boy's love life.[155]
In this alternate reality, theDaily Bugle exists mostly as a propaganda machine for the ruling mutant hierarchy. Stories can be and are repressed if they are not favorable enough to mutants. In this reality, a blue-skinned woman named Cerena Taylor is the editor-in-chief. Other staff members include Bugman (theDaily Bugle's paparazzi driver), Jacob Guntherson (the Daily Bugle's photographer), and Triporter (the Daily Bugle's three-eyed reporter).
In theUltimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610), theBugle is much the same as in the 616 version. The main difference is that Peter Parker is not employed as a photographer, but works on the newspaper's website after Jameson sees him assist with a problem. The newspaper plays less of a role inUltimate Spider-Man than it did in the comics portraying the equivalent period of the 616 Spider-Man's career. Peter frequently implies that he does not spend much time there. After the events ofUltimatum, theDaily Bugle, much like the rest of New York, was heavily damaged. Instead of a full rebuild, theBugle was made into an online newspaper and blog.
In theUltimate Universe (Earth-6160), theDaily Bugle is owned byWilson Fisk who is loyal to theMaker andhis council.J. Jonah Jameson andBen Parker were depicted as employees of theDaily Bugle until they resigned upon being disgusted at nobody wanting to investigateTony Stark's "attack on New York City", opting to instead start their own journalism company,The Paper.[156]
ADaily Bugle newspaper appears in theSpider-Woman episode "The Kongo Spider".
TheDaily Bugle appears inSpider-Man: The Animated Series. This version of the Bugle has a sister program calledJ3 Communications, a broadcasting station hosted by J. Jonah Jameson.
A parody of theDaily Bugle appears in a skit called "The X-Play Bugle", withAdam Sessler as the editor-in-chief, in theX-Play episode "Spider-Man 3".
The Daily Bugle appears inThe Spectacular Spider-Man. Similar to the depictions seen in the Sam Raimi film trilogy and theMarvels, this version of the newspaper is also housed in theFlatiron Building.
TheDaily Bugle appears inUltimate Spider-Man. This version is calledDaily Bugle Communications, which serves as a television news outlet, with J. Jonah Jameson (voiced byJ. K. Simmons) as its most prominent anchorman.
TheDaily Bugle appears inThe Amazing Spider-Man (2012) andThe Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), both directed byMarc Webb. This version of the company is a newspaper outlet and television station. Additionally, aDaily Bugle blog was hosted on Tumblr, where promotional material was posted as in-universe articles.
^Jack Morelli (w), Joyce Chen (p), Andy Lanning (i). "The Night They Killed Big Bear" Peter Parker: Spider-Man/Elektra '98, no. 1 (1998). Marvel Comics.
