When shaping the Marvel universe, Stan Lee created and co-created plenty of fascinating super-humans. Emphasis on ‘human’. He had a talent for making the most astonishing characters relatable. Take the Fantastic Four for example. Yes, they’re explorers on a cosmic scale but at the end of the day, they’re a family. Better yet, take Spider-Man for example. The iconic character is steadfast in his spidey-sense of responsibility, as well as his sense of right and wrong. He truly has the heart of a hero. At the same time though, Peter is broke. So, so broke. The guy can save the planet and still struggles to pay his rent. Often, the only thing keeping food on the table is his freelance job at the ever-prestigious Daily Bugle!
Written by Mat Johnson
Illustrated by Mack Chater, Francesco Mobili & Scott Hanna
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Colored by Dono Sánchez-Almara & Protobunker
SPINNING OUT OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! The journalist must speak truth to power—whether or not it’s wielded responsibly. Helmed by Peter Parker’s mentor, Robbie Robertson, the Daily Bugle staff is at last chasing stories that matter. And in a city under Mayor Wilson Fisk, keeping the public informed is as essential as it is dangerous. Weaving between events in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and DAREDEVIL, Mat Johnson (Hellblazer Special: Papa Midnite, Incognegro, Loving Day) and Mack Chater (BLACK PANTHER AND THE CREW, Briggs Land) are following a lead into Kingpin and Spider-Man’s past that will change the way you look at the webslinger now, and as his story continues.
The Daily Bugle’s always in the background but this issue thrusts it right into the spotlight. We kick off with man-in-charge Robbie Robertson assembling his news-Avengers. He wants them doing in-depth investigative work and the crew starts to dive headfirst into a mystery. It seems like interesting concept on paper but overall, the execution just lands flat for me. Calling it bad would be too harsh but it is a very forgettable issue.
Part of me wonders if this comic was just going to have trouble right out the gate. It is a comic fully centered around journalism when typically the world of newspaper is a secondary focus for Spider-Man or Superman. On the other hand, “The Pulse”, penned by Brian Michael Bendis was pretty good with an almost identical premise. Right now, Greg Rucka’s “Lois Lane” over at DC is going great. We have proof that it can work but again, it doesn’t here.
The mystery elements aren’t intriguing either, not yet at least. Our central characters, unfortunately, leave a lot to be desired as well. I did not care much for the dynamic between Ben Urich and Robbie’s niece, Chloe Robertson. Most people typically enjoy the grizzled veteran and cocky rookie pairing but the two come across as a bit pompous. Chloe feels she knows it all and is dismissive of any wisdom that Urich might have. Ben, on the other hand, is annoyingly condescending. He calls Chloe’s blog ‘cute’, right to her face. The newspaper industry’s been in decline for a while, he definitely needs to humble himself there.
This comic has some humorous moments, some good and some not so good. Koi Boi isn’t really my cup of tea, but more power to you if you want to see him do banter with Spidey. It is a Spider-Man comic after all. It’s not Deadpool but it’s good for a couple chuckles. It’s kind of fun to see civilians close to the ground in the Marvel Universe annoyed with super-crap. We all make jokes about how rough it must be to live in Marvel’s New York.
Likewise, the art in this issue is sometimes good and sometimes not so good. There are two main artists on this book, sometimes one artist does the layouts while the other does the finishes. Comics have two or more artists on a book all the time but usually there’s some order to it. Artist A does the beginning and end, Artist B might do the middle, for example. In this book, it’s done seemingly at random. When you start to notice, it’s pretty distracting. Both artists are alright, though there are definitely moments I wish that they were more detailed.
The first issue of any series, be it a mini-series or ongoing, has a special burden on it. This is the jumping on point, this is the comic that is supposed to get readers hooked so that they will come back for more. This comic doesn’t quite hit the mark and I can’t say that I really want to know how everything shakes out. On the other hand, there’s nowhere to go but up. Comics can and do improve all the time. Will “Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle”? I guess that only time will tell.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – Here’s the scoop: maybe the Daily Bugle should have stayed in the background.
