9 Daily Bugle Reporters You Might Not Know

On January 29, Spidey’s world is expanding again with a new five-issue limited series, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: DAILY BUGLE!

Writer Mat Johnson and artist Mack Chater are turning the spotlight on two of the Bugle’s best, editor Robbie Robertson and reporter Ben Urich, as they uncover new intel about Mayor Wilson Fisk that will impact everyone in Spider-Man’s orbit...

Both Robbie and Ben are well established as shining stars of the Bugle, as well as its moral compass. While Johnson and Chater will also introduce new reporters, Marvel.com is getting ready for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: DAILY BUGLE #1’s debut by profiling some of the most memorable faces and characters from the Bugle’s long history.

Lance Bannon

Would you believe that Lance Bannon was once Peter Parker’s top rival at the Bugle? Both men were photographers, but ex-Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson preferred Bannon’s pics because they frequently made Spider-Man look like a criminal.

Unfortunately for Lance, he stumbled upon the identity of F.A.C.A.D.E., and was subsequently murdered in WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #114 to protect that secret. To this date, Lance’s killer has not been brought to justice and F.A.C.A.D.E.’s identity remains unknown.

Betty Brant

Betty’s history with the Bugle goes all the way back to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #4,  when she was introduced as Jonah’s secretary. She also had an immediate romantic spark with Peter. Betty eventually had a tumultuous marriage with Ned Leeds before he was framed as the Hobgoblin and murdered. In the years after that, Betty reinvented herself as an investigative reporter and eventually cleared Ned’s name, becoming one of the Bugle’s most respected writers in the process.

Katherine "Kat" Farrell

Nearly two decades ago, Kat Farrell was one of the leads in DEADLINE (2002). At the time, Kat was trying to veer away from Super Hero coverage in order to focus on ordinary heroes who didn’t wear masks or capes. However, she became drawn into the mystery of a new vigilante called the Judge, and she started to become more open minded about the heroes. Regardless, that doesn’t mean that Kat lets anyone get a free pass while chasing the truth.

Frederick Foswell

Unfortunately, the Bugle does have a few black sheep in its family. Crime reporter Frederick Foswell was so good at his beat that he realized that the city was ripe for the taking. Frederick took on the Super Villain moniker "Big Man"—and nearly got away with it too, but was unmasked in disgrace in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #10. Jonah, though. truly respected Frederick and gave him a chance to redeem himself.

Frederick squandered that opportunity when he tried to muscle in on the Kingpin. Frederick eventually died saving Jonah’s life in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #52, which may have been his most selfless decision since his transformation into a villain.

Nick Katzenberg

Nick Katzenberg wasn’t just another rival photographer of Peter Parker, he’s the only one who caught Parker out! You see, in WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #63, Nick took pictures of Peter in costume as Spider-Man with Mary Jane while “faking” promotional photos of Spidey. Nick didn’t realize that Peter actually was Spider-Man, but the pics were more than enough to get Peter into big trouble at the paper.

Later in life, Nick was stricken by lung cancer, and he buried the hatchet with the Parkers. Seeing the condition Nick found himself in, Mary Jane decided to make a few changes in her life inside AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #385—just before Nick passed away.

Ned Leeds

By all accounts, Ned Leeds was a stellar reporter for The Daily Bugle. He also had quite a temper, which put him at odds with both his wife, Betty, and with Peter Parker. Readers would later learn that some of Ned’s anger issues may have been due to the biggest story he ever uncovered: the Hobgoblin’s secret identity. The real Hobgoblin brainwashed Ned so thoroughly that the reporter really believed that he was the Hobgoblin when he was killed off-panel in SPIDER-MAN VERSUS WOLVERINE (1987) #1.

Betty exposed the real Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, and cleared her late husband’s name in SPIDER-MAN: HOBGOBLIN LIVES (1997). Later, during THE CLONE CONSPIRACY, Ned’s clone was one of the few that survived, but he tragically perished as well, in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018) #15.

Irene Merryweather

Becoming a reporter for The Daily Bugle was a dream for Irene Merryweather. But she took a very unusual route to get there. While working for The Inquiring Eye, Irene befriended Cable and became his chronicler. When Cable formed his own nation, Providence, in CABLE & DEADPOOL (2004), he recruited Irene as one of the island’s top officials. During that time, Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool, seemingly took a romantic interest in Irene.

After Providence was destroyed, Irene realized her dream and joined the Bugle at last. But in DESPICABLE DEADPOOL (2017) #292, Wade killed Irene at the Bugle’s office because Stryfe had blackmailed him with threats against Wade’s daughter. It was a tragic end for Irene, who deserved so much more.

Phil Sheldon

Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ landmark MARVELS (1994) series introduced readers to Phil Sheldon, a photographer who witnessed the very beginning of the Marvel Age of heroes. It was Phil who coined the name “Marvels,” and he also wrote a best-selling book based upon his photography. Phil saw the greatness in the heroes long before others, but he also had to overcome his anti-mutant fears and prejudice. Phil was also greatly shaken by the death of Gwen Stacy, after befriending her while clearing Spider-Man for her father’s murder. A few years later, Phil passed away surrounded by his family—but his stellar legacy lives on.

Norah Winters

Even before she joined The Daily Bugle, Norah Winters was one of Front Line’s top reporters. She was quite skilled at getting to the heart of a story. Norah’s eventual downfall came when Phil Urich, Ben’s nephew, became infatuated with her while working with her as a photographer. Phil used his criminal connections as Hobgoblin to get Norah scoops and they eventually started dating. But when the truth came out, Norah’s career was discredited even though she didn’t know about Phil’s double life. Regardless, we suspect that Norah will eventually get another shot at The Daily Bugle. She’s just too talented to be out of the game forever.

Read these issues on Marvel Unlimited now! Then pre-order AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: DAILY BUGLE #1 at your local comic shop before picking it up on January 29!