hey train cat! any ideas of where to go for good comics with the Daily Bugle being a significant part of the story?
A quick and dirty reclist! The Daily Bugle is one of my favorite parts of Spider-Man -- I would call it one of the main souls of the story -- but a lot of its involvement happens in the background of other storylines, or as a home hub for Peter. So, top picks, in some semblance of chronological order. This is by no means comprehensive, just a few storylines that immediately came to mind:
ASM #103-104: Jonah accompanies Peter (and Gwen, as a cover model) on a trip to the Savage Land. I think this one is mostly just goofy fun, but it’s got good Jonah (and Robbie!) moments.
ASM #151: Jonah throws a party at his apartment.
ASM #250-251: When he’s blackmailed over his involvement in creating the Scorpion, Jonah steps down as editor in chief from the Daily Bugle, appointing Robbie in his stead. Some really good Jonah character moments.
ASM #278-289 + Spider-Man vs Wolverine: I would recommend this whole stretch although I don’t think it is Bugle-focused so much as that the Bugle staff has a lot of involvement -- this covers Flash Thompson’s arrest under suspicion of being the Hobgoblin, Ned Leeds’ death, and Betty’s breakdown, plus the events of Gang War.
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #5: The first (Spider-Man) appearance of Kate Cushing, a Bugle reporter who I think should be making a major comeback as Peter’s work wife.
Web of Spider-Man #40-43: Betty’s recruited in a cult that may have something to do with the disappearance of Bugle editor Kate Cushing’s sister. I love this one in part because there aren’t enough stories out there that make full use of Kate Cushing.
Inferno (Amazing Spider-Man #311-313, Spectacular Spider-Man #146-148, Web of Spider-Man #47-48): Spider-Man’s parts of the Inferno event -- you can read them without the rest of the event, they’re fairly easy to follow as long as you know that New York has been taken over by demons and everything has gone very screwy. Peter ends up taking refuge in the Bugle after taking a bad beating, leading to a very charming team up between him and JJJ.
(Spectacular Spider-Man #147)
Spectacular Spider-Man #173: Featuring the Bugle holiday party!
Web of Spider-Man #77: A fun oneshot plot featuring a Bugle charity function.
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1-3: I have mixed feelings about this series -- I think the steps it takes to absolve Ned Leeds and throw the Hobgoblin plot into new light are unnecessary ones, ultimately, and that the Ned Apology Game is pretty unneeded. But it is still a decent and very Bugle-focused miniseries with a good amount of focus on the staff.
Daily Bugle #1-3: Probably my favorite really Daily Bugle-focused series. Gorgeous black and white art and fun, stark narration make it feel like a noir. This one is great because Spider-Man takes a total backseat -- Peter is a player, but primarily in his civilian identity.
Dark Reign: Mr. Negative: Set during the Dark Reign event, Betty Brant takes on a case that might be too much for her to handle, and Peter runs into some problems of his own. This isn’t a top favorite, but I think as more modern Betty stories go, it’s pretty decent.
Deadline #1-4: Starring Bugle reporter Kat Farrell, who has a grudge against the superhero types, stumbling across a murder. Another good Bugle-focused series that doesn’t feature Spider-Man heavily.
