Daily Star (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Daily Star was a fictional broadsheet
newspaper
that appeared in Superman
stories published by DC Comics
between 1938 and 1986. The Daily Star was based in Metropolis
and employed Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen
; its chief editor was George Taylor
.
In the comics, the newspaper was located in the heart of Metropolis. The Daily Star building's most distinguishing feature was the enormous star that sat on top of the building.
named the Daily Star after the Toronto Daily Star
in Ontario
, which had been the newspaper that Shuster's parents received and for which Shuster had worked as a paperboy. (Called the Evening Star prior to 1899, the Toronto Daily Star is now known simply as the Toronto Star.)
"I have very fond memories of the Toronto Star," Shuster told Star reporter Henry Mietkiewicz for a story that ran on April 26, 1992, three months before Shuster died in Los Angeles
. "I still remember drawing one of the earliest panels that showed the newspaper building. We needed a name, and I spontaneously remembered the Toronto Star
. So that's the way I lettered it. I decided to do it that way on the spur of the moment, because the Star was such a great influence on my life."
#1, his alter ego
, Clark Kent
, worked for the "large metropolitan daily" newspaper (Action #7, Dec 1938) the Daily Star under editor George Taylor (Superman
#2, Fall 1939). With the exception of Action Comics #2, when Kent (and Taylor) inexplicably worked for the Cleveland Evening News, the above arrangement remained unchanged through March 1940 (Action #22).
Kent apparently had persuaded Taylor to hire him only shortly before the first issue of Action by phoning in an exclusive account of Superman's first public act—thwarting an attempted lynching
at the county jail (Superman #1, Summer 1939). Before long, Kent was referred to as the paper's "ace scribe
" (Action #9, Feb 1939) and "ace reporter" (Action #6, Nov 1938). He often butted heads with Lois Lane
, an aggressive, career-minded journalist who'd started as the Daily Stars "sob sister" (Action #7, Dec 1938) and "lovelorn editor" before earning her stripes as a full-fledged "news reporter" (Superman #3, Winter 1940) and war correspondent
in Europe
(Action #22, Mar 1940).
Then, in Spring 1940 (Action #23), without any in-story explanation, the newspaper suddenly was referred to as the Daily Planet
, an especially amusing development for Kent and Lane, who were abroad and in the midst of a multi-issue storyline when their place of employment changed names (the alteration had been made earlier in the newspaper comic strip
, with Nov 13, 1939's #259). In reality, the fictional newspaper's name was changed to avoid a name conflict with actual papers that had "Star" in their titles.
George Taylor remained the editor (Action #25, June '40) through November 1940 (Action #30), after which new Daily Planet editor Perry White
inexplicably appeared (Superman #7, November-December 1940). Kent and Lane made no reference to the management change, though they clearly were not as enamored of White as they'd been of Taylor.
means of continuity tracking between the early 1960s and mid-1980s, it was declared that the Daily Star--edited by George Taylor—was the workplace of the Golden Age or "Earth-Two
" Clark Kent, Lois Lane and office boy-turned-cub reporter Jimmy Olsen
, while the Daily Planet--edited by Perry White—was unique to their Silver Age or "Earth-One" counterparts.
In the Silver Age continuity, Perry White was promoted to editor-in-chief upon the retirement of the Earth-One version of George Taylor (this took place while Clark Kent was in college). The Perry White of Earth-Two, however, was a lead reporter for the Daily Star and "filled in" as editor from time to time when Taylor was away.
Clark Kent of Earth-2 advanced his reporting career to become Lead Investigative Reporter for the Daily Star. But, always mindful of his dual persona, he largely maintained a retiring manner. In the meantime, Kent (and Superman) befriended Jimmy Olsen, who'd started as a pre-teen office boy at the Daily Star in the 1930s but became a cub reporter when he published the story of Superman's defeat of the Archer (Superman #13).
In the late 1940s, would-be crime lord Colonel Future
challenged the Wizard
, a rumored sorcerer
, to eliminate the Man of Steel. The Wizard cast a spell to rid the world of Superman, but merely made Clark repress the memory of his alter ego. As a result, Kent became an aggressive, crusading reporter who won the heart—and hand—of Lois Lane. But when she discovered Clark's secret on their honeymoon, Lois tracked down the Wizard and made him reverse the spell. (Action Comics #484.)
George Taylor retired in the early 1950s, and Kent was selected over Perry White as the new Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Star. Lois Lane-Kent was promoted to Lead Investigative Reporter while James Olsen became a managing editor.
When, in the mid 1980s, the multiverse collapsed into a single new universe (Crisis on Infinite Earths
#10), the history and most of the people of Earth-2 were wiped from existence. However, Lois Lane-Kent was saved from the universal reboot and went with her husband to live in a pocket dimension (Crisis on Infinite Earths #12).
For nearly twenty years, Superman was content in the "paradise" dimension until Lois fell ill (Infinite Crisis
Secret Files 2006). Believing that seeing home would revitalize her, Superman built a replica
of the Daily Star building. This failed to help, however. When Lois finally died, she told her husband that she was happy to have lived such a long life.
In week 38 of 52
, it is implied that the Star is owned by Lex Luthor, or at the very least, is highly sympathetic to him, and skeptical of metahumans.
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
that appeared in Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
stories published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
between 1938 and 1986. The Daily Star was based in Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
and employed Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
; its chief editor was George Taylor
George Taylor
George Taylor may refer to:*George Taylor , soldier in Texas army, died in the Battle of the Alamo*George Taylor , see List of Sydney Swans players...
.
In the comics, the newspaper was located in the heart of Metropolis. The Daily Star building's most distinguishing feature was the enormous star that sat on top of the building.
History
Superman co-creator Joe ShusterJoe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
named the Daily Star after the Toronto Daily Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, which had been the newspaper that Shuster's parents received and for which Shuster had worked as a paperboy. (Called the Evening Star prior to 1899, the Toronto Daily Star is now known simply as the Toronto Star.)
"I have very fond memories of the Toronto Star," Shuster told Star reporter Henry Mietkiewicz for a story that ran on April 26, 1992, three months before Shuster died in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. "I still remember drawing one of the earliest panels that showed the newspaper building. We needed a name, and I spontaneously remembered the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
. So that's the way I lettered it. I decided to do it that way on the spur of the moment, because the Star was such a great influence on my life."
Golden Age
When Superman first appeared in comics, in June 1938's Action ComicsAction Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#1, his alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
, worked for the "large metropolitan daily" newspaper (Action #7, Dec 1938) the Daily Star under editor George Taylor (Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#2, Fall 1939). With the exception of Action Comics #2, when Kent (and Taylor) inexplicably worked for the Cleveland Evening News, the above arrangement remained unchanged through March 1940 (Action #22).
Kent apparently had persuaded Taylor to hire him only shortly before the first issue of Action by phoning in an exclusive account of Superman's first public act—thwarting an attempted lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
at the county jail (Superman #1, Summer 1939). Before long, Kent was referred to as the paper's "ace scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
" (Action #9, Feb 1939) and "ace reporter" (Action #6, Nov 1938). He often butted heads with Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
, an aggressive, career-minded journalist who'd started as the Daily Stars "sob sister" (Action #7, Dec 1938) and "lovelorn editor" before earning her stripes as a full-fledged "news reporter" (Superman #3, Winter 1940) and war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Action #22, Mar 1940).
Then, in Spring 1940 (Action #23), without any in-story explanation, the newspaper suddenly was referred to as the Daily Planet
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
, an especially amusing development for Kent and Lane, who were abroad and in the midst of a multi-issue storyline when their place of employment changed names (the alteration had been made earlier in the newspaper comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
, with Nov 13, 1939's #259). In reality, the fictional newspaper's name was changed to avoid a name conflict with actual papers that had "Star" in their titles.
George Taylor remained the editor (Action #25, June '40) through November 1940 (Action #30), after which new Daily Planet editor Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
inexplicably appeared (Superman #7, November-December 1940). Kent and Lane made no reference to the management change, though they clearly were not as enamored of White as they'd been of Taylor.
Silver and Bronze Ages
When DC Comics made use of its multiverseMultiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
means of continuity tracking between the early 1960s and mid-1980s, it was declared that the Daily Star--edited by George Taylor—was the workplace of the Golden Age or "Earth-Two
Earth-Two
Earth-Two is a fictional universe appearing in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. First appearing in The Flash #123 , Earth-Two was created to explain how Silver-Age versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Golden Age counterparts...
" Clark Kent, Lois Lane and office boy-turned-cub reporter Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, while the Daily Planet--edited by Perry White—was unique to their Silver Age or "Earth-One" counterparts.
In the Silver Age continuity, Perry White was promoted to editor-in-chief upon the retirement of the Earth-One version of George Taylor (this took place while Clark Kent was in college). The Perry White of Earth-Two, however, was a lead reporter for the Daily Star and "filled in" as editor from time to time when Taylor was away.
Clark Kent of Earth-2 advanced his reporting career to become Lead Investigative Reporter for the Daily Star. But, always mindful of his dual persona, he largely maintained a retiring manner. In the meantime, Kent (and Superman) befriended Jimmy Olsen, who'd started as a pre-teen office boy at the Daily Star in the 1930s but became a cub reporter when he published the story of Superman's defeat of the Archer (Superman #13).
In the late 1940s, would-be crime lord Colonel Future
Colonel Future
Colonel Future is the name shared by two fictional super-villains in DC Comics.-Colonel Future I :Colonel Future I first appeared in Action Comics #484, as a criminal gang-leader who uses super-scientific weapons to commit his crimes, and is a sworn enemy of the Earth-2 Superman, and has attempted...
challenged the Wizard
Wizard (DC Comics)
The Wizard is a fictional DC Comics Golden Age supervillain.-Fictional character biography:Born approximately 1913, William I. Zard grew up living a life of crime. As a gun man for various crime bosses, he ultimately ended up in jail. With the passage of time, he formulated a strategy to become a...
, a rumored sorcerer
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
, to eliminate the Man of Steel. The Wizard cast a spell to rid the world of Superman, but merely made Clark repress the memory of his alter ego. As a result, Kent became an aggressive, crusading reporter who won the heart—and hand—of Lois Lane. But when she discovered Clark's secret on their honeymoon, Lois tracked down the Wizard and made him reverse the spell. (Action Comics #484.)
George Taylor retired in the early 1950s, and Kent was selected over Perry White as the new Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Star. Lois Lane-Kent was promoted to Lead Investigative Reporter while James Olsen became a managing editor.
When, in the mid 1980s, the multiverse collapsed into a single new universe (Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
#10), the history and most of the people of Earth-2 were wiped from existence. However, Lois Lane-Kent was saved from the universal reboot and went with her husband to live in a pocket dimension (Crisis on Infinite Earths #12).
Modern Age
In the post-Crisis universe, the Daily Star is occasionally mentioned, suggesting its a separate newspaper.For nearly twenty years, Superman was content in the "paradise" dimension until Lois fell ill (Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
Secret Files 2006). Believing that seeing home would revitalize her, Superman built a replica
Replica
A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...
of the Daily Star building. This failed to help, however. When Lois finally died, she told her husband that she was happy to have lived such a long life.
In week 38 of 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
, it is implied that the Star is owned by Lex Luthor, or at the very least, is highly sympathetic to him, and skeptical of metahumans.