CBR Live! Archive
Comic Book Alphabet of Cool - J
Today we look at one of the best supporting characters in comic book history.
J. Jonah Jameson
There are a lot of great supporting characters in the world of comics, and J. Jonah Jameson is one of the very best. While he's a lot like Perry White in the Superman comics, he has an extra layer of character that makes him a bit more intriguing - mostly the fact that he is waging a public relations war against Spider-Man, while unknowingly using photographs of Spider-Man taken by Peter Parker, who secretly IS Spider-Man!
What a great twist - it makes the relationship between the two an almost integral part of the Spider-Man books, and probably one of the major reasons why the Ben Reilly Spider-Man could not realistically survive, long-term, as it would have meant dropping Jameson and his newspaper, the Daily Bugle, from the cast of Spider-Man, which is never a good idea.
Jameson is so popular that he was one of the very few supporting characters to make it to the Top 50 in the Top Characters list I did last year, finishing second behind only Mary Jane Watson.
Here is the write-up I did for him back then:
J. Jonah Jameson, who was created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, is the publisher and editor-in-chief (although both titles have varied over the years) of the Daily Bugle, the newspaper for which, until recently, Peter Parker (Spider-Man) worked for as a photographer.
Jameson has led many a tirade against Spider-Man, certainly helping to establish the enmity many New Yorkers have against the wallcrawler, while at the same time, Jameson realizes that his anti-Spidey stories also help sell papers.
Over the years, he has tried many strategies to capture Spider-Man himself, including hiring such bad guys as Alistair Smythe, the Spider-Slayer and Mac Gargan, the Scorpion.
Jameson's son, John, was an astronaut, and Jameson adores his son, and is often irked that Spider-Man takes attention away from a REAL hero like his son.
Jameson is married to Dr. Marla Madison, a noted scientist. The two adopted Jonah's nice, Mattie Franklin (who was secretly the superhero Spider-Woman).
Recently, Jameson lost control of the Daily Bugle, but he almost certainly will be back, as everyone knows he is a very important part of the Spider-Man mythos.
- Posted on April 2, 2008 @ 09:45 PM
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10 Comments
Jeff Ryan
April 3, 2008 at 6:45 am
Quite happy to thank JK Simmons for his portrayal in the films, as well.
Using a wig, the cigar, the rat-a-tat line delivery--
All perfect.
Same as Gary Oldman in Batman Begins.
As good as anyone could could have wished for.
Really good...almost as good as a certain cosmic Avenger.
Matt Sheridan
April 3, 2008 at 10:19 am
Man, I would've put Jonah way ahead of MJ. The whole quasi-antagonist thing he's got going is great. For that matter, so is his whole role as a newspaper publisher even when Spider-Man isn't in the picture. I really dug his bit in The Pulse and related books, for example. The whole honest newspaper man vs. complete mercenary bastard conflict he sometimes displays--with Robbie there to serve as his conscience and Ben Urich as a foil--is good fun.
And, yeah, he really was perfectly portrayed in the movies.
Dalarsco
April 3, 2008 at 11:36 am
He also had a fantastic role over in the X-Books in the late '90s before and during OZT. He knew there was something fishy going on with Bastion so he did some kick-ass investigative reporting. I've always enjoyed the character as a character, but that was the story that made me like him as a person.
DBish
April 3, 2008 at 11:41 am
Brian Cronin
April 3, 2008 at 11:51 am
I actually meant to mention that!
That was one of the best Spider-Man stories of the time period, and it was in Uncanny X-Men!!
Lobdell did great work with Spider-Man AND JJJ in those issues.
Brian Cronin
April 3, 2008 at 11:53 am
There'll be future Alphabet go-arounds!
That said, yeah, Jughead would have been a cool choice.
Tell you what, keep an eye out for a certain letter next week, I'll try to make up for it!
Lothor
April 3, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Maybe Marla (Mrs. JJJ) can whisper in Mephisto's ear...
sononsj
April 4, 2008 at 7:27 am
JJJ's great. Check out the Steve/Ditko issues -- they did some really great stuff with him that just wasn't done back then. I'm not talking stories -- just the little panels they'd have of him, Ditko was great at giving Jonah a lot of expression. Check out ASM #17-19. They are CLASSIC Jonah.
Josh
April 4, 2008 at 9:49 am
I also loved Frank Miller's use of Jonah in Daredevil "Born Again". Spider-hatin' JJJ is fun, but the more complex JJJ is full of WIN.
Mary Warner
August 21, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I have little to add. Everything that's been said here is absolutely right in every way.