J. Jonah Jameson is famed for his demands for pictures of Spider-Man. This trait has made its way from the comics to cartoons, movies, and thousands of Internet memes. However, Ultimate Spider-Man #9 reveals that things are quite different in the Ultimate Universe.
Written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Marco Checchetto, Ultimate Spider-Man #9 has a subplot involving J. Jonah Jameson and his new website, The Paper. Partnering with Ben Parker (who is still alive in this reality), Jameson seeks to establish an honest news organization in the wake of the Kingpin buying The Daily Bugle. With Mary Jane Watson as their marketing manager, The Paper quickly built a fast following.
However, J. Jonah Jameson is concerned about the source of The Paper’s popularity. Specifically, how they are known as the best source for information on New York City’s superheroes. They are particularly famous for their photos of said superheroes, all taken by Peter Parker.
Ultimate Spider-Man’s Jameson is sick of Spidey
Ironically, Jameson thinks The Paper may have too many stories about Spider-Man. He fears their coverage of the wall-crawling vigilante is taking away attention from the investigative journalism he and Ben Parker wanted to support. In short, the sensationalism, while increasing sales, is distracting from the real news.
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However, Mary Jane comes to the defense of her husband and The Paper putting a positive spin on his work. She also points out that attracting a following is the biggest challenge The Paper faces. Once they have accomplished that, they can sell their hard-hitting real news along with the feel-good superhero fluff in safety.
These scenes highlight a difference between the J. Jonah Jameson of the main Marvel Universe and Ultimate Spider-Man. However, they also highlight what they have in common at their core. While the classic Jonah is publicity-hungry, he is also an honest journalist. This makes it all the more ironically amusing to see that his Ultimate Universe counterpart is worried about having too many pictures of Spider-Man.
Ultimate Spider-Man #9 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
