|
Wednesday, 05 July 2006 15:50 |
| John North
Editor & Publisher |
Superman: ?®I??m here to fight for truth, justice and the American way.?∆
Lois Lane: ?®You??re gonna wind up fighting every elected official in this country!?∆
The recent release of the film ?®Superman Returns,?∆ the latest in a series in which many of the lead characters work at a newspaper called the Daily Planet, has prompted several people to quiz me about the rather amazing coincidence that this newspaper shares the same name.
In
response, I tell them that before embarking on this journalistic
adventure, it struck me that Daily Planet would be a snappy and
appropriately retro name for a cutting-edge newspaper in a delightfully
eccentric city like Asheville.
Also, I like the
irony that the paper is published weekly, although it has a daily name.
The cheekiness of calling a weekly a daily makes people laugh. (Of
course, I was only thinking ahead, as we aspire to grow into a daily
eventually.)
What??s more, the Daily Planet probably ranks as the best-known name of any newspaper from the world of fiction.
Not
surprisingly, Asheville??s is not the only Daily Planet on the planet,
as there are publications with that name in Berkeley, Calif., and
Telluride, Colo.
There also are
other businesses named the Daily Planet, including famous restaurants
in Fresno, Calif., and Burlington, Vt., and, perhaps most notably, a
booming brothel in Melbourne, Australia.
Indeed, the name Daily Planet seems to advertise itself.
For those who
might not be familiar with the history of Superman, the series evolved
from D.C. Comics and centers around a fictional newspaper, the Daily
Planet, which is based in Metropolis. The paper??s key employees include
Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and grizzled chief editor Perry
White. Kent is a mild-mannered reporter whose alter ego is Superman.
The Planet is depicted as a famous nationally published newspaper of
the same caliber as The New York Times.
In the comics
from which the Superman series evolved, the newspaper, which is located
in the heart of Metropolis, began publication in 1775 and featured a
guest editorial written by George Washington for its first daily
edition.
Interestingly,
when Superman first appeared in the comics in 1938, Kent worked for a
newspaper called the Daily Star, under editor George Taylor. Superman
co-creator Joe Shuster likely named the Daily Star after the Toronto
(Ontario) Daily Star, a paper he much revered. However, the paper??s
name in the Superman comics eventually was changed to the Daily Planet
?? reportedly, to avoid a name conflict with real newspapers that had
Star in their name.
As one who truly
loves newspapers and appreciates their vital role in a democratic
society as an information source and watchdog, I??ve always been pleased
that Superman is based around a newspaper, albeit a fictional one.
And despite its
rather cartoonish name, this Daily Planet, which we bill (modestly) as
?®Asheville??s greatest newspaper,?∆ is, as a real paper, every bit as
serious in its mission as the more famous fictional Planet. (However, I
must admit, we occasionally are accused of printing fiction as fact.)
Nevertheless,
this Daily Planet aspires to make a difference by objectively reporting
the news and providing a lively and independent voice in the Greater
Asheville Area.
The release of
?®Superman Returns?∆ is yet another bonus for this Daily Planet. We don??t
seem to have to advertise ourselves very much ?? we just have to go
after advertisers.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
