Real
Name: Samuel Clement Daly (see comments) "SCOOP" DALY
Real
Name: Samuel Clement Daly (see comments)
Identity/Class: Human, born circa 1900s, active 1930s through 1965 (see comments)
Occupation: Reporter
Group Membership: Daily Bugle staff;
formerly Sentinel staff
Affiliations: "Chief," Daily Bugle's "Old Man" (publisher or chief editor), Sadie
Daly, Phil Day, Foswell, Walter
"Jamie"/"Old Man" Jameson, Night
Raven, Willy "The Lip" Lorre;
possibly Jack "Flash Gun" Casey, Simon J. Goodman,
Kellerman, Jeff Mace, Mary Morgan, Phil Sheldon, C. Thomas Sites (see
comments)
Enemies: Frank, Death
Master (Randall Croft), Spike, two unidentified hotel robbers;
formerly Night Raven
Known Relatives: Sadie Daly (wife)
Aliases: "Newsboy"
Base of Operations: New York City, New York
First
Appearance: Hulk Comic#12/6 (May 23, 1979)
Powers/Abilities: "Scoop" Daly was an experienced
and skilled reporter, good at sniffing out leads for stories, and at
deductive reasoning, enough to put together disparate information to
uncover the truth behind a story. He was also a passable photographer.
In contrast to his reporting skills, at least in early 1931 "Scoop" was an inexperienced and substandard driver, a "confirmed pedestrian" by choice, but apparently his first encounter with Night Raven convinced him to improve his skills, as he had purchased a car by October 1931 and felt comfortable covertly tailing other vehicles.
Height: Unrevealed (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Brown (see comments)
History:
(Marvel Superheroes I#390/3 (fb) - BTS) - At some point in his life
Samuel Clement Daly came across a wildcat that had got its leg caught in
a trap, and had gnawed most of its way through its own leg trying to get
loose. He was haunted by its eyes that reflected the pain it seemed to
be trying to hold back, and shot it to put it out of its misery (see
comments).
(Marvel Superheroes I#395/4 (fb)) -
When he became a reporter, Daly picked up the nickname "Scoop"; deciding
he preferred it to his real name, he made it his byline.
(Marvel Superheroes#390/3 (fb) -
BTS) - Ace reporter "Scoop" Daly first heard of the vigilante Night
Raven as a spooky legend that occasionally whispered down the wires and
circulated by word of mouth from cab driver to street hustler to
newshound and back again, a figure allegedly a real-life version of the
larger-than-life crimefighters in the pulp magazines (see comments).
(Hulk Comic#12/6) - Circa early 1931 (see comments) "Scoop"
Daly was working for The Sentinel, and had garnered a reputation for
sniffing out crime stories. Assigned by his editor to investigate the
vigilante Night Raven, "Scoop" took a room at the Hotel Rivera in a bad
district downtown, hoping that the location would lend itself to him
overhearing some useful information towards his story. After checking
in, "Scoop" double checked his camera before settling down to get some
sleep, nagged by the feeling that the case wouldn't be as easy as he had
initially thought, and reminding himself that Night Raven was reportedly
not someone to be trifled with.
"Scoop" fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming
that he was running down a steep flight of stairs into the city's
crime-ridden underworld, then lurching through a maze of alleys, lost
and unable to escape. His dream rapidly degenerating into nightmare, he
was confronted by a mugger who held him at knife-point before being
startled by approaching headlights. As the mugger fled, "Scoop"
desperately called out for help to the oncoming car, then hugged the
wall as it raced past, revealed to be full of gangsters firing back at a
pursuing police car. As the cops raced by, sirens wailing and guns
firing, they ignored "Scoop's" pleas not to be left behind, and briefly
silence again fell over the terrified reporter, only to be broken by the
heavily muffled rhythm of slowly beating wings. A huge shadow loomed
over "Scoop," as a nightmarish figure swooped overhead on outstretched
wings. Recoiling in fear, "Scoop" looked up and screamed as an enormous
black raven bore down on him and snatched him aloft in its giant talons,
a scream rending the air.
Waking drenched in sweat and yelling that he wasn't the one it wanted and had done nothing wrong, "Scoop" hastily reassured himself that it had just been a nightmare, until another scream tore through the room. Realizing it had come from downstairs, "Scoop" grabbed his camera and headed for the lobby.
Hiding behind the banister on the stairs,
"Scoop" witnessed a pair of robbers holding the hotel manager and a
woman at gunpoint. Unaware of his presence, one robber, apparently in
charge, warned the woman against screaming again, and repeated his
demand that they hand over the takings. As the manager took the cash
from the till, "Scoop" covertly lined up his camera on the crooks in the
lobby, intending to take a surreptitious photo of the crime in progress,
but as he looked through the camera's viewfinder, "Scoop" was shocked,
then elated, to see Night Raven quietly entering the hotel behind the
robbers.
(Hulk
Comic#13/6) - As "Scoop" excitedly watched, Night Raven sprang into
action, disarming the lead gunman with a karate-like chop to the arm,
then laying him out with a punch to the head as the second crook moved
up behind the vigilante. Believing a photo of Night Raven in action
would be the scoop of the century, "Scoop" quickly raised his camera and
took his picture, but the attention of Night Raven, having already begun
to turn in "Scoop's" direction to deal with the second criminal, was
momentarily drawn to the unexpected movement on the staircase behind,
and so he was staring right at "Scoop's" camera when the bright flash
bulb went off.
With Night Raven momentarily blind and disoriented, the
second crook seized his chance to land a couple of solid blows on the
vigilante, sending him reeling. As he continued his barrage of punches,
he shouted to his partner in crime, who was now struggling back to his
feet, to grab the money. With Night Raven stunned, his
assailant went for "Scoop," having realized the reporter's photo could
be used as evidence against them. Initially he demanded "Scoop" hand the
camera over, but spotting Night Raven getting up, the crook modified his
plan and seized the reporter as a hostage, warning the vigilante to stay
back or he would shoot his prisoner.
Unhappy to be an
accessory, no matter how unwilling, to a crime, "Scoop" pleaded with his
captors to be released, but they declined, telling him it was his own
fault for taking a picture, though adding that he had done them a favor
as Night Raven would have finished them off without "Scoop's"
unintentional intervention. The crooks shot at the pursuing Night Raven,
then bundled "Scoop" into their getaway car and ordered him at gunpoint
to drive it. A "confirmed pedestrian," "Scoop" nevertheless did as he
was told, but thanks to his inexperience put the vehicle into reverse,
causing him to crash into another car coming up behind them. With the
crooks yelling at him, "Scoop" found the correct gear more by luck than
judgment, and raced off. Fully cognizant of the gun barrel pressed to
the back of his head, he took the main highway out of town with as much
speed as he dared, but this drew the attention of a motorcycle cop who
recognized the car as one reported stolen earlier that day. Coming up
alongside "Scoop's" window, the cop recognized "Scoop's" face, though he
couldn't place it, and instructed him to pull over, but "Scoop"
responded that he didn't think he could, a supposition swiftly confirmed
by his captors, who warned the desperate journalist that they would
shoot his brains out if he stopped.
(Hulk
Comic#14/6) - At the gunmen's urgings, "Scoop" floored the car, pulling
away from the policeman, and one of the criminals leaned out the window
and fired upon their pursuer, hitting him. Seeing the cop crash off his
motorcycle in the rear-view mirror, "Scoop" fretted that he might just
have become an unwilling accomplice to murder as well as robbery, but
moments later things got even worse, as a bullet whizzed through the
rear window. Glancing back, the criminals realized Night Raven was
pursuing them, having commandeered the car "Scoop" had backed into. The
vigilante's reappearance reminded "Scoop" of the camera sitting in the
seat next to him, and he rationalized to himself that photo it contained
might help prove his innocence. His captors fired back at Night Raven's
pursuing vehicle, taking out a tire and causing him to swerve to a stop,
but all the gunfire had unnerved "Scoop"; already a poor driver, he
failed to follow the bend of the road. As the two crooks screamed at him
to turn the wheel, "Scoop" realized he wasn't going to make it, and
instinctively threw open the car door and jumped, just as the car
launched itself off the road and into the air.
"Scoop" came to a painful
landing on the rocky ground, but though battered, bruised and feeling
sorry for himself, he had suffered only superficial injuries, but the
two robbers had been less lucky. Having failed to exit the car before it
had crashed into a large tree, they lay sprawled half in and half out of
the wrecked vehicle, at best unconscious and perhaps even dead.
Examining the scene, "Scoop" noticed a black bag that had been hidden in
the back of the car with his captors, and when he opened it he found it
contained thousands of dollars. Concluding that the Rivera must have
been the last in a string of hotel robberies that night, "Scoop"
realized that there was more in the bag than he earned in a year, and no
witnesses around to see him if he took it. Sorely tempted, "Scoop"
grabbed the bag and ran, telling himself he merely wanted to find
somewhere to hide while he decided whether to keep the money or not.
Spotting a barn nearby, he headed for it, but found it to be securely
padlocked. As he was pulling at the door bemoaning this bad luck, he
heard a voice behind him noting that he "didn't think any door would be
closed to the famous "Scoop" Daly." Spinning around, "Scoop" felt his
blood freeze as he saw Night Raven calmly approaching. As
Night Raven brought his gloved right hand from his trenchcoat pocket and
raised it menacingly, the reporter's legs gave
way under him and he fell to his knees pleading for mercy, becoming
increasingly insistent that he wasn't the one the vigilante wanted, all
too aware that Night Raven was reputed to brand criminals with a mark of
the raven via his special gloves. Stating that "Scoop" had wanted a
photo of Night Raven, so now he would have one first hand, the vigilante
lunged, and "Scoop" screamed and then fainted as he heard rather than
felt the brand's searing sizzle.
Scoop woke hours later as dawn broke, with
recollection soon following, but when he worriedly felt his forehead he
discovered there was no new scar there. Glancing round, he realized just
how lucky he had been, as he saw his two former captors, lifeless or
senseless, both branded and propped up against the barn doors, either
side of a third brand, the one that Night Raven had deliberately made
just above his fainting head, burned into the barn door. Above them was
Night Raven's other calling card, the inscription "Where brooding
darkness spreads its evil wings, the Night Raven stings!" Relieved,
"Scoop" realized Night Raven must have known he was innocent...almost.
(Hulk Comic#14/6 - BTS) - "Scoop"
wrote up the story, which was published on the front page under the
title "I was near-victim of Night-Raven."
(Hulk Comic#14/6) - A few days later in the Sentinel's offices, the editor congratulated "Scoop" on his story, but reminded him that he had failed to figure out the vigilante's true identity. "Scoop" reassured his boss that he would find out what it was one day, and secretly thought to himself that maybe one day he would be able to thank Night Raven for what he had done.
(Marvel Superheroes I#390/3 (fb) - BTS) - "Scoop's" encounter with Night Raven convinced the reporter that the vigilante was a psychopath, but despite being scared of him, "Scoop" also considered him without question to be a hero.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - The closest thing to
an expert on Night Raven among the press, for a long time "Scoop" spent
much of his time trying to figure out who the vigilante really was but
got nowhere. He came to admire and respect Night Raven.
(Savage Action#8/4 (fb) - BTS) -"Scoop" left The Sentinel
and went to work at the Daily Bugle, gaining an assistant in young cub
reporter Jamie (see comments).
(Savage Action#12/3 (fb) - BTS) - The nephew of the Bugle
publisher, Jamie was there ostensibly to learn about the newspaper
business.
In October 1931, Daily Bugle Night Editor Phil
Day went on vacation, and "Scoop" was assigned to cover his late shift,
watching the news desk through the night in case an important story came
in needing to be covered urgently while everyone else was at home in
bed.
(Savage
Action#8/4) - On October 10th, 1931 (see comments), "Scoop" and
Jamie covered the late shift at the Bugle, standing guard over the news
desk through the night when virtually everyone else had gone home to
sleep. With little to do, "Scoop" complained to Jamie how quiet things
were in town, with only two stories having come in that night so far,
neither of which was Pulitzer-winning material - a disturbance at
the home of the underworld weapons dealer the Armourer
where the police had found two comatose men, which "Scoop" dismissed as
the results of a brawl between two minor hoods, and the disappearance of
noted cosmetic surgeon Schuyler G. Edsall from his home, which, given
the lack of evidence of foul play, "Scoop" suspected was merely Edsall
deciding to get away from it all for a bit. "Scoop" finished his rant by
declaring that nothing of interest ever happened in the city. Jamie
countered, noting there had been plenty of recent mob violence, citing
recent shootings as evidence of a gang war over the last two months,
luckily thus far having spared any innocent bystanders, and noted that
he couldn't wait for law-and-order advocate Randall Croft to be elected
to District Attorney. This failed to shift the cynical "Scoop's"
position; he derided Croft as being full of empty slogans about running
the mobsters out of town, and dismissed the mob conflict as boring,
stating he was fed up writing stories about the latest bunch of crooks
to wipe each other out, adding that he wanted something fresh and
exciting about to write about, as dead gangsters didn't sell papers.
(Savage Action#12/3) - Two days later, on October 12th, "Scoop" and Jamie were again stuck on night desk duty. Around 3a.m. "Scoop" passed a few moments reading a teletype report noting that police remained baffled in the Edsall disappearance case, and that there was an escalation in the conflict between mobsters "Rocko" Gavinelli and his rival "Big" Jim Shotter, before complaining to his understudy that he was fed up with the tedium of the graveyard shift and couldn't wait for Day to return from vacation. Jamie tried to calm him by pointing out that at least the night desk was a relatively cushy job, but this merely served to make the annoyed "Scoop" snipe at Jamie for benefiting from nepotism. Jamie retorted that "Scoop's" remark was a cheap shot, especially as Jamie couldn't help his family connection, adding that it didn't get him any special treatment anyway, since he was stuck on the night desk with "Scoop." Recognizing he had been unfair, "Scoop" apologized, putting his grouchiness down to going stir crazy waiting for something to happen.
Their conversation paused, with the silence briefly broken by the sound of police sirens in the streets below, before the telephone began ringing. Beating Jamie to answering it, "Scoop" was surprised to hear a hissing voice on the other end that addressed him by name. For a moment, he thought someone was playing a prank, and he said as much, reminding the caller that Halloween was still some weeks off, but the unamused caller silenced him, insisting that he did not play jokes and that "Scoop" knew who he was. Realization dawned that it was Night Raven (though his voice was much changed from the last time "Scoop" had briefly heard it - see Night Raven's profile for why), and when "Scoop" said as much, Night Raven began to explain the reason for his call, informing the reporter that the gangs had been tricked into their internecine war by a third party seeking to gain advantage from their conflict, and instructing "Scoop" to go immediately to Randall Croft and inform him of this, then return to the Bugle, his orders completed "for now." Railing at being told what to do, "Scoop" protested, asking to know why he should jump when the vigilante snapped his fingers and what he would get out of it, but Night Raven swiftly silenced him, telling him with apparent amusement to cease his prattling as the course of true justice needed his aid, adding that he would get a good story out of it. Finishing with a final reminder to "do as you are bid," Night Raven hung up. Ruminating over what had just happened, "Scoop" filled in Jamie on the content of the conversation, and told Jamie to hold the fort while he went out, but Jamie insisted on coming along, refusing to be kept out while "Scoop" pursued an interesting story. Unwilling to waste time arguing, "Scoop" agreed, noting that they would have to be back quickly, as they would be in trouble if the "Old Man" called to find nobody in the office. As they rushed out, they just missed a new teletype message revealing that Mayor Philip Edwards had been kidnapped from his home that night.
"Scoop" drove himself and Jamie to Croft's home, and, having received no answer when they rang the doorbell, they sat outside in the car with their lights off, waiting for Croft to return home. They only had to wait a few minutes for Croft's limousine to arrive and drive into the garage, prompting Jamie to note that it was unusual for someone who portrayed themselves to be a morally upright, law-and-order advocate to be out on the town so late. Seeing this as confirmation of his earlier cynicism about Croft, "Scoop" went up to the house and rang the bell. After a few moments Croft answered, noted the lateness of their visit, then paused as he recognized "Scoop" and tried to place where from. Introducing himself, "Scoop" informed him that a third party had sparked off the gang war, though he deliberately left off mentioning his source. When Croft queried what he was meant to do with the information, "Scoop" suggested he might try talking to the two gang leaders, stating that they might listen if the warning came from Croft. However Croft disagreed, stating that because he was only a candidate for D.A., he would have to get permission from the Chief of Police and current D.A. before he even tried such a thing. Adding that the reporters could have just called him to pass on their discovery, he shut the door in "Scoop's" protesting face, and the elder journalist turned to his young companion to point out that they had just seen the real Croft, unwilling to do anything without a crowd to cheer for him, merely putting on a front for the public until he got into office, at which point he'd be in the gangs' pockets just like all the rest. The pair returned to "Scoop's" car and drove back to the Bugle, failing to spot Night Raven emerging from the shadows to watch their departure as they left Croft's house.
Twenty minutes later the reporters arrived back at the Bugle offices to find the phone ringing repeatedly. Snatching up the receiver andtrying not to sound breathless, "Scoop" found that it was Night Raven again, and he began to tell the vigilante that they had not been successful in getting Croft to act, but Night Raven interrupted, saying that he already knew as he had witnessed the entire encounter. "Scoop" angrily began to demand to know why Night Raven had sent them on the errand if he had been there himself, but the vigilante ignored him and instead began to issue new instructions, only for Jamie to intrude on the conversation to inform "Scoop" of the teletype's news about the Mayor's kidnapping. "Scoop" relayed this to Night Raven, but was stunned when the vigilante told him he already knew and that "Scoop" had been working on the abduction story since Night Raven's first call. With "Scoop" now listening attentively, Night Raven ordered him to return to Croft's house and follow his limousine when it left, but only the limousine. When "Scoop" asked what to do if it shook him off, Night Raven responded that it wouldn't matter, as the vehicle would be heading for Coney Island. Confused, "Scoop" tried to ask Night Raven why he needed to follow it if the crimefighter knew where it was going anyway, but the exasperated vigilante told him to stop asking stupid questions and just do as he was told, then hung up.
"Scoop" and Jamie returned to Croft's house
and waited. Beginning to snooze, "Scoop" was woken by Jamie when a car
arrived; he missed seeing who was picked up, but Jamie informed him he
thought it might have been Croft, and wondered if they should follow.
However "Scoop" disagreed, citing Night Raven's instruction to follow
the limousine, not Croft himself, and telling Jamie they should trust
that the vigilante knew what he was doing.
(Savage Action#14/2 - BTS) - The two journalists took
turns sleeping as the night progressed and they waited outside Croft's
home in "Scoop's" car.
(Savage Action#14/2) - The Eastern sky was beginning to
turn grey, presaging the dawn, when Croft's limousine finally pulled out
of the garage. "Scoop" elbowed the sleeping Jamie awake, and after the
limousine exited the driveway and turned towards Coney Island, he began
following at a leisurely pace. For the last ten minutes of the drive it
began to heavily rain, and when they reached the amusement park entrance
they saw Croft's limousine parked and apparently empty. Switching off
his own car, "Scoop" began to get out, but Jamie placed a hand on his
arm, asking him if he was crazy, getting out in the heavy rain when
Night Raven had only instructed them to follow the vehicle. Saying he
didn't want to miss the action, "Scoop" told Jamie he could stay behind
if he wanted, but instead this spurred Jamie to come too. They snuck up
to the limousine, and "Scoop" spotted someone apparently hiding within.
Hoping they hadn't been spotted, they snuck round the building and
headed towards the Funhouse, but had only gotten a few yards when they
were confronted by two goons, Frank and Spike. Held at gunpoint, the two
reporters were marched into the Funhouse.
(Savage Action#15/2) - Entering the building, "Scoop" and Jamie were shocked to see Spike and Frank's skull-faced boss (the Death Master), prompting Jamie to seek "Scoop's" reassurance that the apparition was merely wearing a mask. As "Scoop" confirmed this, the apparition shouted at him to be silent, stated he recognized the reporter, and demanded to know why he was there. "Scoop" replied flippantly that he was just trying to scare up some news, prompting Death Master to angrily order Spike to take the two interlopers outside, shoot them, and dump their bodies in the storm drain. Before Spike could comply however, the group was surprised by new arrivals, the rival ganglords Big Jim Shotter and Rocko Gavinelli and two of their men, alerted by Night Raven to the deception that had formerly set them against one another and instructed by the vigilante to come to Coney Island to find the true culprit, the Death Master. While "Scoop" and Jamie quietly watched, the mobsters untied two other prisoners - the missing surgeon Edsall and the kidnapped mayor - whom the distracted journalists had failed to notice. As everyone struggled to figure out what Death Master had been up to, Night Raven arrived, guns drawn. Death Master seized the opportunity to try to flee, but Rocko and Shotter had only been momentarily distracted by the vigilante's arrival, and together they gunned Death Master down, but as they did so, Night Raven shocked the witnesses by fatally shooting the mayor. However Edsall quickly clarified that the man Night Raven had killed was one of Death Master's thugs, his face altered by the coerced Edsall's surgery, and Night Raven explained that Croft had been Death Master, seeking to use the gang war and District Attorney position to take over the underworld, while having one of his minions replace the kidnapped mayor, who was the man "Scoop" and Jamie had spotted hiding in Croft's limousine after being freed by Night Raven earlier in the proceedings. Croft had come to distrust his ersatz mayor's loyalty, which was why he had been tied up alongside Edall. Jamie and "Scoop" watched as Night Raven dismissed the gangsters, allies of convenience only, promising them no mercy the next time they met, ordered the two reporters to take Edsall home, and then vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only a whispering laugh.
(Marvel Superheroes I#390/3 (fb)) - "Scoop" noticed the change in Night Raven's voice between their encounters, and as more time passed, the reporter heard it further devolving from being "low and even with a Gilette-edge of deadliness" to a strangled whisper he likened to thousands of locust wings rubbing together. He also became aware that the vigilante was carrying himself differently, in a way that subtly suggested he was barely holding back an incredible, crushing pain, and glimpses of the vigilante's eyes peeking out from his white mask reminded "Scoop" of the trapped wildcat he had once shot. He came to the conclusion that Night Raven was hurting unbearably, and wondered what was causing it.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - Hanging
out in bars a lot trying to hear whispers for stories, "Scoop" ended up
drinking significant volumes.
(Marvel Superheroes I#391/2 (fb)) - "Scoop's" drinking increased over time, becoming excessive.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - In the late 1930s "Scoop" met Sadie, a waitress from Missouri. She thought his work was kind of glamorous and that he was good looking, reminding her of the actor Ronald Coleman. They fell in love, though they had dated for a month before "Scoop" felt confident enough to kiss her. In 1941 (see comments) they got married. They had a happy marriage, though they did argue frequently, ...
(Marvel Superheroes I#390/3 (fb)) - usually resulting in "Scoop" getting thrown out for a few hours.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - The couple's main
problem was money, as pay working for the Bugle was lousy. As such Sadie
had to keep working, something "Scoop" felt wasn't right.
(Marvel
Superheroes I#390/3 (fb)) - By 1942 "Scoop" was still working for the
Bugle, now run by Jameson (see comments), with whom he often
argued over his meager payment rate. One Saturday night he was thrown
out by Sadie after an argument and ended up drinking in Mindy's Bar,
where he was spotted by minor crook Willy the Lip, then on the run from
Night Raven. Recognizing the reporter by reputation, Willy approached
him, begged for his help, and proceeded to explain to "Scoop" that he
had once worked for a Chinese gang called the Dragon Tong, whose leader
Yi Yang had taken revenge on Night Raven's interference in their
operations by poisoning the vigilante a little over a decade ago with a
toxin that was slowly eating away at his body and mind, intended to
leave him in constant agony and drive him insane, but only kill him
after fifty years.
Having wondered for years about the changes he had
noticed overtaking Night Raven, the revelation of the cause horrified
"Scoop," but he realized Willy's story didn't explain why the crook
needed "Scoop's" help. Willy explained that he had stolen the antidote
to the toxin when the Dragon Tong broke up, but Night Raven had learned
this and was pursuing him. Seeing no reason why Willy should deny Night
Raven relief from the torture, "Scoop" demanded to know why Willy didn't
just give up the antidote, but Willy informed him that the antidote was
a highly contagious disease; it would burn itself out fighting the toxin
within Night Raven, destroying itself in the process of curing him, but
would be lethal to anyone else exposed, ultimately killing millions.
"Scoop" realized Night Raven was too far gone to care about this
consequence, and that he couldn't leave Willy responsible for preventing
the cure falling into Night Raven's hands, so with Willy's acceptance,
"Scoop" took custody of the bottle containing the antidote.
For the next four hours "Scoop" wandered between bars, trying to figure
out what to do, when he spotted police cars gathered around an ambulance
that was loading a covered body into the back. Figuring it might be a
story, he slipped the cops some money to let him see the victim, and saw
to his dismay that it was Willy, dead, with several fingers broken, and
branded with Night Raven's mark. A string of realizations struck "Scoop"
one after another: Willy had been tortured for the bottle's location,
and since not all of Willy's fingers had been broken, the crook
had finally talked, meaning Night Raven now knew it was in "Scoop's"
possession. The final realization made "Scoop" feel sick: Night Raven
would probably start looking for "Scoop" at the reporter's home, where
he would find Sadie, all alone and undefended. "Scoop" raced home but
found Night Raven had beaten him there. The place was ransacked and
empty, with one of Sadie's shoes lying next to an open window. The
vigilante had left a note on the dresser, instructing "Scoop" to bring
the antidote to Bleeker's Wharf the next night at 11p.m. in exchange for
Sadie. In shock, "Scoop" went to the window and looked out, sobbing,
thinking about all the people who would die if he handed over the
bottle, and the one who would die if he didn't.
(Marvel Superheroes I#391/2 (fb)) - "Scoop's" mind
tormented him with scenarios about his beloved wife might be getting
murdered by Night Raven all through the rest of that night, until
eventually he had cried himself out and clarity returned to his
thoughts. He realized he couldn't give Night Raven the cure and so cause
the deaths of millions, himself included, but neither could he entrust
it to the authorities in the hope that Night Raven would see no further
reason to target him, because Night Raven would still likely murder
Sadie for failing to surrender the cure. Concluding he had to meet Night
Raven as instructed, "Scoop" got drunk before his mind could begin
torturing himself again, and fell asleep.
For a moment when he woke, he lied to himself that the previous night's events had all been a horrible dream, but the empty pillow next to him attested otherwise. Believing the vigilante might not know about the plague aspect of the cure, "Scoop" decided he would first try reasoning with Night Raven, hoping with little confidence that enough of the man he had first met remained, but he also procured a Browning automatic in cause this failed, as he feared it would. Painfully aware of just how easily the vigilante might evade any shots and disarm him, "Scoop" also decided that if all else failed, he would surrender the cure, guiltily acknowledging to himself that he would let countless strangers die to save his wife.
"Scoop" arrived at the wharf a few minutes
before 11p.m., and listened to the night's many noises. When things
suddenly went quiet, "Scoop" realized Night Raven had arrived, moments
before the vigilante greeted him with a sibilant whisper. "Scoop" turned
to see the terrified Sadie standing frozen in fear next to Night Raven,
and was shocked to see just how twisted the vigilante now looked, like a
maddened animal. "Scoop" tried to reason with him, babbling as he
hurried to tell him of the cure's deadly side effect, but the vigilante
refused to believe, and held a knife to Sadie's throat. Fingering the
gun in his pocket, sure Night Raven could tell by how his coat hung that
he had one, "Scoop" made another desperate appeal, explaining how Yi
Yang must have wanted to make Night Raven suffer. Fighting through his
constant fear that at any moment Night Raven would kill Sadie, "Scoop"
insisted he couldn't give Night Raven the cure, not even if it meant
Night Raven slaughtering both Sadie and him; preempting Night Raven
suggesting the possibility, "Scoop" added that he knew his resolve would
break if Night Raven began torturing Sadie, so he had already dropped
the cure into the East River on the way to the meeting.
At this last
statement, the only lie "Scoop" had made, Night Raven threw Sadie aside
unharmed and ran for "Scoop" screaming. Only later did "Scoop" realize
that the vigilante should have been able to reach and disarm him easily
long before "Scoop" managed to draw his Browning, and realize that Night
Raven must have wanted "Scoop" to shoot him. The reporter shot him
twice, once in the arm and once in the chest, by which time Night Raven
was only four feet away. As the vigilante staggered back and looked at
his wound, "Scoop" shot him again, not to put him out of his misery but
to kill him quickly so Sadie would no longer be in danger.
Despite this,
Night Raven got up once more, his mask having fallen off but his face
obscured by his arms, and as he began stumbling away from "Scoop,"
closer to the jetty's edge, "Scoop" shot him again, this time in the
back, the need to be sure overriding the guilt he felt in doing so.
Teetering on the edge, he turned to face "Scoop," who finally saw the
vigilante's ruined, almost skeletal face, and watched it twist into what
was almost a smile. Croaking out two final words, "the Cure," as if he
had finally found it, Night Raven fell backwards into the river. "Scoop"
watched for a while just in case the body surfaced, but it never did.
"Scoop" returned home with Sadie, shaken but
unharmed physically. He retained the bottle containing the cure, and in
time began to wonder whether the story that it contained a killer
disease was merely another cruel scheme on Yi Yang's part; maybe it only
held water and false hope for Yi Yang's victim, or maybe it was the
cruelest trick of all, and contained a genuine cure and nothing else.
And this last thought possessed "Scoop" on many nights when sleep evaded him.
(Marvel Superheroes I#390/3) - "Scoop" later wrote up the events of that fateful weekend, though it is unclear whether he ever gave it to the Bugle to be published.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - "Scoop" explained to
Sadie what had happened to Night Raven, including all the details about
how Yi Yang had poisoned the vigilante, so that she could understand why
a man he had described to her as scary but good had kidnapped her. He
continued to obsess over Night Raven, and over the cure, and gradually
the thought that the plague aspect was just Yi Yang's twisted joke grew in his mind.
At some point "Scoop" saved up for some very
expensive perfume as a gift for Sadie's birthday, but tripped on a loose
rail on the stairs, smashing the bottle and dousing himself; Sadie would
later recall fondly how he spent the next week going round "smelling
like a whore-house."
(Marvel Superheroes I#392/3 - BTS/Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - In 1957 the insane Howard Bates found Night Raven's lost mask in the Junk Emporium, bought it, and wore it in an attempt to become the new Night Raven. He was caught on camera strangling someone and the picture was later published across all the newspapers. Though the press dubbed Bates the East Side Strangler, Sadie and "Scoop" both recognized the mask.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - However, "Scoop" also
realized that it wasn't the real Night Raven, noting that the man in the
picture was neither tall nor twisted enough. Soon afterwards the press
reported that the killer's body had been found, but "Scoop" noted there
was no mention of the mask. With Night Raven brought back to the
forefront of his mind, "Scoop" began drinking more and more, becoming a
full blown alcoholic, depressed because he knew it hurt Sadie to see him
slowly killing himself, because he felt he'd never achieved anything
worthwhile in his life, and because he felt he'd let down everyone, most
especially Night Raven.
By the start of the 1960s, "Scoop" was convinced both that the bottle contained a cure, and that Night Raven was still alive, still in pain, and still being driven increasingly insane. Around the same time he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, a consequence of his years of heavy drinking, and the doctor told him his condition was terminal. He kept this from Sadie for as long as he could. Towards the end of his life, "Scoop" figured out how Night Raven might safely use the cure even if it turned out to be a deadly disease; telling Sadie he had left it too late to do right by her, "Scoop" begged her to help him do right by Night Raven, and get the bottle containing the cure to the vigilante if he didn't live long enough to do so himself. He wrote a letter to the vigilante,
(Marvel Superheroes I#395/4 (fb)) -
apologizing for shooting Night Raven, for not giving him the cure that
night on the wharf, and so for putting him through years of further
agony. He explained that he thought it was a cure, and that Yi Yang had
just been playing with their heads to suggest otherwise, because he
didn't believe she'd risk unleashing a fatal disease that might one day
get back to her. He advised Night Raven to take the bottle and go
somewhere remote, where there were no other people around, like
Antarctica, before taking it. He finished by saying that he knew about
poisons, because he had his own, and he'd failed with his own attempts
to take a cure because he was too weak, so now his beloved wife was
having to watch him die, and he hated himself for putting her through
that. He signed off with his real name: Samuel Clement Daly.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - "Scoop" refused to let Sadie see the letter, instead locking it and the cure in a strong box. After that he had Sadie place an advert he had written in the personal columns:
Blue bottle for a black
bird
Contact Scoop.
A week later "Scoop" was taken into hospital, and a few days later he died. He was alone, as Sadie's cab got stuck in traffic, and he died thinking he had failed Night Raven. After his funeral service, Sadie hosted a wake at the Daly house, which was attended by many of the people who used to work with him, including many young reporters who had known him only for a couple of years near the end, all of whom told Sadie that he had been an inspiration to them, a good reporter and a good honest man.
The evening after the funeral, when Sadie was
finally alone again, Night Raven finally turned up.
(Marvel Superheroes I#395/4 (fb) - BTS) - Far calmer than the last time she had encountered him, he instead came across as sad, mourning his lost friend and past mistakes. After sharing a wordless moment comforting each other, Sadie fetched the longbox, unlocked it, and gave Night Raven the contents. After reading the letter, he took the bottle, and spent a few minutes looking sadly round the Daly home, then left, never once speaking. Sadie realized that just as "Scoop" had idolized Night Raven, and wished he could have been the kind of guy to go out and fight crime, Night Raven would have given anything to change places with "Scoop" and have a normal life like his.
(Marvel Superheroes I#394/4 (fb)) - Though he died only a
couple of weeks to early to know it, "Scoop" ultimately had not failed
his friend, and had delivered the cure to Night Raven.
Comments: Created by Steve Parkhouse and David Lloyd.
"Scoop's" initial story had no dating
information included, other than being generally some time in the 1920s
or 30s. However, the next story, in Hulk Comic#15/6, Night Raven walks
past a peeling poster for Public Enemy, which was released on April 23rd
1931, placing that tale, and presumably the one prior, not too far away
from that date. "Scoop's" next appearance, in The Death-Master story, is
solidly dated as taking place in mid-October 1931, by which time "Scoop"
has switched papers to work for the Daily Bugle. The story in Savage
Action#8 was not dated, but the next installment in Savage Action#12
was, and took place on October 12th 1931; since it mentioned that Edsall
had disappeared two days earlier, an event said to have happened the
same night in Savage Action#8, that issue must have taken place on
October 10th.
The crook who takes "Scoop" hostage calls
him "Newsboy" a couple of times despite "Scoop" having not identified
himself in any way. It's possible the criminal made a (correct)
assumption based on "Scoop's" camera, but it's also likely that since he
covered crime cases "Scoop" was recognizable to many in the underworld,
whether through being pictured alongside his newspaper articles, or
because he often visited venues frequented by underworld types. His face
is certainly well enough known in the right circles for a motorcycle cop
to recognize him, albeit without being able to place where from, and
Night Raven likewise recognizes who he is the first time they meet.
"Scoop" is included in the headshots of
Daily Bugle staff in the Daily Bugle's handbook entry in the Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z softcover#3, which is where the
colorized image in this profile comes from.
Since "Scoop" worked at the Daily Bugle from the late 1930s to at least the 1950s, it is likely that he knew other reporters and photographers on staff there, even those we never saw interact with him on panel - thus he likely knew Jeff Mace (the Patriot/Captain America), Mary Morgan (Miss Patriot), photographer Jack "Flash Gun" Kelly, reporters Phil Sheldon and Kellerman (seen in Marvels Project#5), and editor Simon J. Goodman. And since reporters on rival newspapers in the same city tend to know one another, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to have known Allan Lewis (Daily Bulletin reporter and the Phantom Bullet) or Richard Jones (Daily Express reporter and the Phantom Reporter). It's also possible that "Scoop" could theoretically have been present in any group shot of reporters from the era, such as being among the crowd witnessing Professor Horton unveiling the android Human Torch, or any crowd scene set in the Daily Bugle offices in the 1940s. Most notably, it's possible that "Scoop" was among the reporters who Night Raven arranged to find corrupt Congressman Harold Chase in bed with the corpse of Inez Pearl in 1929 in the Night Raven graphic novel House of Cards; we know that reporters from The Sentinel were among those present, as the story's date comes from the cover of a copy of The Sentinel that carries that story.
Daly or Daley? His surname is spelled Daly until his final two, Alan Moore-penned stories (strictly speaking, his final story and then his posthumous mentions in Sadie's Story). So by the rule of first usage and by weight of evidence, it should be Daly. Crucially, both of the stories where it is spelled with an E are framed as written first-person accounts of the events rather than from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator, so wiggle room is available to explain the spelling change in story as either an error (feasible for Sadie's Story, which is an unidentified journalist writing up an interview with Sadie, less so with The Cure, which was written by "Scoop" himself, who ought to know how to spell his own name), or a deliberate choice on "Scoop's" part to change how his name was spelled, at least in his professional life.
In The Cure, "Scoop" mentions Night Raven is
a real-life version of "those old pulp heroes," citing as examples the
Shadow, the Avenger and Doc Savage; this obviously suggests he thinks of
that trio to be fictional characters, but we know that Doc Savage at
minimum is a real person in Reality-616, the reality "Scoop" and Night
Raven live in; as an interesting coincidence, this statement comes in one of the first
Night Raven stories that confirms the hero's adventures take place in
the main Marvel universe, as "Scoop" is working at the Daily Bugle and
mentions it is being run by "Jameson" by this juncture. It seems
inconceivable that a reporter based out of NYC in the 1930s, the era
where Savage was very active in the public eye, wouldn't know he was a
real individual.
The Cure story doesn't provide a date, but we
later learn from Night Raven's recollections in Daredevils#6/2 (the
anesthetic, wearing off...) that it took place in 1942. That same story
is set in 1965 and depicts Night Raven finally taking the cure to the
curse Yi Yang inflicted on him; since Sadie's Story confirms he got the
cure from her a week after "Scoop" died and he presumably didn't wait
months or years to take it, that means "Scoop" probably passed away in
1965. For her part, Sadie doesn't recount the events of her meeting
Night Raven for several years, as Sadie's Story is framed as her being
interviewed for Rolling Stone Magazine, which only began publication in
1967; more to the point, she mentions both Spider-Man and the Fantastic
Four in the context of being real-world individuals, though she also
makes it clear it is before the moon landing.
In Savage Action#12/3, set
in 1931, "Scoop" is described as being "boyishly handsome," suggesting
that though already an experienced reporter he's probably still only in
his 20s or early 30s; as such he was likely born sometime in the 1900s,
meaning he was only in his early 60s when he died. In
Marvel Superheroes#390 and a story set in 1942, "Scoop" describes Sadie
as his wife "of several years standing," but in Marvel Superheroes#394,
Sadie says they got married in 1941. The real world reason for this is
presumably that, as mentioned above, the MSH#390 story wasn't revealed
to be in 1942 until several stories later, and so nobody picked up the
contradiction between "several years" and "one" year. In-story? MSH#390
and MSH#394 are both framed as being written accounts of what happened,
the first "Scoop" telling the story of his last encounter with Night
Raven, the second a Rolling Stone reporter recounting an interview with
"Scoop's" widow Sadie. That's three people in the mix, any one of whom
could be a slightly unreliable narrator - "Scoop" might not have wanted
to admit in his tale that Sadie was only recently married to him for
some reason, Sadie might have got the year of her wedding mixed up (see
Sadie's own forthcoming profile for discussion on this), or the Rolling
Stone reporter might have misheard Sadie saying an earlier year.
In 1931 "Scoop" is working with Jamie,
a young cub reporter who is the nephew of the Bugle's publisher. By 1942
the Bugle is being run by Jameson. Both of these are nods to J. Jonah
Jameson, the Bugle's editor/publisher in Spider-Man stories, but Alan
Moore, who wrote the latter tale, apparently recognized that even by the
1980s the sliding timescale made it difficult for the 1930's
Jamie/1940's Jameson to actually be the 1980's JJJ. As
such, in Sadie's Story he has her mention that the Jameson running the
paper in the 1960s is a new man, and that the one "Scoop" knew was "Old
Man" Jameson. This is explained in more depth in the Appendix
profile for said character, but one bit is worth covering here: Can we
be sure that Jamie of 1931 is Jameson of 1942? While it's not 100%
confirmed, the timeline fits reasonably well - Jamie could easily rise
from being a cub reporter in 1931 to the publisher in 1942 if he is the
nephew (and heir?) of the owner. There's a tinge of bitterness towards
Jameson in "Scoop's" narration of the 1942 story that contrasts with him
seemingly liking 1931's Jamie, but seeing nepotism raise his former
assistant to become his boss who constantly refuses to give him even a
tiny pay rise could do that. And Alan Moore definitely knew of Jamie, as
he'd read the prior Night Raven story that he appeared in. How do I know
this? Because Alan Moore explained in interviews that what inspired him
to turn Night Raven into a tortured immortal was his wondering why the
fairly standard pulp-era vigilante of the Hulk Comic strips had begun
speaking with a hissing voice (which started in the first Night Raven
text story, The Phantom of Walpole Towers), and gained a terrifying,
skull-like face under his mask, which was revealed in The
Deathmaster, the same story Jamie appeared in.
There's nothing in "Scoop's" recollection of the wildcat incident to place it in his timeline, apart from being some years prior to 1942. Since "Scoop" seems very much a city reporter and is not seen to carry a gun, and I don't believe wildcats are common in Manhattan, I'm assuming this is an event from his younger years. Perhaps he grew up somewhere rural in a setting where it was common to carry a shotgun; alternatively, perhaps the normally city-based "Scoop" got dragged along on a hunting trip by family or friends at some point.
Willy's last name was revealed in Night Raven's profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC#8.
This profile was completed 12/13/2020, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
"Scoop" Daly has no known connections to:
With the exploits of Night Raven increasing in notoriety, the editor of The Sentinel newspaper decided he wanted to do a big feature on the vigilante, including uncovering who he really was, where he hung out, and what his angle was. Concluding that his ace reporter "Scoop" Daly had much in common with Night Raven, both able to sniff out a crime like a hound on the trail, he called Scoop to his office despite the hour being late and informed him of his new assignment, instructing him to check himself into a hotel in a bad district downtown and see what whispers came his way. Throughout the briefing, Scoop repeatedly called the editor "Chief," so as the reporter left the editor called him back for one final instruction: "Don't call me Chief!"
After "Scoop" wrote up his encounter with the
vigilante, the editor congratulated him for what he proclaimed would be
a million-selling story, but noted there was one snag - "Scoop" had
failed to find out Night Raven's real identity.
--Hulk Comic#12/6 (Hulk Comic#14/6
Phil Day was the unseen Night Editor of the Daily Bugle in 1931, whose job it was to cover the offices while everyone else was at home overnight, so that someone would always be available to immediately cover a major story came in during the nocturnal hours. In practice however, these graveyard shifts tended to be very quiet, so it was generally a cushy job requiring little actual work. Day was on vacation in mid-October of 1931, so "Scoop" was assigned to cover his late shifts until he returned.
--Savage Action#12/3
Willy the Lip was a minor league hoodlum who once served under the notorious Dutch Schultz, as well as being connected to various other underworld organizations including Yi Yang's Dragon Tong. Circa 1931, while he was working for the latter group, the Tong clashed with Night Raven and suffered major losses, both in terms of personnel and more importantly, in credibility in the eyes of the wider underworld. This caused their control over various rackets to slip as rival gangs moved in on their markets. Though only a minor player, Willy nevertheless learned of the revenge Yi Yang extracted against Night Raven in retaliation for this, poisoning the vigilante with a toxin to slowly eat away at his mind and body, supposedly to only die after roughly fifty years of agony and insanity, unless they got the antidote, though the story went that was a double-edged sword, as it would cure the victim but allegedly turn them into a lethal plague carrier. When the Tong subsequently began to break up some time later the light fingered Willy somehow laid his hands on the cure to said toxin (see comments), and though he presumably didn't realize what it was when he stole it, he did before he opened it. Willy soon learned that Night Raven had somehow discovered about the antidote, and worse, was closing in on finding out why now had it, so when he chanced to spot reporter "Scoop" Daly in Mindy's Bar, he shared his story and passed the antidote on to him. Willy foolishly believed this would spare him from Night Raven's wrath, but the vigilante caught up with him only a few hours later. To his credit, Willy apparently refused to risk the lives of millions by telling Night Raven who now held the cure, at least until Night Raven had broken eight of his fingers; after that, Willy gave up "Scoop's" name, and Night Raven branded and killed him. His corpse was found less than four hours after he had passed the cure on.
Comments: It's unclear how Willy got hold of the
cure, but it seems likely that much of it was a set-up on Yi Yang's
part, as the Dragon Tong was later seen to still be active well after
Willy believed it had broken up, and she definitely wanted the false
claim that the cure was also a plague to be known to whoever ended up
holding the cure, so they would deny it to Night Raven. So whether she
chose Willy specifically as the fall guy or simply trusted that one of
the American hoods working for but not entirely loyal to the Tong would
steal it, Yi Yang was probably the one ultimately responsible for Willy
ending up in possession of the cure, and maybe the one who somehow got
that information to Night Raven.
--Marvel Superheroes I#390/3
images: (without ads)
(Source Bookname for the first image) (volume number in Roman Numerals)
#?, p?, pan? (main image)
Hulk Comic#12/6, p1 of story,
pan4 (headshot, younger, wearing hat)
Hulk Comic#12/6, p1 of story,
pan8 (younger, nearly full body, on bed checking camera)
Hulk Comic#12/6, p3 of story, pan5 (headshot without hat,
younger, startled)
Hulk Comic#12/6, p2 of story, pan9
(near full body, younger, in nightmare)
Savage Action#8/4, p1 of story, pan2 (seated Daly with back to reader,
talking to Jamie in Daily Bugle's 1931 offices)
Marvel Superheroes I#390/3, p1 of story, pan 1 (Daly's drinking being
interrupted by Wily the Lip)
Marvel Superheroes I#390/3, p5 of story, pan 1 (Daly finds
his home ransacked and wife missing)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z softcover#3,
Daily Bugle entry (colorized headshot)
Hulk Comic#12/6, p1 of story,
pan2 (Sentinel "Chief")
Appearances:
Hulk Comic#12/6-14/6 (23rd May
1979-6th June 1979) - Steve Parkhouse (writer), David Lloyd
(art), Dez Skinn (editor)
Savage Action#8/4, #12/3, 14/2-15/2 (June, October, December 1981,
January 1982) - Alan McKenzie (as Maxwell Stockbridge, writer), Jerry
Paris, Floren Florenzo, Alan Davis (artists), Alan McKenzie (editor)
Marvel Superheroes#390/3-391/2 (October-November 1982) - Alan Moore
(writer), Mick Austin, Paul Neary (artists), Bernie Jaye (editor)
Marvel Superheroes#394/4-395/4 (February-March 1983)
- Alan Moore (writer), Paul Neary (artist), Bernie Jaye (editor)
First Posted: 09/03/2021
Last updated: 08/31/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright
info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are and ) 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
