Joe Quesada
Quesada at the December 21, 2010 press conference to announce the "Fear Itself" event at Midtown Comics Times Square in Manhattan.
Born	(1962-01-12) January 12, 1962 (age 50) New York City
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Penciller, Editor
Influences Alex Toth Mike Mignola Alphonse Mucha Frank Miller

Joseph "Joe" Quesada (born January 12, 1962)^[1] is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom. He later worked on numerous books for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, such as Batman: Sword of Azrael and X-Factor, before forming his own company, Event Comics, where he published his creator-owned character, Ash.

In 1998 he became an editor of Marvel Comics' Marvel Knights line, before becoming editor-in-chief of the company in 2000. He was named Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment in 2010 and left his editor-in-chief role in January 2011, being replaced by Axel Alonso.

Early life[link]

Quesada was born in New York City to Cuban-born parents, and grew up in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens.^[2] The first comic book he became an ardent fan of was The Amazing Spider-Man, which he began reading around issue #98,^[3] the last issue of a historic^[4] anti-drug storyline, which garnered his father's approval. As the character resonated with him (in part because both grew up in Queens), Spider-Man remains a character he particularly enjoys drawing.^[3]

Quesada majored in illustration at the School of Visual Arts,^[3] from which he graduated with a BFA in 1984.^[5] Though he had drifted away from comics, having come to think of them as a child's medium, his interest in them was renewed at age 25 when a friend who learned of his interest in art showed him Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.^[3]

Career[link]

Writer and artist[link]

Quesada started out as a freelance artist for Valiant Comics in the early 1990s.^[3] His first widely distributed works were for Valiant Comics, specifically penciled interiors and covers for Ninjak, Solar, Man of the Atom and others. His art was heavily influenced by Alex Toth, Mike Mignola and Alphonse Mucha.^[6] At DC Comics, he and writer Jack C. Harris co-created an updated version of the Golden Age character the Ray.^[7] Quesada co-created the character Azrael with writer Dennis O'Neil in the Batman: Sword of Azrael miniseries in 1992.^[8]

Later, he two other people, including his inking partner Jimmy Palmiotti, formed a publishing company, Event Comics,^[3] and co-created Ash, a firefighter with superpowers.^[9][10] Quesada cites his editorial experience with Event, and the creators he formed relationships with during that period as that which best prepared him for the later role of Marvel's editor in chief.^[3]

Marvel Comics[link]

Marvel Knights[link]

In 1998, Marvel Comics, which had just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, asked Quesada to work for Marvel in a more exclusive capacity, and contracted him and his partners to produce a line of Marvel books dubbed Marvel Knights. As editor of Marvel Knights, Quesada worked on a number of low-profile characters such as Daredevil, Punisher, The Inhumans and Black Panther,^[3] encouraging experimentation and using his contacts in the independent comics world to bring in creators such as David W. Mack, Mike Oeming, Brian Michael Bendis, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Quesada also illustrated a Daredevil story written by film director Kevin Smith.

Editor in chief[link]

Two and a half years after starting Marvel Knights, Joe Quesada became editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics^[3] in 2000, following Bob Harras's departure from the company. Joe Quesada is the first artist to become Marvel's editor-in-chief,^[11] and did so at the same time that Bill Jemas succeeded to the presidency of the company. The relationship culminated in the establishment of the Ultimate line of Marvel titles, which were aimed at teenagers and took place outside of the restrictive continuity of the Marvel Universe.

In the mid-2000s, Quesada imposed a moratorium on the practice of creatively bringing back characters thought to be dead, known as "dead is dead". In a January 2008 interview in which he was questioned about numerous characters that had since been resurrected, Quesada clarified that the policy was for writers to exercise forethought and caution before killing off characters or resurrecting them, so that such plots were not produced too frequently or without gravitas, and not that it be entirely prohibited.^[12]

Joe Quesada's predecessor as Marvel editor in chief, Bob Harras, canceled and restarted all of Marvel's titles that were not either X-Men-related or at fewer than 100 issues already. This was an effort to shore up sagging sales with a new #1 issue for each of Marvel's popular titles, issued at a time shortly after the bust of the comic book collecting industry, and when Marvel was in the throes of bankruptcy. Quesada reversed this policy first by showing the "old", combined issue numbers beside the "new" numbers on covers (the difference between the two issue numbers shown on the cover would always be the number of issues that the series had before Harras restarted it), and then definitively restoring the "old" numbers for Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man and Avengers when they each passed the 500 mark.^[13]

Joe Quesada has been involved in the creation of three successful imprints:

• Marvel Knights, aimed at older readers, with Jimmy Palmiotti (before his tenure as editor-in-chief)
• MAX, aimed at adult readers, with Brian Michael Bendis
• Ultimate, aimed at teen readers, with Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar

Critics of Quesada's policy of emphasizing trade paperbacks charge that they cannibalize monthly comic book sales, because readers may opt to forego monthly series in order to wait for the cheaper collections, not realizing that monthly sales are an indicator to publishers of interest in such collections.^[14]

When confronted with a backlash by some fans due to his decision to dictate a controversial retcon of Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane Watson in the "One More Day" storyline, Quesada participated in a series of interviews on the subject to address the issue of the marriage, comparing it to real life marriages. He also promoted and praised the MC2 title Spider-Girl for continuing to provide fans with a stable marriage and an expanded family,^[15] although that title has since been canceled and relaunched multiple times,^[16][17] eventually being cancelled for good in 2010.

In June 2009 Quesada began writing a weekly column for Comic Book Resources called "Cup O' Joe", in which he answers questions every Friday from readers or provides information Marvel projects.^[18]

On February 10, 2010, Quesada apologized for and changed the content of Captain America #602, which depicted an apparent Tea Party movement protest, with its character Falcon, who is black, saying that he would not be welcomed by a crowd of "angry white folks."^[19][20] The cartoon drew the condemnation of national Tea Party leaders.

Chief Creative Officer[link]

Quesada with writer/producer Joe Kelly prepare a March 31, 2012 sneak preview of Ultimate Spider-Man for fans at Midtown Comics in Manhattan, the day before the series' broadcast TV debut.

On June 2, 2010 Marvel announced that it promoted Joe Quesada to Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment. In this position Quesada will help ensure that all portrayals of Marvel's characters and stories remain true to the essence of Marvel history. He will also oversee the creative aspects of media adaptations of Marvel properties, which include participating in story and script development.^[21]

On January 4, 2011, Quesada stepped down at editor-in-chief, and was replaced by Axel Alonso. After being given the additional job of CCO, in 2010, Quesada explained to Comic Book Resources, "With my increased travel schedule over the last year plus, I've only been able to work with the publishing division in a more macro sense, or as you put it, a more, "big picture," sense. During this time, Tom and Axel have been handling the more detailed functions of the stories within our comics. My role has been one in which I work on the larger stories and the overall flavor and feel of our books and universe."^[22][23]

Quesada later elaborated on this decision in a 2011 interview with Visual Arts Journal, a publication of his alma mater, the School of Visual Arts, by saying that he always viewed the editor in chief position as a finite one that he would leave after he accomplished what he had set out to, and that the then-recent purchase of Marvel by Disney opened up opportunities he wanted to explore. Quesada contrasted his former editor in chief role as one in which he was solely focused on rebuilding Marvel's editorial division and overseeing its comics content, with his Chief Creative Officer role as one in which he would be involved creatively with several divisions.^[3]

Techniques and materials[link]

When illustrating, Quesada begins with sketches much smaller than the actual size at which he will render the final drawing. He employs a Cintiq drawing tablet when he desires to do a "tighter" digital layout of an illustration. When sketching figures, he will sometimes use photographic reference, and incorporate the photos directly into his sketches during the process of finalizing a layout. Once he makes a final decision on a layout, he will then print it out at full size, and use a light box to pencil it, sometimes altering elements in the design such as lighting or other details.^[24][25]

Media appearances[link]

In Kevin Smith's 1995 film Mallrats Quesada is credited as an artist for the opening sequence featuring fictional comic books covers. He appears in the closing scene of Chasing Amy, alongside frequent collaborator and inker Jimmy Palmiotti, signing comic books at a convention. He later appeared as a pizza delivery man in Smith's 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Quesada was one of a number of comics creators that appeared in Once Upon A Time The Super Heroes, a 2002 documentary about the creation and evolution of comic book superheroes.^[26]

Personal life[link]

Quesada lives with his wife, Nanci and their daughter, Carlie, in a loft in the Flatiron District.^[27] They also own a house in New Jersey.^[27][28]

Quesada is a fan of the New York Mets, having grown up 15 blocks from Shea Stadium, which his father help build as part of the construction crew.^[27]

Bibliography[link]

Comics work (as writer and/or interiors artist) includes:

DC[link]

• Azrael/Ash (1997)
• Batman: Sword of Azrael, miniseries, #1-4 (1992–93)
• Question Quarterly #3, 5 (1991–92)
• The Ray, miniseries, #1-6 (1992)
• Spelljammer #8-13, 15 (1991)

Marvel[link]

• The Amazing Spider-Man #544-545, 601 (full art); #641 (along with Paolo Rivera, also writer) (2007–10)
• Daredevil, vol. 2, #1-11, 13-14 (full art); #50 (among other artists) (1998-2003); #12 (writer) (2000)
• Daredevil: Father, miniseries, (also as writer) #1-6 (2004–07)
• Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 (2007)
• Iron Man, vol. 3, #26-35, Annual 2000 (writer) (2000)
• Marvel Knights Double Shot (Punisher) #1 (2002)
• Midnight Sons Unlimited #1 (1993)
• NYX, miniseries, #1-7 (writer) (2003–05)
• The Sensational Spider-Man #41 (2007)
• Sleepwalker #12 (1992)
• What The--?! #13 (1991)
• X-Factor #87-92; Annual #7 (1992–93)
• X-Force #12-15 (1995)

Other publishers[link]

• Ash #1, 1/2 (also writer) (Event, 1994–97)
• Ash: The Fire Within, miniseries, #2 (also writer) (Event, 1997)
• Deathmate: Epilogue (Image, 1994)
• Ninjak #1-3 (Acclaim, 1994)
• Painkiller Jane #1 (writer) (Dynamite, 2006)
• Painkiller Jane Zero #0 (writer) (Event, 1999)
• X-O Manowar #0 (Acclaim, 1993)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Quesada

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joe Quesada

• Quesada's homepage
• Joe Quesada at the Comic Book DB
• Santerians The Art of Joe Quesada
• Joe Quesada's Resources at Howtomakecomics.net
• Joe Quesada Roadtrip Nation interview
• lambiek.net entry on Joe Quesada
• Large PopImage interview with Joe, Aug.01
• Inside Quesada's office
• Joe Quesada at the Internet Movie Database
• Joe Quesada's blog on Marvel.com
• Joe Quesada's 2006 Christmas song - EMarvel.net

v t e Marvel Comics Publishing lines and imprints historical Timely Comics Atlas Comics current Imprints CrossGen (Disney property) Icon Marvel Adventures Marvel Comics Marvel Press (Disney joint) MAX Ultimate Comics current lines Masterworks Essential Digital Unlimited Defunct Imprints Marvel MC2 2099 Age Books Knights Music UK Absurd Other Amalgam Curtis Magazines Epic Malibu New Universe Paramount Razorline Star Tsunami Defunct lines Next CyberComics Edge Noir The End Editors in Chief Joe Simon Stan Lee Vincent Fago Roy Thomas Len Wein Marv Wolfman Gerry Conway Archie Goodwin Jim Shooter Tom DeFalco Bob Harras Joe Quesada Axel Alonso Related articles Marvel Universe Marvel Multiverse Characters Films TV series People Publications Category  · Book  · Comics portal

Axel Alonso
Alonso at a "Meet the Publishers" Q&A at Midtown Comics Downtown, April 14, 2011.
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Editor
Awards	2004 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor 2006 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor 2010 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor

Axel Alonso is American comic book creator, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, Preacher and 100 Bullets. As Senior Editor at Marvel Comics, he edited Spider-Man and X-Men related books before ascending to Vice President, Executive Editor in 2010, and Editor-in-Chief in January 2011, replacing Joe Quesada. He has also worked as a writer and inker.

Career[link]

Alonso, who is half Mexican,^[1] worked as a journalist and magazine editor for years before he entered the comic book industry. One day, he saw an ad in The New York Times for DC Comics editors and thought it would be fun to interview, never thinking he would actually be offered a job, though he ended up being hired by the publisher.^[2]

Alonso's first published work for DC Comics was Doom Patrol #80 and Animal Man #73, which were published in July 1994, the latter of which was part of the company's Vertigo line, which publishes books in genres such as horror and fantasy aimed at mature readers. Other Vertigo titles he edited until 1999 included Garth Ennis' Preacher, Black Orchid, Kid Eternity, Hellblazer, Unknown Soldier, 100 Bullets and Human Target.

In late September 2000 Alonso went to work at DC's main competition, Marvel Comics, as Senior Editor,^[3][4][5] where he worked on Spider-Man books such as The Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man. His first published work as editor was The Amazing Spider-Man trade paperback that collected issues #30 - 32 of that title, and was published in 2001.

Alonso spent more than a decade as an editor at Marvel, working on some of its most notable characters, and helping to create the Marvel MAX line for mature readers, and overseeing critically acclaimed runs on The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men, such as "X-Men: Messiah Complex" and "Curse of the Mutants", as well as stories featuring the Western character Rawhide Kid.^[4] He is also credited with bringing crime writers to work on Marvel titles, such as Duane Swierczynski and Victor Gischler.^[6] Although primarily an editor, he also wrote Spider-Man: One More Day Sketchbook, a 2007 tie-in book to the "Spider-Man: One More Day" storyline, and inked issues 3 and 4 of the 2008 miniseries NYX: No Way Home.

He was promoted to Vice President, Executive Editor in early 2010, and oversaw cross-promotional projects such an issue of the ESPN The Magazine, which depicted several NBA basketball players as Marvel superheroes.^[2][4][7] The issue was published in October 2010 by ESPN, which like Marvel, is owned by parent company Disney.^[8]

In July 2010 Alonso and fellow Marvel editor Tom Brevoort began a weekly column on Comic Book Resources called "Marvel T&A", a new installment of which appears every Friday, along with Joe Quesada's "Cup O' Joe" column.^[2][9]

On January 4, 2011, Alonso was named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada,^[4] who was named Chief Creative Officer the previous June.^[7] In attaining the position of editor-in-chief, he became only the third person in 15 years to hold the position, and one of the few in the company’s history to gain it "without tumult or corporate bloodshed".^[10]

Personal life[link]

Alonso has a son, Tito^[10]. He did his undergraduate studies at UC Santa Cruz and attended Columbia University for graduate school.

Awards[link]

Wins[link]

• 2004 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor^[11]
• 2006 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor^[12]
• 2010 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor^[13]

Nominations[link]

• 2007 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor^[14]
• 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor^[15]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Axel Alonso

• Axel Alonso at the Comic Book DB

v t e Marvel Comics Publishing lines and imprints historical Timely Comics Atlas Comics current Imprints CrossGen (Disney property) Icon Marvel Adventures Marvel Comics Marvel Press (Disney joint) MAX Ultimate Comics current lines Masterworks Essential Digital Unlimited Defunct Imprints Marvel MC2 2099 Age Books Knights Music UK Absurd Other Amalgam Curtis Magazines Epic Malibu New Universe Paramount Razorline Star Tsunami Defunct lines Next CyberComics Edge Noir The End Editors in Chief Joe Simon Stan Lee Vincent Fago Roy Thomas Len Wein Marv Wolfman Gerry Conway Archie Goodwin Jim Shooter Tom DeFalco Bob Harras Joe Quesada Axel Alonso Related articles Marvel Universe Marvel Multiverse Characters Films TV series People Publications Category  · Book  · Comics portal

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Stephen King
Stephen King, February 2007
Born	Stephen Edwin King (1947-09-21) September 21, 1947 (age 64) Portland, Maine
Pen name	Richard Bachman, John Swithen
Occupation	Novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, columnist, actor, television producer, film director
Alma mater	University of Maine (B.A., English, 1970)
Genres	Horror, fantasy, science fiction, drama, gothic, genre fiction, dark fantasy
Notable work(s)	Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, It, and The Dark Tower
Spouse(s)	Tabitha King
Children	Naomi King Joe King Owen King
Influences Burton Hatlen[1] Bram Stoker Elmore Leonard Shirley Jackson H. P. Lovecraft Richard Matheson Ray Bradbury[2] Edgar Allan Poe[3] John D. MacDonald Don Robertson
Influenced Peter David[4] J. J. Abrams[5] Damon Lindelof[5] Jeaniene Frost[6]
Signature
www.stephenking.com

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies^[7] and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books. As of 2011, King has written and published 49 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, five non-fiction books, and nine collections of short stories. Many of his stories are set in his home state of Maine.

King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, British Fantasy Society Awards, his novella The Way Station was a Nebula Award novelette nominee,^[8] and in 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.^[9] He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his whole career, such as the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (2004), the Canadian Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America (2007).^[10]

Early life[link]

King's father, Donald Edwin King, who was born circa 1913 in Peru, Indiana, was a merchant seaman.^[11] King's mother, Nellie Ruth (née Pillsbury; March 13, 1913 – December 28, 1973) was born in Scarborough, Maine.^[11] They were married July 23, 1939, in Cumberland County, Maine.^[11]

Stephen King was born September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine. When King was two years old, his father left the family under the pretense of "going to buy a pack of cigarettes," leaving his mother to raise King and his adopted older brother, David, by herself, sometimes under great financial strain. The family moved to De Pere, Wisconsin, Fort Wayne, Indiana and Stratford, Connecticut. When King was eleven years old, the family returned to Durham, Maine, where Ruth King cared for her parents until their deaths. She then became a caregiver in a local residential facility for the mentally challenged.^[12] King was raised Methodist.^[13]

As a child, King apparently witnessed one of his friends being struck and killed by a train, though he has no memory of the event. His family told him that after leaving home to play with the boy, King returned, speechless and seemingly in shock. Only later did the family learn of the friend's death. Some commentators have suggested that this event may have psychologically inspired some of King's darker works,^[14] but King makes no mention of it in his memoir On Writing.^[15]