| Joe Quesada | |
|---|---|
 Quesada at the 2023San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Joseph Quesada (1962-01-12)January 12, 1962 (age 63) New York City, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer,Penciller, Editor |
| Awards | 1993 Diamond Gem Award for Best Cover[1] Inkpot Award (2014)[2] |
| Spouse(s) | Nanci Quesada |
| Children | 1 |
Joseph Quesada (/kəˈsɑːdə/; born January 12, 1962[3]) is an Americancomic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on variousValiant Comics books, such asNinjak andSolar, Man of the Atom. He later worked on numerous books forDC Comics andMarvel Comics, such asBatman: Sword of Azrael andX-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 becomingeditor-in-chief of the company in 2000. He was namedchief creative officer ofMarvel Entertainment in 2010 and left his editor-in-chief role in January 2011, being replaced byAxel Alonso. His position was re-titled as executive vice president and creative director in October 2019. He left the company in 2022.
Quesada was born inNew York City toCuban-born parents, and grew up in theJackson Heights neighborhood ofQueens,[4] 15 blocks fromShea Stadium, which his father helped build as part of the construction crew.[5] The first comic book he became an ardent fan of wasThe Amazing Spider-Man, which he began reading around issue #98,[6] the last issue of a historic[7] 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.[6]
Quesada majored in illustration at theSchool of Visual Arts,[6] from which he graduated with aBFA in 1984.[8] 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 himFrank Miller'sThe Dark Knight Returns.[6]
Quesada's comics career began in 1990 when he was hired byDC Comics on the basis of his 12-page portfolio, which was composed of three three-page sequences, plus a cover for each. These included aSuperman story intended to show reviewers from DC Comics that he could handle their characters; anX-Men sequence to display both his ability to depict the characters ofMarvel Comics and his ability to handle groups of characters; and a vignette of two people having coffee, which Quesada included to show his ability to illustrate non-superhero stories.[9]
Among Quesada's earliest widely distributed work was forValiant Comics,[6] specifically penciled interiors and covers forNinjak,Solar, Man of the Atom and others. His art was heavily influenced byAlex Toth,Mike Mignola, andAlphonse Mucha.[10] AtDC Comics, he and writerJack C. Harris co-created an updated version of theGolden Age character TheRay.[11] Quesada co-created the characterAzrael with writerDennis O'Neil for the 1992Batman: Sword of Azrael miniseries.[12]
Later, Quesada and his inking partnerJimmy Palmiotti, formed a publishing company,Event Comics,[6] and co-createdAsh, afirefighter withsuperpowers.[13][14] 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.[6]
In 1998, Marvel Comics, which had just filed forChapter 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 dubbedMarvel Knights. As editor of Marvel Knights, Quesada worked on a number of low-profile characters such asDaredevil,Punisher,The Inhumans, andBlack Panther,[6] encouraging experimentation and using his contacts in the independent comics world to bring in creators such asDavid W. Mack,Mike Oeming,Brian Michael Bendis,Garth Ennis, andSteve Dillon. Quesada also illustrated aDaredevil story written by film directorKevin Smith.[15]
Two and a half years after starting Marvel Knights, Joe Quesada becameeditor-in-chief ofMarvel Comics[6] in 2000, followingBob Harras's departure from the company. At the same time,Bill Jemas succeeded to the presidency of the company. The relationship culminated in the establishment of theUltimate line of Marvel titles, which were aimed at new readers and took place outside of the restrictivecontinuity of theMarvel Universe.[16]
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.[17]
Joe Quesada's predecessor as Marvel editor-in-chief, Bob Harras, canceled and restarted all of Marvel's titles that were not eitherX-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 1990sbust of the comic book collecting market, 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 forFantastic Four,Amazing Spider-Man andAvengers when they each passed the 500 mark.[18]
Quesada was involved in the creation of three successful Marvel imprints:[19]
Critics of Quesada's policy of emphasizing trade paperbacks charge that they cannibalize monthly comic book sales, because readers may opt to forgo 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.[20]
When confronted with a backlash by fans due to his decision to dictate a controversialretcon of Peter Parker's marriage toMary 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 theMC2 titleSpider-Girl for continuing to provide fans with a stable marriage and an expanded family,[21] although that title was later canceled and relaunched multiple times,[22][23] eventually being cancelled for good in 2010.
In June 2009 Quesada began writing a weekly column forComic Book Resources called "Cup O' Joe", in which he answers questions every Friday from readers or provides information on Marvel projects.[24]
On February 10, 2010, Quesada issued a public apology for the content ofCaptain America #602, which had drawn condemnation from nationalTea Party leaders, for its depiction of an apparent Tea Party protest, and the black superheroFalcon, reacting to it by saying that he would not be welcomed by a crowd of "angry white folks". Also at issue was the slogans on some of the signs held by the protestors. Quesada stated that future reprints of that story would have the offending material omitted.[25][26]
On June 2, 2010, Marvel announced that it promoted Joe Quesada tochief creative officer ofMarvel 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.[27]
On January 4, 2011, Quesada stepped down as editor-in-chief, and was replaced byAxel Alonso. After being given the additional job of CCO, in 2010, Quesada explained toComic 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."[28][29]
Quesada later elaborated on this decision in a 2011 interview withVisual Arts Journal, a publication of his alma mater, theSchool 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 byDisney 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.[6]
With the October 2019 Marvel reorganization that namedKevin Feige as Chief Creative Officer across Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Studios, he would continue to work for Marvel Entertainment with his position re-titled as executive vice president and creative director for Marvel Entertainment.[30] On May 31, 2022, Quesada announced he would part ways with Marvel.[31]
After leaving Marvel, Quesada was recruited toAmazon Studios in afirst-look deal to develop film and television productions from comic book properties.[32]
In July 2024, he was announced as the head of a new comic book company called Amazing Comics. A joint venture betweenMad Cave Studios and Belgian publisherDupuis, their first series will beDisciple, a reimagining of Shakespeare'sHamlet, with Quesada co-writing and drawing.[33]
When illustrating, Quesada begins with sketches much smaller than the actual size at which he will render the final drawing. He employs a Cintiqdrawing 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.[34][35]
InKevin Smith's 1995 filmMallrats Quesada is credited as an artist for the opening sequence featuring fictional comic books covers. He also appears in the closing scene of Smith'sChasing Amy, alongside frequent collaborator and inkerJimmy Palmiotti, signing comic books at a convention. He later appeared as a pizza delivery man in Smith's 2001 filmJay and Silent Bob Strike Back.[36]
Quesada was one of a number of comics creators that appeared inOnce Upon A Time The Super Heroes, a 2002 documentary about the creation and evolution of comic book superheroes.[37]
Quesada voices Joe, the owner of the "Q's Cup O' Joe" coffee shop, in the 2017Spider-Man animated series. The character is modeled after Quesada.[38]
Quesada lives with his wife, Nanci and their daughter, Carlie, in a loft in theFlatiron District.[5][39]
Quesada is a fan of theNew York Mets.[5]
Longtime DC writer/editor Jack C. Harris reworked the Golden Age character of the Ray into a new hero, assisted by future superstar artist Joe Quesada.
| Preceded by | Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief 2000–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Iron Man writer 2000 (withFrank Tieri in late 2000) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Amazing Spider-Man artist 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Publications | |
|---|---|
| Universe | |
| Lines and imprints | |
| Editors-in-chief / executive editors | |
| Adaptations | |
| Related | |
| Key people |  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publications | |||||||
| Universe | |||||||
| Lines and imprints | |||||||
| Adaptations |
| ||||||
| Related |
| ||||||
