MEGA CON '08: JOE QUESADA RECEIVES AWARD, TALKS SHOP

[MichaelDoran]

Report by Steve Ekstrom

Friday afternoon in Orlando, Florida Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada took the stage at MegaCon in front of a packed room of soberly quiet comic book fans and said, “Hi, I’m Joe Quesada and I’m a comic-aholic.”

The MegaCon day began in a special manner for Quesada. Earlier in the day, on behalf of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the city of Orlando, he was awarded the Sun Award for his achievements in the comic book industry and for his efforts within the Hispanic community. When asked about his award, Joe remarked, “I just wish my Dad was around to see me receive things like this — he really got into these kinds of things.”

Afterwards, Joe headed up the panel which was intended to be loose Q&A between the audience and the E-i-C. The panel was filled with a series up-and downs as Quesada fielded questions in regards to current storylines at Marvel as well as questions about his tenure in the industry and the ever prevalent “break-in advice” asked by numerous aspiring creators seeking to break-in to the industry.

With a slow jovial start, it did not take long for an audience member to initiate questions of “Why?” regarding Spider-Man and his recently altered continuity. This new status quo ushered in the by the Brand New Day storyline finds Marvel’s flagship character in a restructured and emotionally unencumbered continuity sans his near 20 year marriage to Mary Jane Watson. This was after all, Quesada’s first comic book convention since the release of the controversial storylines.

Quesada quickly and eloquently disarmed a few unhappy audience members who seemed to gang up on him in regards to the Brand New Day storyline by explaining the ramifications of keeping Spider-Man continuity in its previous mode. He stated, “My wife is okay with me saying this now — but my life before I was married was much more interesting than after I got married,” adding, “I didn’t have the stability that marriage provides — and that kind of stability can lessen the options of writers when engaging Peter Parker/ Spider-Man in his life and adventures. Spider-Man is much more interesting when the chance for more stories that create more conflicts can be achieved.”

Quesada continually fielded questions in response to specific aspects of Spider-Man continuity and held by his repeated statement, “Just keep reading — you’ll see that things aren’t as different as you think.”

At one point, on an interesting note, another audience member changed the topic to Quesada’s personal beginnings in the industry — and how, as an unlikely artist several years removed from his art school training (and a musician no less…), with a very limited time frame for finding a job, was given one of his first mainstream jobs at DC Comics by an up-and-coming editor, Jim Owsley, a man who would become known as the popular writer, Christopher Priest. Quesada stated, “It’s just amazing how I’ve been able to keep work since my first job at DC — I like to think I’m the luckiest S.O.B. in the history of comics.”

Quesada was also asked a wide variety of questions in regard to Icon and who exactly is privy to printing under this specific banner to which Quesada replied, “We try to keep Icon specifically for the creators that Marvel Comics has established long-standing relationships with,” adding, “no, it’s not a line of books for unknown creators.”

Quesada then went on to favorably field questions in regards to Dan Slott getting more monthly work by explaining that he thinks that Slott “could easily be the #1 or #2 guy in the industry in a few years…” and he stressed that he believed that Slott could be meticulous to a certain point and that his own corrective nature may be the key to increasing more of his presence in the Marvel Universe. Quesada continued fielding questions in regards to the difficulties young writers face when entering the medium and he stressed that the key factors to “continually write” and to “self-publish as much as possible”.

After the Q&A session wrapped, Newsarama was able to sit down with Quesada and follow-up on some of the more elaborate questions posed during the panel.

Newsarama: Joe, now that the writer’s [WGA] strike is over, and some of these Hollywood-based writers are going to be returning to their day jobs, are there going to be difficulties with these kinds of creative relationships?

Joe Quesada: You know, not really — when you look back at during the writer’s strike — we were approached by a lot of guys who had quite a bit of down time and we were concerned that these guys were going to have issues with timeliness…and there’s always this fear that something is going to get in the way of the timeliness of our books…but the guys we have are still working with us. Jeph Loeb is going to be heading back to the production of Heroes; and guys like Damon (Lindelof) who has given me more scripted material recently; and we also have a couple of things in the can that we haven’t announced just yet that have been a product of the strike but we’re going to take our time producing them — I think they are going to be pretty cool.

NRAMA: You had mentioned during the panel that guys like Alex Maleev are encouraged to take photographs of buildings and backgrounds to enhance their work and expedite their process — can the same be said for using pictures of models or celebrities faces as photo references? With the recent controversies being addressed on the web, have there been internal mandates enacted to curtail this activity?

JQ: Yeah, there have been but you have to understand that an artist using models and photo references to assist them in their work has been going on for quite some time — there is nothing new about any of this. The only new thing is thing called ‘the internet’ and basically, it is just a matter of time before someone looks up the image and finds the reference. A lot of artists use themselves as a model — I know Alex does, I know I do...it’s the same thing. And sometimes, to expedite matters, an artist will find a reference and they may not even think about where it comes from and they will use it. Low and behold, before you know it, that photograph is found and it’s out there!

You just really have to be careful with what you use as a reference. Likenesses are a much bigger problem — there’s that famous Amy Grant album cover that was used on a Dr. Strange cover, I believe — and that led to a lot of serious legality issues. There are going to be times when you use a likeness and someone may not like it — you just have to be really careful. We do encourage our artists to try to avoid that — but again, we do have to produce work and produce it quickly. Fans of comic books these days demand a certain level of fine detail in their books and artists try to compensate for the amount of work that they are trying to expedite — the pressure is tremendous.

NRAMA: Okay, getting down to it, how have you, as a creator, reacted to the criticisms of One More Day and Brand New Day personally?

JQ: You know, when I took this job, Tom DeFalco gave me the best advice anyone could give me. He told me that if I was going to be Editor-in-Chief you have to have a broad back — because no matter what I do — a lot of people are going to be unhappy no matter what you do. You turn one way and they don’t like the direction you went in — you turn the other way — and other people like your direction just as equally. No matter what — you’re going to hear it.

I’ve always kept that in mind — and I think it only amplifies how I handle this stuff — I truly expect it. It doesn’t matter if it’s One More Day or Brand New Day or something completely different. It’s cool that people are passionate about this stuff, I understand.

With One More Day, the reason I opted to draw this story was to put the burden solely on me — I was worried that this story could potentially harm another artist’s career. So, I decided to draw it and deal with the responsibility myself — because I knew going in…and so did everyone else involved with the project that this was going to be a very controversial project all around. I knew that fans were going to be vocal — that some people were going to be unhappy. I just knew that at the end of the day — that I had another job I could do. So I said let me be the guy who puts his money where his mouth is and bare the burden of this story.

Like I said, I totally expected the responses we’re getting — and now, we’re where we want to be with our Spider-Man stories and readers will see…one year down the road and then two years down the road that we have their best interests at heart. I know what’s going on — it’s all kind of cyclical…so everyone can trust me when I say, “Everything is going to be cool.”

[image from Quesada's appearance February on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report"]

[HartyPotter]

Good stuff. I like his explanation for why he did the art for OMD.

[SlamBurger]

Oh yeah Joe Q. is obviously hugely concerned about timeliness.

[melperfect]

Congrats to Joe on the award!

I don't agree with everything the man does, and I didn't get anywhere near OMD (really didn't care for the last 3-4 years of JMS ASM run), but I am really liking BND and I have to agree with the notion that Spidey is more interesting as a single guy.

I'm one of the people who likes Spider-Man comics about 10% for Peter Parker and his personal life and the other 90% for Spidey kicking the $hit out of the Sinister Six. Married Spidey just never really seemed interesting to me, and I've been reading since about 5 years before the marriage Annual issue.

Those who disagree, feel free to be upset.

[Northstar04]

Nice to hear from Joe again, and congrats on the award.

[Alextron]

I have to admit it, OMD is the probably the worst thing I've ever heard of in all my years of reading comics. And that's saying something. You look at stories such as the Clone Saga and maybe even Teen Iron man and you think 'that's bad, but atleast they were trying'.

Here, it's just let's have a bunch of bad stuff happen and then forget it. Let's not do a story where Peter finally meets all his friends and talks to them after they know he's Spider-man, let's just pretend that never happened already and have Aunt May get sick or something. Let's not have anything on that 'new powers' tip that The OTher (an absurdly bad story in itself, thank you, and ignore that after we do the costume change thing again... and then again. That must take real talent to ignore all the possibilties in a story, that you can just ignore them because you want to make Spider-man unmarried. 'Let's not do that a few years ago and see how it goes, we've got all these untapped potential ideas to not do anything with.'

Look, if you have a story where everyone finds out who Spider-man is and you don't do that big epic story out of it, it doesn't matter whether he's married or not, nothing is going ot happen.

Enjoy Menace, Paper Doll, and .... Mr. NEgative.

Where's Doc Ock?

[Clem]

When your gut is telling you something will be controversial, for God's sake - DON'T DO IT.

Haven't bought an issue since. Don't intend to go back.

Stupid f*cking reset buttons. May as well be watching Star Trek.

[NatePetrelli]

you haters can be as pesky and snarky as you want,Joe Quesada brought Marvel back from the brink to one of the best publishing periods in the history of the company

[HankPym]

Originally Posted by MichaelDoran

I know what’s going on — it’s all kind of cyclical…so everyone can trust me when I say, “Everything is going to be cool.”

Emphasis added by me.

There sure are a couple of ways to interpret THAT...

[trialsze]

You know I did not like Joe Q to begin with but I never thought he was an idot until he said this:
He stated, “My wife is okay with me saying this now — but my life before I was married was much more interesting than after I got married,” adding, “I didn’t have the stability that marriage provides — and that kind of stability can lessen the options of writers when engaging Peter Parker/ Spider-Man in his life and adventures. Spider-Man is much more interesting when the chance for more stories that create more conflicts can be achieved.”

Marriage doesn't cause stability it just gives you a support system and someone to go through those trials with you. This is by far the dumbest statement I have ever heard.

Yep, no more Marvel for me and mine until Joe is gone.

[CodeGuy]

Originally Posted by MichaelDoran

[image from Quesada's appearance February on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report"]

This struck me as funny, in a good way. I recognised that image when I saw it, but after a the discussion in the interview about using other people's photographs, it seemed super appropriate for the article to end with proper credit for the screen cap.

As far as using photo reference goes, I divide that stuff into two categories. Using the photos as reference and stealing. Tracing is stealing. Pasting Magneto's face onto a portrait is stealing. Looking at a photo and drawing your own picture: that is reference, and that I don't think it is a bad thing.

[Spidey616]

And yet, still NOTHING on the return of New Joe Fridays.....

[SlamBurger]

Originally Posted by NatePetrelli

you haters can be as pesky and snarky as you want,Joe Quesada brought Marvel back from the brink to one of the best publishing periods in the history of the company

Lots of time to drink Kool-Aid waiting for Marvel to ship those quarterly "monthly" comics.

Marvel's sales are in the toilet compared to pretty much all their history except 1996-2000, during the bust that immediately followed the speculator boom. Quesada's sales look good because they follow literally the worst sales period in the company's history.

[shanealt]

While the specific direction of One More Day isn't where I personally would have gone, I think it's important to note that Joe Quesada's viewpoint has reasoning behind it. By nature, "dating soap opera" has the potential for a lot more dramatic storytelling than "stable marriage". And for a serial comic like Amazing Spider-Man, progressing a comic too far isn't a very smart idea for future readers.

Coming into comics can be daunting when you have to worry about too much continuity baggage. And while yes, that "continuity baggage" can be a good thing in some circumstances, too much of it isn't appealing to the casual reader. I know that my dad used to read comics, and I've been able to get him to read an occasional comic here and there, but often he just can't get into it, because these iconic characters are so drastically different. And if someone who has a familiarity with these characters, someone who already has an interest, is finding it difficult to jump on, what does that say for potential readers who don't have someone to continuously push them?

For those complaining that we're seeing unestablished villains: Well, yes, but I think that's a very good thing. Seeing the same villains, over and over, can get boring after awhile. Don't get me wrong--the classic villains are classics for a reason (and it's not just because they were created awhile ago--there are plenty of early villains who couldn't sustain), but I think that we need fresh blood, characters that can be invented and given a solid push. Do I think all of them would stick around? Not at all--just like the early days, characters that don't "click" will eventually be left on the wayside. But maybe--just maybe--we'll get some new classics from the arrangement.

I don't want to see the same stories, and yes, I do think that's a reason a lot of people are skeptical of Brand New Day--because, in a way, it's just a giant step backwards. But, as someone who has read the first two storylines of Brand New Day, I can confidently say that I don't think everything is the same. I'm honestly intrigued by many plot points, and I think that the potential here can be explored for some great stories.

I've since dropped the title monthly for trade/hardcover format, only because the title is self-contained, and collections will come out frequently--it's just easier this way. But I'm excited to be reading Amazing Spider-Man. I just finished going back and reading Straczynski's run, and I enjoyed it very much--and now, I look forward to enjoying the rest of Brand New Day. I think that the writers have a very specific vision for the title, and I can't wait to see how it pans out.

[HieuLeBui]

Originally Posted by MichaelDoran

the reason I opted to draw this story was to put the burden solely on me — I was worried that this story could potentially harm another artist’s career. So, I decided to draw it and deal with the responsibility myself — because I knew going in…and so did everyone else involved with the project that this was going to be a very controversial project all around.

Joe Q is now officially my hero.

[Black Ice]

Originally Posted by HartyPotter

Good stuff. I like his explanation for why he did the art for OMD.

I don't agree with what he and the Spidey brain trust decided in regards to OMD, but I get where they're coming from. I also respect him for taking the "bullet" and handling the art chores. Funny thing is I really enjoyed the art. That Iron Man vs Spider-man fight was pretty kick-ass. I would pay for four issues of that. (Hint hint)

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by HieuLeBui

Joe Q is now officially my hero.

c/s

Joe is the man for that, seriously.

[SpaceButler]

I am quite unhappy with some of the editorial decisions Marvel has made in the past few years.

At the same time I am enjoying a lot of Marvel's books.

I don't click on BND stories anymore, much less comment on them. I guess I am voting with my dollars. No Spider-Man for me, but I am enjoying the X-Men books and anything Brubaker, Thor and The Twelve, and Incredible Hercules. I may not like what Joe does all the time but you have to give him credit for promoting Marvel and for producing a wide enough range of books that you can find pockets of the MU you can enjoy.

Congrats on the award.

[Glacier]

Boring! That's what Spider-Man is now. Right back to square one. You know what pisses me off the most though? All the fans that said they hated the fact that Spidey was going backwards with this whole "BND" idea, and who said they would not buy or support Amazing Spider-Man. What happens thought? These issues sell big time! I'm sticking to my guns though, I will never buy another Spider Man title again unless it's someone else other than Peter Parker. CHANGE rules, which is why most mainstream comics are just a waste of time. I'm saving tons of money reading my back issues of various titles, and I'm pretty much getting the same stories as all these so-called "new issues" that keep on pouring out.

[Question86]

Until Bendis is off every single Avengers title, I have no respect for Quesada.

[Moosarama]

Originally Posted by Spidey616

And yet, still NOTHING on the return of New Joe Fridays.....

Let's be honest: those interviews didn't really tell us anything, just as this one barely tells us anything. I think it's much better for Quesada's image to have abandoned Joe Fridays in order not to spout out at the mouth again and rile people up. Sure, he thought it was good for business, but essentially he was taking pride in the fact he was getting people angry. The less antagonism, the better.

[Bathawk]

I recall a commercial for the US NAVY a while back that went

"If somone wrote a book about your life, would anyone want to read it?"

My life? a book? more like a pamphlet you could write my family & friends, my school life, my work life, and who I did date and who I did or didn't marry. Joe Q's life is probably more than a bit more interesting than mine, but me him and you are normal pepole

Now the book of Spider-man's life... His triumphs, his tragedy's (oh wait he dosen't have tradegies anymore, just reboots) his allies his enemies, his love life becomes a very small part of who he is

Now being a small part dosen't mean it's something you can adjust at will, Let's say we toss Batman's butler out the window, and replace him with a manservent named Pablo, becuase having a latino Butler instead of English opens up so many story ideas for the Dark Knight right? Didn't think so, becuase regardless of how great or small Alfred is to Batman, it's still apart of who he is

To his credit Dan Slott openend up Brand New day with Peter Parker liplocking with a "new girl" thinking "wait! this isn't me!" (and no I didn't buy it just thumbed through it in the shop)

So we've established that Petrer Parker having a revolving door of female intrests make him a much better character......No? Didn't think so

When all is said and done it's not the marriage fans are upset about (though we have angst over that too) But the whole reboot, web shooters back, living with his aunt, secret ID back Aunt May is ready for her 12th heart attack/stroke/whatever...geez this old bird lives through more stuff than Jean Grey

If your going to take something away from the table and reset the clock back to 1987, bring back something NEW

... and three or four half thought out, c-list supervillians don't cut it

[shanealt]

Originally Posted by Bathawk

... and three or four half thought out, c-list supervillians don't cut it

Why are they C-List? Because they've never been seen before?

By that logic, any new character is completely destined to failure. And maybe that's true, in today's industry, but I don't think that's a good thing.

[Black Ice]

Originally Posted by shanealt

For those complaining that we're seeing unestablished villains: Well, yes, but I think that's a very good thing. Seeing the same villains, over and over, can get boring after awhile. Don't get me wrong--the classic villains are classics for a reason (and it's not just because they were created awhile ago--there are plenty of early villains who couldn't sustain), but I think that we need fresh blood, characters that can be invented and given a solid push. Do I think all of them would stick around? Not at all--just like the early days, characters that don't "click" will eventually be left on the wayside. But maybe--just maybe--we'll get some new classics from the arrangement.

Yeah, I wonder how many people where like "a clown... WTF" when the Joker first showed up. Here's hoping Mr. Negative sticks around.

Originally Posted by shanealt

I don't want to see the same stories, and yes, I do think that's a reason a lot of people are skeptical of Brand New Day--because, in a way, it's just a giant step backwards. But, as someone who has read the first two story lines of Brand New Day, I can confidently say that I don't think everything is the same. I'm honestly intrigued by many plot points, and I think that the potential here can be explored for some great stories.

I've been enjoying the ride so far and I'm looking forward to the screwball's debut issue. Art by Barry Kitson. I say thee hell yeah. Long live the Order.

[NoPrize]

You want Joe to come back, for ask joe fridays...I will do this if everyone else agrees..nothing but positive Marvel posts for a month.