Joe Quesada, director and former editor-in-chief, leaves Marvel Comics

Joe Quesada, the fan-favorite comic book artist who became Marvel’s publisher in 1998 and eventually the company’s chief creative officer, will part ways with the comic book publisher. Quesada announced via social media that today is his last day at Marvel and that after more than 20 years, he is looking forward to new challenges. Quesada, who worked on the acclaimed independent book Ash with collaborator Jimmy Palmiotti in the 90s, came to Marvel in 1998 as an artist on daredevil. Quesada and Palmiotti ran the “Marvel Knights” adult reader line for the publisher, and by 2000 Quesada had been named editor.

Quesada was named Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment in 2010, just after the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe created a flurry of new projects for which he and his editors were responsible. He left his position as editor in January 2011, replaced by Axel Alonso. His position was renamed executive vice president and creative director in 2019.

“When I jumped into the world of comics, my goal was to create my own character, my stories and my universes,” Quesada said in a statement posted on social media. “Then one day Marvel made me an offer that changed the trajectory of my life.”

You can see Quesada’s statement below.

And now for something completely different… pic.twitter.com/5Vurcra9kJ

—Joe Quesada (@JoeQuesada) May 31, 2022

During his time at Marvel, Quesada oversaw a number of major innovations and revisions to the line. He was largely responsible for “One More Day”, the controversial Spider Man story that removed the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson marriage from continuity and allowed for a smooth reboot of the Spider Man comics. He also launched Marvel MAX, a mature readers label with Brian Michael Bendis, and looked to his indie roots to take chances on creators like Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming and others who brought energy to Marvel. which was anything but house style. at the time.

Quesada is also widely credited (or, depending on who you ask, criticized) for embracing stories written with Collected Editions in mind. “Writing for the Trade” is sometimes criticized for devaluing a comic’s single issues, but has become the most popular way to tell a story in recent years, with bookstore sales steadily increasing. Quesada also oversaw Marvel’s move to daily digital releases of their comic books – something that became impossible to resist about a decade ago.