CREATOR JOE QUESADA HAS BEEN KEEPING THE COMIC INDUSTRY BUZZING SINCE BECOMING EDITOR IN CHIEF OF MARVEL COMICS IN AUGUST OF 2000.
KNOWN FOR HIS STYLIZED ARTWORK AND EASY GOING ATTITUDE, JOE HAS ALSO DONE SOME MORE WRITING LATELY, NOTABLY A STORY ARC IN "IRON MAN."
JOE IS EASILY ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AND ACCESSIBLE PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY.
I WANT TO THANK JOE FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW, FOR THE MANY HOURS OF ENJOYMENT I'VE HAD WITH HIS COMICS WORK, AND FOR INVITING ME TO HOST A SECTION OF HIS
SOON-TO-BE OPENED WEB-SITE, JOEQUESADA.COM!
1) So, what's it like sitting behind a bigger desk with no art supplies?
JQ- It's pretty weird. I keep habitually reaching for my T-square when I realize I have no need for it...
forget the fact that it's not there...**sob**!
2) Bill Jemas (Marvel President of Publishing & New Media) and you seem to be
getting a kick out of riling up the comic press and fans. You've been
keeping people guessing and making rumor mongers work overtime.
Do you think all the hyping may harm Marvel in some way?
Y'know, like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf?"
JQ- Does anyone remember a guy named Stan Lee? You know what, as long as the product is good, and as long as the hype is (key word here!) fun, I can't see the fans or us getting tired of it!
I believe, and it's understandable, that people forgot how to have fun with comics, and now it's not like we don't want to have fun, but more like we're afraid! Afraid to let our guard down for fear of it all coming crashing down around our ears...fear that those that didn't let their guard down would be the first to tell they told us so! Make sense?
**Phew, that was a long ass sentence!**
3) Does your new title hinder your creativeness at all? I mean, you've been a fan-favorite artist for a long time, and then the writing bug hit on Iron Man, which was very widely enjoyed. Will you have time to do more writing and art, or will it be just occasional pin-ups and soapbox columns?
JQ- Don't tell Madman Bill, but when he's not looking, I'm sketching at my desk. Most of the time it's funny pictures of him and Bob Greenberger, but I'm keeping my hand warm!
Sometimes I draw Paul Levitz and send it to Mike Carlin and Dan Raspler!
I'll give you a little exclusive because I like you, and you gave me money...I have at this moment, an 11 page short story by a pretty good writer, that I'll be starting next week. How quickly I can get this done will determine for me, what kind of projects I'll be taking on in the future, so it's sort of a personal test! Now I'm telling you this because I know that you won't post this on the internet and outscoop all the big websites like Fandom or CBR...right? Glenn? GLENN!?
To the readers here...***YOU DIDN'T HEAR NOTHING, OKAY?!?***
4) You're easily the most accessible creator out there, and definitely the most accessible Editor In Chief. How do you find the time to answer al the emails, on top of the work-load you must have at the office? I'm sure you get a ton, and everyone is always amazed you replied to them.
JQ- I basically ignore my wife and new baby girl! Seriously I don't know...it's just a matter or priorities. The fans pay my rent, they make this industry fun, and they have a passion that is unquenchable to me, that's addicting! I'm just having a blast! I also work naked from the waist down so the corporate guys at Marvel ask me to stay at my desk alot.
5) Okay...the easy question...You have a choice between Joan Rivers, John Byrne, and Eminem, to live with the rest of your life on a deserted island. Who would you pick, and why?
JQ- What...are you kiddin' me?!? This isn't even a contest. Joan looks alright for a broad her age! I'd show her a fashion tip, if you know what I mean!
"Hey, Joan...you want to see my faux pas, sweet cheeks!"
However, I do hear John Byrne has sexy legs!
IMAGINE YOU'RE AT A COMIC-CONVENTION AND YOU SPOT YOUR FAVORITE CREATOR.
YOU KNOW THEY HAVE BEEN SIGNING BOOKS FOR HOURS BUT YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO
ASK THEM SOME QUESTIONS WHILE YOU'RE WAITING IN LINE.
YOU ONLY HAVE A FEW SHORT MINUTES, BUT WHAT DO YOU ASK THEM,
THAT THEY HAVEN'T ANSWERED ALL DAY, AND HOW MANY QUESTIONS CAN YOU SQUEEZE IN?
SIT DOWN WITH US AS WE BROWSE THE ARCHIVES AND
TAKE FIVE with...
