Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: marvel, MVL

Five Differences The Axel Alonso/Joe Quesada/Tom Brevoort Changes May Mean

Published Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:20:29 -0600

Last updated Wed, 05 Jan 2011 10:08:10 -0600

So. Alex Alonso promoted to Editor-In-Chief of Marvel, Joe Quesada concentrated on being Chief Creative Officer and Tom Brevoort now VP Publishing. What might it all mean?

1. Joe Quesada is no longer editor-in-chief. Might this mean that DC Comics may be willing to engage in a DC/Marvel crossover project? Back in the day, Bob Wayne said it could only happen when Joe Quesada was gone. Well, he may be CCO, but he's not editor-in-chief anymore. Does that count? Axel Alonso built his career at DC Comics… of course there was some animosity over Axel's decision to move to Marvel, especially his involvement in the meeting between Marvel and DC where Marvel announced they were leaving the Comics Code – and only brought ex-DC Marvel staff to the meeting to rub it in.

2. Mark Millar pledged that he would not work for DC Comics while Joe Quesada was in charge. Will his movement to CCO be a get out clause to allow Mark Millar to write Superman for DC without breaking his word? Of course. it's arguable whether Millar would want to write Superman after his own Superior, and the financial and creative awards that true creator owned comics have brought his, as opposed to DC's creator participant model.

3. Axel Alonso seems to be of a similar mind to Joe Quesada in terms of content, creating superheroes with a more adult/real world edge than previously, as well as encouraging comic book creators to follow their own muse. Don't expect Peter Parker to suddenly be remarried to Mary Jane Watson any time soon. Editorially, Axel and Tom had been assuming a number of Joe Quesada's day-to-day roles anyway. This could be seen as a continuance of that. But it is a good day to be Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, or any similar talent that Axel headhunted to the company.

4, Tom Brevoort's elevation to Senior Vice President of Publishing doesn't have the word editor in his job title. Working under Dan Buckley, it's presumed his role would be similar. But will he still have the editorial input he used to have in the line?

5. Don't expect Darwyn Cooke to be getting work at Marvel any time soon. He threw a pint of beer over Axel at a comics convention, in the belief that Axel had announced a line of comics identical to the one Darwyn and friends had presented a full pitch for months previously. At the time one Marvel wag told me it was the first DC exclusive he'd seen signed in beer.

And now… a swipe file bonus: