Sunday, November 23, 2003

NYT on "NYX": The New York Times (registration required) profiles Joe Quesada in today's Region section, and pumps his new series "NYX."

Among my favorite excerpts:

"One of the three is Marvel's editor in chief, Joe Quesada. He is a big guy, with a bull neck the Hulk would be proud of and thick Jackson Pollock wrists. His brown hair is dyed partly blond, making him look like the Human Torch on simmer."

"October was an especially strong month [for the comics industry], with each of the Top 10 titles selling more than 100,000 copies. While not comparable to comics' glory days, it's a reason for optimism. 'The industry is the healthiest it's been in roughly 10 years,' says Brian Cunningham, editor of Wizard magazine, which covers comics. 'Some people credit Marvel's resurgence. Some credit the wave of popular comic films like "X-Men" and "Spider-Man." Yet others credit the overall quality of many comics.'"

"But Mr. Quesada relishes his role as an industry lightning rod. 'I set out to get people talking,' he says. 'Let them hate me, let them love me, just feel passionate about it all, one way or another. Silence equals death. Right after I took the job, I was advised by a previous editor in chief that as editor of Marvel, as the guy in charge of the biggest and most popular publisher in comics, I will always be walking around with a target on my back.'"