Axel Alonso
Encyclopedia
Axel Alonso is American comic book creator
, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics
from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics
from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol
, Animal Man
, Hellblazer
, Preacher
and 100 Bullets
. As Senior Editor at Marvel Comics
, he edited Spider-Man
and X-Men
related books before ascending to Vice President, Executive Editor in 2010, and Editor-in-Chief in January 2011, replacing Joe Quesada
. He has also worked as a writer and inker.
for DC Comics editors and thought it would be fun to interview, never thinking he would actually be offered a job, though he ended up being hired by the publisher.
Alonso's first published work for DC Comics
was Doom Patrol
#80 and Animal Man
#73, which were published in July 1994, the latter of which was part of the company's Vertigo line, which publishes books in genres such as horror
and fantasy
aimed at mature readers. Other Vertigo titles he edited until 1999 included Garth Ennis
' Preacher
, Black Orchid
, Kid Eternity
, Hellblazer
, Unknown Soldier, 100 Bullets
and Human Target
.
In late September 2000 Alonso went to work at DC's main competition, Marvel Comics
, as Senior Editor, where he worked on Spider-Man
books such as The Amazing Spider-Man
and Peter Parker: Spider-Man
. His first published work as editor was The Amazing Spider-Man
trade paperback that collected issues #30 - 32 of that title, and was published in 2001.
Alonso spent more than a decade as an editor at Marvel, working on some of its most notable characters, and helping to create the Marvel MAX line for mature readers, and overseeing critically acclaimed runs on The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men
, such as "X-Men: Messiah Complex
" and "Curse of the Mutants
", as well as stories featuring the Western
character Rawhide Kid
. He is also credited with bringing crime writers to work on Marvel titles, such as Duane Swierczynski
and Victor Gischler
. Although primarily an editor, he also wrote Spider-Man: One More Day Sketchbook, a 2007 tie-in book to the "Spider-Man: One More Day
" storyline, and inked issues 3 and 4 of the 2008 miniseries NYX: No Way Home.
He was promoted to Vice President, Executive Editor in early 2010, and oversaw cross-promotional projects such an issue of the ESPN The Magazine
, which depicted several NBA basketball players as Marvel superheroes. The issue was published in October 2010 by ESPN
, which like Marvel, is owned by parent company Disney.
In July 2010 Alonso and fellow Marvel editor Tom Brevoort
began a weekly column on Comic Book Resources
called "Marvel T&A", a new installment of which appears every Friday, along with Joe Quesada
's "Cup O' Joe" column.
On January 4, 2011, Alonso was named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada
, who was named Chief Creative Officer the previous June. In attaining the position of editor-in-chief, he became only the third person in 15 years to hold the position, and one of the few in the company’s history to gain it "without tumult or corporate bloodshed".
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
, Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
, Hellblazer
Hellblazer
Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
, Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
and 100 Bullets
100 Bullets
100 Bullets is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso. It was published in the USA by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint and initially ran for one hundred issues...
. As Senior Editor at Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, he edited Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
related books before ascending to Vice President, Executive Editor in 2010, and Editor-in-Chief in January 2011, replacing Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
. He has also worked as a writer and inker.
Career
Alonso, who is half Mexican, worked as a journalist and magazine editor for years before he entered the comic book industry. One day, he saw an ad in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
for DC Comics editors and thought it would be fun to interview, never thinking he would actually be offered a job, though he ended up being hired by the publisher.
Alonso's first published work for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
was Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
#80 and Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
#73, which were published in July 1994, the latter of which was part of the company's Vertigo line, which publishes books in genres such as horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
aimed at mature readers. Other Vertigo titles he edited until 1999 included Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
' Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
, Black Orchid
Black Orchid
Black Orchid is the name of three fictional superheroines published by DC Comics. The original version of the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 .-Susan Linden-Thorne:...
, Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity is a comic book superhero who first premiered in Hit Comics #25, published by Quality Comics in December, 1942. The character - as well as all of Quality's intellectual properties were sold to DC Comics in 1956...
, Hellblazer
Hellblazer
Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
, Unknown Soldier, 100 Bullets
100 Bullets
100 Bullets is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso. It was published in the USA by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint and initially ran for one hundred issues...
and Human Target
Human Target
The Human Target is the name of two fictional comic book characters that have appeared in books published by DC Comics. The first is Fred Venable, who appears in Detective Comics #201 , by Edmond Hamilton and Sheldon Moldoff....
.
In late September 2000 Alonso went to work at DC's main competition, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, as Senior Editor, where he worked on Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
books such as The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
and Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.-Volume One :...
. His first published work as editor was The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
trade paperback that collected issues #30 - 32 of that title, and was published in 2001.
Alonso spent more than a decade as an editor at Marvel, working on some of its most notable characters, and helping to create the Marvel MAX line for mature readers, and overseeing critically acclaimed runs on The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, such as "X-Men: Messiah Complex
X-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
" and "Curse of the Mutants
Curse of the Mutants
"Curse of the Mutants" is a 2010 Marvel Comics storyline. The story arc centers around Dracula's son Xarus becoming a new vampire lord and Jubilee being turned into a vampire.-Publication history:...
", as well as stories featuring the Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
character Rawhide Kid
Rawhide Kid
The Rawhide Kid is a fictional Old West cowboy in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted as an outlaw, he is one of Marvel's most prolific Western characters...
. He is also credited with bringing crime writers to work on Marvel titles, such as Duane Swierczynski
Duane Swierczynski
Duane Louis Swierczynski is an American crime writer who has written a number of non-fiction books, novels and also writes for comic books.-Early life:...
and Victor Gischler
Victor Gischler
Victor Gischler is an American author of hard-boiled crime fiction.-Biography:Gischler's debut novel Gun Monkeys was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera was an Anthony Award finalist. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese. He earned a Ph.D....
. Although primarily an editor, he also wrote Spider-Man: One More Day Sketchbook, a 2007 tie-in book to the "Spider-Man: One More Day
Spider-Man: One More Day
"One More Day" is a four-part, 2007 comic book crossover storyline, connecting the six main Spider-Man series concurrently published by Marvel Comics at the time. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, with art by Quesada, this story arc concludes the fallout of Spider-Man's actions...
" storyline, and inked issues 3 and 4 of the 2008 miniseries NYX: No Way Home.
He was promoted to Vice President, Executive Editor in early 2010, and oversaw cross-promotional projects such an issue of the ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
, which depicted several NBA basketball players as Marvel superheroes. The issue was published in October 2010 by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, which like Marvel, is owned by parent company Disney.
In July 2010 Alonso and fellow Marvel editor Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...
began a weekly column on Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
called "Marvel T&A", a new installment of which appears every Friday, along with Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
's "Cup O' Joe" column.
On January 4, 2011, Alonso was named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
, who was named Chief Creative Officer the previous June. In attaining the position of editor-in-chief, he became only the third person in 15 years to hold the position, and one of the few in the company’s history to gain it "without tumult or corporate bloodshed".
Wins
- 2004 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor
- 2006 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor
- 2010 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor
Nominations
- 2007 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor
- 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Comics Editor