Event Comics
Encyclopedia
Event Comics was an American independent comic book
publisher founded by veteran artists Jimmy Palmiotti
and Joe Quesada
. The company published during the years 1994 to 1998, at which point it was contracted to form the Marvel Knights
imprint for Marvel Comics
.
' X-O Manowar
, and following the creation of their first joint project in Kid Death & Fluffy for a Creators Universe card series, decided to create their own studio with their own original characters. They spent two weeks in the Florida Keys
developing Ash
, their flagship character. Ash #1 (1994) was met with great reader response, and Event hit the ground running.
Event published several series starring Ash, as well as stand-alone crossovers with another Event title, 22 Brides. The initial series, simply titled Ash, ran for a total of seven issues, with issue #6 leading directly into issue #0. The second series, Ash: The Fire Within ran for three issues. The final series to focus on the title character was Ash: Cinder & Smoke, which ran for a total of six issues. Ash also co-starred in the intercompany crossover
Azrael/Ash, co-published with DC Comics
in 1997.
Another popular Event character was Painkiller Jane
, who made her first appearance in 22 Brides #1 (1995). Originally a five-issue mini-series, Painkiller Jane went on to star in numerous crossover
books with the likes of The Darkness
, Darkchylde
, Vampirella
, and Hellboy
.
In 1997, Event launched Crimson Plague, the first creator-owned comic by popular veteran cartoonist George Pérez
. Originally intended as a six-issue mini-series about an alien with ultra-toxic blood, Pérez produced only one issue. (He later temporarily revived the title with Image Comics
in 2000.)
Other Event Comics titles included Thrax (1996), the Kid Death & Fluffy Spring Break Special (1996), the Kid Death & Fluffy Halloween Special (1997), Legends of Kid Death & Fluffy (1997), and Here Come the Big People (1997).
to breathe new life into some of their second-tier characters. Under the designation of "Marvel Knights
," Palmiotti and Quesada were given creative control of Black Panther
, Daredevil
, The Punisher
and The Inhumans
. Event hired the creative teams for the line while Marvel published them, and in September 1998 the Marvel Knights imprint was born.
As Marvel Knights editor, Quesada encouraged experimentation and used his contacts in the indie comics world to bring in new creators such as David W. Mack
, Michael Avon Oeming
, Brian Michael Bendis
, Garth Ennis
, and Steve Dillon
. The Event Comics creative teams eventually produced popular, well-regarded Knights runs like Kevin Smith
& Quesada's Daredevil and Christopher Priest's Black Panther.
Once Marvel Knights was implemented back into Marvel proper, Quesada and Palmiotti returned to the Marvel fold, and Event Comics ceased publishing. In 2000, Quesada ascended to the role of Marvel's editor-in-chief.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
publisher founded by veteran artists Jimmy Palmiotti
Jimmy Palmiotti
James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
and 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...
. The company published during the years 1994 to 1998, at which point it was contracted to form the Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Worldwide, Inc. that contains material taking place within the mainstream Marvel Universe .-Production:...
imprint for 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...
.
History
Penciller Quesada and inker Palmiotti, after working well together on various projects such as Valiant ComicsValiant Comics
Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...
' X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar
X-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, artist Bob Layton, and Jon Hartz. Current Marvel Comics Chief Creative Officier Joe Quesada was a key creator in the origin of X-O Manowar as seen in X-O Manowar #0...
, and following the creation of their first joint project in Kid Death & Fluffy for a Creators Universe card series, decided to create their own studio with their own original characters. They spent two weeks in the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
developing Ash
Ash (comics)
Ash is an American comic book character created by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, published by Event Comics about a firefighter who gains superpowers from a time-displaced regeneration device from a possible apocalyptic future....
, their flagship character. Ash #1 (1994) was met with great reader response, and Event hit the ground running.
Event published several series starring Ash, as well as stand-alone crossovers with another Event title, 22 Brides. The initial series, simply titled Ash, ran for a total of seven issues, with issue #6 leading directly into issue #0. The second series, Ash: The Fire Within ran for three issues. The final series to focus on the title character was Ash: Cinder & Smoke, which ran for a total of six issues. Ash also co-starred in the intercompany crossover
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
Azrael/Ash, co-published with 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...
in 1997.
Another popular Event character was Painkiller Jane
Painkiller Jane
Painkiller Jane is a fictional character, a comic book heroine created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada for Event Comics in 1995. Originally a five-issue mini-series, the character went on to star in numerous crossover titles with the likes of the Punisher, Vampirella, and Hellboy. Recently, the...
, who made her first appearance in 22 Brides #1 (1995). Originally a five-issue mini-series, Painkiller Jane went on to star in numerous crossover
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
books with the likes of The Darkness
The Darkness (comics)
The Darkness is a series of ongoing American comic books created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl and produced by Top Cow Productions. The comic first appeared in 1996 and enjoyed an initial period of relative success during the Top Cow/Image Comics boom of the late 1990s. However,...
, Darkchylde
Darkchylde
Darkchylde is an American comic book character created in 1996 by Randy Queen. It was originally published by Maximum Press, and later by Image Comics, through Homage Comics, a publishing imprint of Wildstorm...
, Vampirella
Vampirella
Vampirella is a fictional character, a comic book vampire heroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and costume designer Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine Vampirella #1 . Writer-editor Archie Goodwin later developed the character from horror-story hostess, in...
, and Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
.
In 1997, Event launched Crimson Plague, the first creator-owned comic by popular veteran cartoonist George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
. Originally intended as a six-issue mini-series about an alien with ultra-toxic blood, Pérez produced only one issue. (He later temporarily revived the title with Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
in 2000.)
Other Event Comics titles included Thrax (1996), the Kid Death & Fluffy Spring Break Special (1996), the Kid Death & Fluffy Halloween Special (1997), Legends of Kid Death & Fluffy (1997), and Here Come the Big People (1997).
Marvel Knights
In 1998, the Event Comics team was contracted by Marvel ComicsMarvel 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...
to breathe new life into some of their second-tier characters. Under the designation of "Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Worldwide, Inc. that contains material taking place within the mainstream Marvel Universe .-Production:...
," Palmiotti and Quesada were given creative control of Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, The Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
and The Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
. Event hired the creative teams for the line while Marvel published them, and in September 1998 the Marvel Knights imprint was born.
As Marvel Knights editor, Quesada encouraged experimentation and used his contacts in the indie comics world to bring in new creators such as David W. Mack
David W. Mack
David W. Mack is an American comic book artist and writer, best known for his creator-owned series Kabuki. Mack is known for his unique painted and collage-like work...
, Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer. He is known for using a stark art style to tell stories with sophisticated and mature subject matter.-Career:...
, Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, 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...
, and Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
. The Event Comics creative teams eventually produced popular, well-regarded Knights runs like Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
& Quesada's Daredevil and Christopher Priest's Black Panther.
Once Marvel Knights was implemented back into Marvel proper, Quesada and Palmiotti returned to the Marvel fold, and Event Comics ceased publishing. In 2000, Quesada ascended to the role of Marvel's editor-in-chief.
Titles
- 22 Brides (1996)
- AshAsh (comics)Ash is an American comic book character created by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, published by Event Comics about a firefighter who gains superpowers from a time-displaced regeneration device from a possible apocalyptic future....
(1994) - Ash #½ (co-published with Wizard magazineWizard (magazine)Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
, 1997) - Ash/22 Brides(1996)
- Ash Files (1997)
- Ash: Cinder & Smoke (1997)
- Ash: Fire And Crossfire (1999)
- Ash: The Fire Within (1996)
- AzraelAzrael (comics)Azrael is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are a group of assassins who were created by The Order of St. Dumas to "enforce god's will"...
/Ash (co-published with DC ComicsDC ComicsDC 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...
, 1997) - Crimson Plague (1997)
- Here Come the Big People (1997)
- Kid Death & Fluffy Halloween Special (1997)
- Kid Death & Fluffy Spring Break Special (1996)
- Legends of Kid Death & Fluffy (1997)
- Painkiller JanePainkiller JanePainkiller Jane is a fictional character, a comic book heroine created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada for Event Comics in 1995. Originally a five-issue mini-series, the character went on to star in numerous crossover titles with the likes of the Punisher, Vampirella, and Hellboy. Recently, the...
(1997) - Painkiller Jane vs. The Darkness (co-published with Top Cow ProductionsTop Cow ProductionsTop Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.-History:...
, 1997) - Painkiller Jane/Darkchylde (co-published with Image ComicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
, 1998) - Painkiller Jane/Hellboy (co-published with Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, 1998) - Thrax (1996)
- Vampirella/Painkiller Jane (co-published with Harris Comics, 1998)
Creators associated with Event Comics
- Joe QuesadaJoe QuesadaJoseph "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...
— co-founder - Jimmy PalmiottiJimmy PalmiottiJames "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
— co-founder - Brian AugustynBrian AugustynBrian Augustyn is an award-winning comic book editor and writer. He has often worked, as both an editor and writer, with writer Mark Waid.-Biography:...
- Trace BeaulieuTrace BeaulieuTrace Beaulieu is an American puppeteer, writer, and actor. He is best known for his roles on Mystery Science Theater 3000 .-Mystery Science Theater 3000:...
- John Cebollero
- Amanda ConnerAmanda ConnerAmanda Conner is an Irish-American comic book artist and commercial art illustrator. She began her career in the late 1980s for Archie Comics and Marvel Comics, before moving on to contribute work for Claypool Comics' Soulsearchers and Company and Harris Comics' Vampirella in the 1990s...
- Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth 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...
- Scott LeeScott LeeScott Lee is a Canadian sprint canoer who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was disqualified in the heats of the C-2 1000 m event at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Four years later in Munich, Lee was eliminated in the semifinals of the C-2 1000 m event.-References:*...
- Rick Parker
- George PérezGeorge PérezGeorge Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
- Humberto RamosHumberto RamosHumberto Ramos is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man and his creator-owned series Crimson.-Career:...
- James RobinsonJames Dale RobinsonJames Dale Robinson is a British writer of comic books and screenplays who is also known for his interest in vintage collectibles and memorabilia. His style is described as smart and energetic, built upon his vast knowledge of obscure continuity from the period known to fans and historians as the...
- Dave Ross
- Mark WaidMark WaidMark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...