VOICE FROM THE LONGBOX

If I can say one thing about Joe Quesada it’s that he's lived up to his hype. When he became Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics he promised he'd push the envelope. Ten months later, the envelope has been pushed, folded, spindled and mutilated. Quesada raided his DC competitors for editors, writers and artists. He launched the highly successful "Ultimate" line. He changed the face of the comics themselves by creating a modern/retro cover dress and adding the original issue numbers on books that had been restarted at number one. Perhaps most importantly, Joe Quesada has given comic readers a "face" for Marvel Comics. He is by no means Stan Lee. And, he never will be. But he is someone the readers can identify with, idolize and talk to (Quesada has an active presence on the Marvel.com message boards). Have all of his decisions been the work of genius? No. But I am impressed by the sheer effort. If the reports are true, Marvel's comic numbers are increasing. Marvel also recently announced that they were dumping the Comics Code Authority and would institute their own rating system. Almost immediately, noted comic creators applauded Marvel's actions. I hope Marvel's self-imposed code can be more consistent than the CCA has been in recent years. This leads us to MAX. Not Marvel Max, the word "Marvel" will not even be printed on the covers. The initial line-up includes: Alias, a Powers-type book by Brian Bendis, a Nick Fury mini by Garth Ennis and an experimental black-and-white weekly series called U.S. War Machine. Future projects already planned include Night Nurse, Luke Cage, Master of Kung Fu, Deathlok and Howard the Duck. I find it kind of funny that Marvel is mining the past as they claim to be forging the future. Could Omega the Unknown or Son of Satan be in the next wave? Regardless, I’m hoping some of these will be keepers. I want them to be. We need more good comics. Regardless of what label, good comics are good for comics.