Axel Alonso
Comic books weren’t anywhere in Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief, Axel Alonso’s career plans. The half Mexican, half British, Cali-born and raised comics creator went to school for sociology and political science, after which he somehow stumbled upon a career in journalism writing profiles for magazines and newspapers. One particular story he wrote on the editor of High Times magazine would surprisingly jumpstart his career in comics. Alonso applied for a want-ad in a newspaper for an editor position for DC Comics’ Vertigo line. When he went in for the interview, the editor who interviewed Alonso remembered his name from that very article he had written about the editor of High Times, it just so happens that the Vertigo editor and the subject of the piece had a past rivalry over a girl. Suffice to say that Alonso landed the gig.
Alonso went on to edit numerous titles with DC, eventually taking over after his mentor’s untimely death. He then moved onto Marvel, working first as a senior editor—eventually taking the helm shortly after Joe Quesada moved onto his CCO position in 2011. With Alonso at the helm, Marvel has launched many new faces like Robbie Reyes, a.k.a. the all-new Chicano Ghost Rider, and Kamala Khan a.k.a. the Muslim girl known as Ms. Marvel. He also oversaw the recent Secret Wars arc, which saw the birth of an all-new Marvel Universe—revamping a large part of the Marvel line.
Photo Courtesy of Marvel Comics