Quesada and inker Palmiotti, after working well together on various projects such as Valiant 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. 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 crossoverAzrael/Ash, co-published with DC Comics in 1997. Another popular Event character was Painkiller Jane, who made her first appearance in 22 Brides #1. Originally a five-issue mini-series, Painkiller Jane went on to star in numerous crossover books with the likes of Punisher, 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. Other Event Comics titles included Thrax, the Kid Death & Fluffy Spring Break Special, the Kid Death & Fluffy Halloween Special, Legends of Kid Death & Fluffy, and Here Come the Big People.
Marvel Knights
In 1998, the Event Comics team was contracted by Marvel Comics 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 was shut down, the last comics published being Ash: Fire and Crossfire in January and March 1999, respectively. In 2000, Quesada ascended to the role of Marvel's editor-in-chief. As of June 2010, he is also Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment; this double commitment led to Quesada stepping down as editor-in-chief in January 2011, saying:
