Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

Mr. Busiek, I am your big fan from Indonesia, especially your Superman and Trinity run. I want to ask you about your books Superman: Secret Identity or Batman: Creator of the Nights. Do you have any characters in your mind that you want to make a book like that? Thank you, Mr. Busiek. I hope you have a nice day.

Thanks. No further ideas at present on that score -- I've got about half a Wonder Woman idea, but until and unless I get the other half, that's just not enough.

I do have a story that's a (for lack of a better term) literary look at a superhero icon that could be done in much the same format, but if and when I do it I think I'll do it as a creator-owned book.

I'll keep doing the best stuff I can, though, regardless of the format and the style...

kdb

[Vordan]

That'd be up to the folks at DC. So I'd start with whoever's the head of Collected Editions there, which would be listed in the masthead of any recent book collection.

I wouldn't at all mind them doing that either!

kdb

Hah I wish I knew who was head of the Collected Editions myself. All the shakeups recently have left the whole hierarchy in flux. But I’ll see if I can’t find them out and maybe send them a request over social media or something. Hopefully that’s acceptable to do.

[Rajjar]

Mr. Busiek, I find that the Superman/Thor debate has been rather heated and a bit...unnecessary, though I feel Thor's engagement was consistent with the way he was carrying himself out with those callouts. I mean, in his defense, who wouldn't be? That said, Superman seemed even more disgusted with Hulk. And Hulk...is wilder than what Thor was, and he wouldn't even have any nuance to why he'd be acting in that way. What would have happened if Superman charged the Green Goliath and took him to battle?

Also, as for Cap and Batman. Cap's attitude seems to be running as hot as Thor and Clark. But his manner of fighting is way more...controlled as he and Batman test each other's skills, and he even reveals his understanding of the larger game. Is this his tactical mindset superseding his righteous indignation? Or is it something else?

Finally, as for the Avengers rushing Supes after he knocks Thor out, and especially what they say as they finish him, what do you think that says about the dynamic that Thor has with them?

[Timothy Hunter]

Hello Kurt I have recently read your JLofA 231-232, a fill in arc right before the debut of Gerry Conway's Detroit Justice League.

The Justice League title at the time was introducing new characters left and right, often never touching upon them ever again after the arc was over. In your case you introduced the Commander and the Challenger family in JLofA 231.

It seems like DC was introducing all of these new concepts at the time to see what sticked. Was there ever an intention to do more with the Challenger Family if the fan response to Justice League of Americs 131-132 was enthusiastic?

[Kurt Busiek]

What would have happened if Superman charged the Green Goliath and took him to battle?

Depends on the story. We've seen a couple of Superman/Hulk battles in crossovers over the years.

But if there was another one, well, there are no firm answers ahead of time. Depends on who's writing it and what story they're telling.

Is this his tactical mindset superseding his righteous indignation? Or is it something else?

Cap's really good at what he does.

Finally, as for the Avengers rushing Supes after he knocks Thor out, and especially what they say as they finish him, what do you think that says about the dynamic that Thor has with them?

They like him a lot, and don't expect that kind of result very often, so when it happens, they feel both a personal and pragmatic urge to shut whoever did it down fast.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

It seems like DC was introducing all of these new concepts at the time to see what sticked. Was there ever an intention to do more with the Challenger Family if the fan response to Justice League of Americs 131-132 was enthusiastic?

I don't think DC, as a company, ever cared all that much about the Champion family.

But I was asked to write those issues at a point when there was very little time left (largely because everyone who had been offered those issues before me had said no), so I had to come up with a story very fast.

It had become traditional, over the years, to showcase a third team in those crossover, but I had a lot of trouble just fielding squads of the first two teams. Most of the JLA was on Mars or otherwise unavailable, most of the JSA was tied up in the story introducing Infinity Inc., I think, and was unavailable -- which was why I roped in Supergirl, and pulled the Flash out of his murder trial temporarily. So I suggested I make up a third team, and the editor said sure, go ahead. I even did the design drawings on the Champions.

My thought was, if we got good response, I could write a series, CHAMPIONS OF TERRA, where they had all these cool SF/interdimensional stories.

But we didn't, and they were forgotten.

If I'd had more time to think, or was a more experienced writer, I'd have picked an existing third team -- the Metal Men, say, who'd never been featured in a JLA/JSA crossover -- or designed new characters who were more conventionally super heroic. But I didn't have any time, so I did the best I could at the last minute, borrowing the basic plot set-up from A WRINKLE IN TIME, and getting the script done in time to make the deadlines.

That's how it goes sometimes!

kdb

[Timothy Hunter]

Did you have any plans for the Power Company beyond the 18 issues?

What are your thoughts about Kirk De Paul's untimely demise in Marc Andreyko's Manhunter?

[Kurt Busiek]

Did you have any plans for the Power Company beyond the 18 issues?

Yes, plenty.

Maybe I'll get to use some of them somewhere.

What are your thoughts about Kirk De Paul's untimely demise in Marc Andreyko's Manhunter?

If you read the origin of Swashbuckler in TRINITY carefully, you'll see that his demise was perhaps not quite as permanent as Marc intended.

kdb

[Sutekh]

Yes, plenty.
Maybe I'll get to use some of them somewhere.

Ooh, tantalizing! I remember being intrigued by the nature of Witchfire (unknown even to herself!).

Witchfire and the Manhunter clone were my favorites from that group, because they stirred up as much trouble as they solved, although I liked Striker Z, Skyrocket and Josiah Power (and his/their secretary, who was funny snarky, and occasionally out of her depth!), too, for trying to keep them in line and make it all work.

Was adding Firestorm to the roster near the end your idea as well?

[Kurt Busiek]

Ooh, tantalizing! I remember being intrigued by the nature of Witchfire (unknown even to herself!).

That's the biggest unfinished story I want to do, even if I have to make up a new character to do it -- and maybe do it as a non-superhero story.

Witchfire and the Manhunter clone were my favorites from that group, because they stirred up as much trouble as they solved, although I liked Striker Z, Skyrocket and Josiah Power (and his/their secretary, who was funny snarky, and occasionally out of her depth!), too, for trying to keep them in line and make it all work.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Was adding Firestorm to the roster near the end your idea as well?

It was, yeah.

kdb

[Rajjar]

What's your take on the gap between Hercules and Thor or that between their weapons?

Do you think Odin rough on Thor during the events of Godstorm, even as he knew that Loki intentionally chose to reveal Torrent's actions at that crucial time? Do you think the stakes of the inheritance (and giving it to Loki, at that) were justified in terms of how Odin should have reacted to Thor's behavior?

[Kurt Busiek]

What's your take on the gap between Hercules and Thor or that between their weapons?

I think they make for fun stories when they're together, whether they're fighting each other or teaming up.

I don't much think about power-gaps (I assume you're not talking about just a distance gap). But I like good stories.

Do you think Odin rough on Thor during the events of Godstorm, even as he knew that Loki intentionally chose to reveal Torrent's actions at that crucial time? Do you think the stakes of the inheritance (and giving it to Loki, at that) were justified in terms of how Odin should have reacted to Thor's behavior?

It's been a long time since I wrote or read GODSTORM, so I don't recall, offhand. But Odin was traditionally more harsh on Thor than on Loki, so if I had to guess, I'd guess Odin was harsh, sure.

kdb

[Kubert]

Can there be experimental New Gods comics prior to the new movie? Doesn't have to be canon. Just some Elseworlds tales would be cool!

[Kurt Busiek]

Can there be experimental New Gods comics prior to the new movie? Doesn't have to be canon. Just some Elseworlds tales would be cool!

If DC wants to do them, sure. But it wouldn't be up to me.

I would expect them to do some sort of prologue comic that ties in to the movie, but that's just based on what publishers have done in the past -- they'll want to create some stuff that the movie will help promote. But again, not anything I'd know about.

kdb