Ask Kurt Busiek

[Dreaded Porcupine]

Lethal ones!

I might get to do the idea someday, so I'll keep the details to myself.

kdb

Sorry for asking but I hope you get to do your idea.

[JudicatorPrime]

While hiking Sweden's High Coast, your 616 counterpart stumbles upon a skelf of Yggdrasil that bestows upon him one basic superhuman power of his choice. What power do you think he would pick, and would he be a hero, a villain, or neither?

[Kurt Busiek]

While hiking Sweden's High Coast, your 616 counterpart stumbles upon a skelf of Yggdrasil that bestows upon him one basic superhuman power of his choice. What power do you think he would pick, and would he be a hero, a villain, or neither?

I'd pick the ability to experience any creative work and thereafter have all the craft that went into making it -- listen to a Beatles song and be able to play music (and write) as well as they could, read a great novel and be able to write as well as the author, and so on.

And I'd be a writer. Plus I'd be able to draw comics and play music, and all kinds of stuff. Not to mention being able to understand any language upon hearing or reading it as well as the person who spoke or wrote it.

It'd be awesome.

kdb

[daredevil1]

Did you have more ideas for Untold Tales of Spider-Man in mind when the series ended? If it could've continued as long as you wanted, what point would you have stopped at?

I was always curious if you found it constraining to write within the confines of a series that had already happened where the fates of the characters were set in stone, or if it was like a fun puzzle trying to put Doc Ock/whoever back in place for his next chronological appearance.

[JudicatorPrime]

I'd pick the ability to experience any creative work and thereafter have all the craft that went into making it -- listen to a Beatles song and be able to play music (and write) as well as they could, read a great novel and be able to write as well as the author, and so on.

And I'd be a writer. Plus I'd be able to draw comics and play music, and all kinds of stuff. Not to mention being able to understand any language upon hearing or reading it as well as the person who spoke or wrote it.

It'd be awesome.

kdb

I can dig it.

[marhawkman]

have you ever pondered writing a series similar to Dragon Ball Z?

[Kurt Busiek]

Did you have more ideas for Untold Tales of Spider-Man in mind when the series ended?

Yes, lots.

If it could've continued as long as you wanted, what point would you have stopped at?

It could have continued longer -- had I not left to do IRON MAN and AVENGERS, they'd have taken a chance on raising the price to a normal level, and seeing how the book did that way. But when I left they decided that the combination of a new price and a new writer would result in a sales drop that wouldn't work for the book, so they chose to end it.

But if I'd just kept going, and the book lasted, and I didn't get other opportunities I'd rather have done, I could see running all the way up past the death of Gwen, but probably stopping before the first Clone Saga.

I was always curious if you found it constraining to write within the confines of a series that had already happened where the fates of the characters were set in stone, or if it was like a fun puzzle trying to put Doc Ock/whoever back in place for his next chronological appearance.

Both!

That it was a fun puzzle doesn't mean it wasn't a constraint -- it was an interesting creative challenge to go with that constraint.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

have you ever pondered writing a series similar to Dragon Ball Z?

I don't think so.

I've never read or seen DRAGON BALL Z, so if I ever thought of doing a series like that, it'd have been by accident.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

I was always curious if you found it constraining to write within the confines of a series that had already happened where the fates of the characters were set in stone, or if it was like a fun puzzle trying to put Doc Ock/whoever back in place for his next chronological appearance.

To add to this:

It's also a constraint to work within the confines of the modern Marvel Universe, with all its continuity and connections.

The plus to it is that not as much is locked down. The minus is that the other books you're interacting with haven't actually been finished yet, so there's a lot of guessing and adjusting.

In an UNTOLD TALES situation, your collaborators are done, so you can play off them without guesswork.

kdb

[Kirby101]

I am sorry for the loss of your friend Carlos. Have you thought about what will happen with Arrowsmith? If this is too soon, please tell me to "F" off.

[Kurt Busiek]

I am sorry for the loss of your friend Carlos. Have you thought about what will happen with Arrowsmith? If this is too soon, please tell me to "F" off.

We've been making some plans, but they're not yet firmed up enough to announce.

Thanks.

kdb

[MichaelC]

What were your plans for The Mandarin had your Iron Man run continued?

[JudicatorPrime]

Where can I find a list of all of your original character creations? And are you working on any new OCs for this year?

[Vishop]

Whats your favorite storyline from your Avengers run?

[marhawkman]

what do you feel about writing characters that blur the line between hero and villain? Like your use of Livewire. You wrote her more as hero than villain, but..... not all the way?