Ask Kurt Busiek

[LAWtoyoto 432]

Speaking of " The Marvels ", is this book is going to be an anthology or a mini series ?

[Kurt Busiek]

Speaking of " The Marvels ", is this book is going to be an anthology or a mini series ?

It's an ongoing series.

kdb

[Steel Inquisitor]

Dear Mr. Busiek,

How difficult was it to write Avengers Forever? I know Roger Stern helped with continuity but it looked really difficult to write as a reader. How much planning was required to sync all the continuity and plot threads together into a coherent whole? It also reminded me of Crisis of Infinity Earths.

[Ascended]

I don't actually envision anything for a middle-aged or older Peter, sorry -- it's not something I've ever thought about writing.

I wouldn't really be in favor of aging him up, myself. I think he works best young, and I think the problem with aging characters substantially in a shared universe is that you wind up aging everyone, whether it works for them or not. I think Marvel's done some interesting stories where we get to look at that idea, as with the SPIDER-GIRL series, but if it were up to me I wouldn't do it in the regular line.

Huh. This made me wonder, what's your take (if you're willing to share it) on Superman's son Jon Kent and (more to the point) the idea of Clark as a father?

And (if I'm allowed two questions in a row?) with characters who have seen wildly different takes over the years (like Clark) how much do you allow previous characterizations to influence you? I'm likely wording this poorly because I'm exhausted and words are hard today (apologies) so....okay, back in the day Clark (just to keep with the example) ate all kinds of weird minerals and rocks and such, and used to play pranks (not uncommonly kinda mean ones) on people. Would you include things like that in your writing or say "it's not in current canon so it's not on my pages"? Not with Clark specifically, just in general.

Thanks for your time and I hope I expressed myself well enough for you to get what I'm asking. Stupid tired brain....

All the best!

[Kurt Busiek]

How difficult was it to write Avengers Forever? I know Roger Stern helped with continuity but it looked really difficult to write as a reader. How much planning was required to sync all the continuity and plot threads together into a coherent whole? It also reminded me of Crisis of Infinity Earths.

As Roger has pointed out from time to time, we did most of the research over a period of decades, just by reading the comics as they came out.

Roger came in to help on FOREVER because I was jammed up, trying to write too many books at once and having some health problems. So we'd talk through the plot for each issue, with me saying, "We open with this, then we need this and this, and it builds to this and we end like so," and then Roger would do whatever research was needed and write up a draft of the plot for me to revise so it felt like my sense of pacing.

But most of the continuity stuff was us going, "And we can use this bit and that bit and...hey, how about that one? Oh, I'll look that up and work it in."

We needed to doublecheck things just to be sure, but we knew them already, for the most part.

It was a lot of fun to write that series.

It was fun to write MARVELS, too, but that one took a lot more research.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Huh. This made me wonder, what's your take (if you're willing to share it) on Superman's son Jon Kent and (more to the point) the idea of Clark as a father?

It's probably not what I would have done, but that doesn't follow from me saying I think Spider-Man works best young. That's about Spider-Man, not about all superheroes.

For instance, I think Reed and Sue becoming parents worked just fine. Their series concept isn't about youth, it's about family, so expanding the family plays into the series concept rather than playing against it. Different characters, different strengths.

I did write Superman as an (adoptive) father when I wrote the series, and I wrote a version of him as a father in SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY. And I'd enjoy writing a version of SUPERMAN 2020, which was a backup series about the grandson of Superman.

But I think it might be fun to write Superman a little like Conan, in that you take in the whole sweep of his life, rather than just focusing on "the present." So you could do stories about him as a father set in the future, but you don't have to set it in the present, any more than you have to choose between writing stories of Superman's teen years and his adult years; you can do both.

There's a vast and interesting sweep to Superman's legend, and I think it'd be worth exploring multiple stages of it rather than just one time period.

And (if I'm allowed two questions in a row?) with characters who have seen wildly different takes over the years (like Clark) how much do you allow previous characterizations to influence you?

I read lots of stories and figure out what I want to use, picking and choosing what I think works best and presents the character in a way that feels right.

I'm likely wording this poorly because I'm exhausted and words are hard today (apologies) so....okay, back in the day Clark (just to keep with the example) ate all kinds of weird minerals and rocks and such,

I think there's one scene where he eats a chunk of "Kryptonite" (which had been transmuted into lead) as a way of showing it couldn't harm him. He didn't make a habit of snacking on rocks.

and used to play pranks (not uncommonly kinda mean ones) on people. Would you include things like that in your writing or say "it's not in current canon so it's not on my pages"? Not with Clark specifically, just in general.

The pranks thing mostly went out with Mort Weisinger, and hadn't been part of Superman's character for years by the time I wrote him, so I didn't bother with it. It was already discarded.

But I like to be aware of what's in the character's past. For instance, the reason Barry Allen named himself "Flash" was because he was a comics collector who remembered the Golden Age Flash from the comics. That's a nice detail, and if I were writing FLASH I'd probably bring up him being a collector again; it makes him feel more human and interesting.

You use what works.

kdb

[Ascended]

But I think it might be fun to write Superman a little like Conan, in that you take in the whole sweep of his life, rather than just focusing on "the present." So you could do stories about him as a father set in the future, but you don't have to set it in the present, any more than you have to choose between writing stories of Superman's teen years and his adult years; you can do both.

There's a vast and interesting sweep to Superman's legend, and I think it'd be worth exploring multiple stages of it rather than just one time period.

I've thought the same thing, actually. Back when DC's 5G direction was still on the table and all of us fans were theorizing on what it would look like, I was hoping we'd see something like this with books and/or stories set at different points in the lives of characters. I guess Future State is doing some time jumping, but I haven't been to the LCS to get any of those books yet.

I read lots of stories and figure out what I want to use, picking and choosing what I think works best and presents the character in a way that feels right.

Makes sense. Seems like you have to twist the literary/character analysis a fair bit with these franchises, and I think it's fascinating.

But I like to be aware of what's in the character's past. For instance, the reason Barry Allen named himself "Flash" was because he was a comics collector who remembered the Golden Age Flash from the comics. That's a nice detail, and if I were writing FLASH I'd probably bring up him being a collector again; it makes him feel more human and interesting.

I wish someone would bring that back. Barry's not nearly nerdy (is that the word I want?) enough these days. What're the odds of you getting on Flash?

Thanks for taking the time to answer, good sir!

[Nomads1]

Hi, Mr. Busiek. You once said that you addapted what you had in mind for your cut short JLA run into Camelot Falls over in the Superman books. Did you have subplots involving other lesser known Leaguers. Did you plan to use more full-time Leaguers than just the Big 7 plus Plastic Man (which was pretty much the line-up around then). Did you have plans for Faith? I always wanted to see more of her story.

Peace

[Kurt Busiek]

What're the odds of you getting on Flash?

Not high!

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Hi, Mr. Busiek. You once said that you addapted what you had in mind for your cut short JLA run into Camelot Falls over in the Superman books. Did you have subplots involving other lesser known Leaguers.

I never actually plotted it out for the JLA; it was a story idea, not a worked out script.

So I'm sure I would have, but I didn't get that far.

Did you plan to use more full-time Leaguers than just the Big 7 plus Plastic Man (which was pretty much the line-up around then).

Yes, I had a list of, I think, 15 heroes I wanted as "regulars." I didn't want to use the same line-up every issue, but to go back to the idea that they were a league of solo stars, and when a crisis arose, whoever of the active members were available would respond to the call.

Did you have plans for Faith? I always wanted to see more of her story.

For Faith, for Manitou Dawn, and more.

kdb

[gurkle]

WandaVision spoilers below:

spoilers:

Not a question, just sort of felt like congratulating you on the MCU using “chaos magic” to describe the Scarlet Witch’s powers.

end of spoilers

[Wiccan]

WandaVision spoilers below:

spoilers:

Not a question, just sort of felt like congratulating you on the MCU using “chaos magic” to describe the Scarlet Witch’s powers.

end of spoilers

Indeed!

spoilers:

And the fact that she didn't know and it's Agatha telling her about it too.

end of spoilers

[Nomads1]

I never actually plotted it out for the JLA; it was a story idea, not a worked out script.

So I'm sure I would have, but I didn't get that far.



Yes, I had a list of, I think, 15 heroes I wanted as "regulars." I didn't want to use the same line-up every issue, but to go back to the idea that they were a league of solo stars, and when a crisis arose, whoever of the active members were available would respond to the call.



For Faith, for Manitou Dawn, and more.

kdb

Ah, what could have been...

Thanks.

Peace

[TronoNero]

Hello Kurt, absolutely loved your Thor: Godstorm. That ending was brilliant!

How about some other oneshot for the Thunderer? And, secondly, if you were called in to write a comic in which Thor dies, accordingly to mythology, against the Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr... Which character would you use, beside the Serpent in itself (and Cul, obsiously), to portray that evil monster?
I'd say Loki, but he's the Serpent father XD

In a Fanfiction of mine in the works, i did choose Galactus: a twisted form of this character!

[mogwen]

Hi Mr Busiek,
Given the hand you have in the best depiction I've ever seen of Scarlet Witch, do you watch Wandavision, and if so, what do you think of it?