Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

Kurt,

One major character I've never seen you take a stab at is the Hulk. Oh, I know you've used the Hulk in Avengers and Defenders, but you were always confined to the version of the Hulk which was being used in the main book at the time (although you guys found a clever way to work Joe Fixit and Professor Hulk into The Order). So if you got to write a Hulk book, which version would you use: "classic" dumb Hulk, Grey Hulk, smart Professor Hulk, grumpy-but-smart Green Hulk, or some other version?

(I'll do a quick nod to Uncle Rog's classic run since he's here. I still enjoy reading that one Annual where Hulk, Iceman, and Angel fought the Master Mold.)

If I could at all possibly write the classic dumb Hulk, that's the Hulk I'd write.

Somewhere in my notes, I've got about a year's worth of Hulk continuity that I plotted out for fun. Maybe I'll eventually create a character who changes into a monster -- another variant on the werewolf/Mr. Hyde setup that the Hulk represents -- and use my notes for that.

kdb

[keeen]

Mr. Busiek,

I wanted to say thanks for all the great work you've done, but the first that always comes to my mind is Untold Tales of Spiderman. That was not the first comic I ever read, but it was the first that I subscribed to, so it holds personal significance as well as being a great series in it's own right.

My question is related to the pricing of comics within the industry, because the $0.99 cover price of Untold Tales was my entry point to monthly readership as a kid and I don't see that kind of pricing strategy being pursued by any publishers these days. The most baffling thing to me is why digital comics cost the same as those in print. I don't know if your expertise extends to distribution and pricing, and I realize that I haven't actually asked a question, but I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on the subject.

Thank you.

...edit-I literally just sat down to read Tooth and Claw. On the fourth page I thought, "This is great, I'd pay 8 bucks for this!" I was pleasantly surprised to see the price and I just wanted to make note of that, given the tone of my question.

[Marvell2100]

No, the relaunch of Avengers was _before_ AVENGERS FOREVER. That's why in AVENGERS FOREVER #1, the Supreme Intelligence is incarcerated on the Moon; it was after the "Live Kree or Die" crossover in AVENGERS, IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA and QUICKSILVER.

kdb

You're quite right, forgive my brain for it's malfunction. It ain't what it used to be.

I'm getting the Astocity HC Victory as a present for myself for Christmas. Are there extras included and how much input do you have into what goes into a trade or hardcover?

[Kurt Busiek]

Mr. Busiek,

I wanted to say thanks for all the great work you've done, but the first that always comes to my mind is Untold Tales of Spiderman. That was not the first comic I ever read, but it was the first that I subscribed to, so it holds personal significance as well as being a great series in it's own right.

Thanks.

My question is related to the pricing of comics within the industry, because the $0.99 cover price of Untold Tales was my entry point to monthly readership as a kid and I don't see that kind of pricing strategy being pursued by any publishers these days.

Because it didn't work. None of those books lasted, and they couldn't even get them on the newsstand at that price, since newsstand retailers refused to carry them. Marvel had to double them up, printing two issues back-to-back for $1.99.

And since the point of those books was to attract casual readers on the newsstand, it was a complete failure at what it was intended to do before the line even launched.

The most baffling thing to me is why digital comics cost the same as those in print. I don't know if your expertise extends to distribution and pricing, and I realize that I haven't actually asked a question, but I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on the subject.

Not all publishers price digital comics the same as print. And some price them at print prices for the first month, and then go cheaper.

But the reason is simple: Comic book publishers make the vast majority of their money from print sales. They don't want to undercut print sales by offering the books cheaper online at the same time as they're on sale of comics racks. They think that would piss off retailers and hurt print sales, and that'd hurt them overall.

That may change in the future, but at present, that's how they're thinking.

I literally just sat down to read Tooth and Claw. On the fourth page I thought, "This is great, I'd pay 8 bucks for this!" I was pleasantly surprised to see the price and I just wanted to make note of that, given the tone of my question.

Great! That means when we're at a normal price for a normal number of pages, next issue, it'll still feel like a bargain!

kdb

[Pat Thomas]

I don't know anything about it. Last I noticed, Dum Dum was fine, and had a lengthy history as a SHIELD agent.

kdb

I believe what he was referring to was in the recent "Original Sin" crossover, Fury revealed to Dum Dum that he was an LMD, and had been since WWII. I doubt
you read that.

[Kurt Busiek]

I'm getting the Astocity HC Victory as a present for myself for Christmas. Are there extras included and how much input do you have into what goes into a trade or hardcover?

On ASTRO CITY collections, I have lots of input -- I help design them, even.

On collections of stuff I wrote but don't own, virtually no input.

The VICTORY collection has ASTRO CITY #7-10, the VISITOR'S GUIDE special and a decent-sized sketchbook section.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

I believe what he was referring to was in the recent "Original Sin" crossover, Fury revealed to Dum Dum that he was an LMD, and had been since WWII. I doubt you read that.

I didn't read it, no.

And I didn't think LMDs existed during WWII. But I assume this is their way of keeping him around, even though he should be impossibly old by now, having been in his 30s if not 40s during WWII.

kdb

[The Thunderbolts]

Kurt, I know they probably asked you this a million times before, but I haven't found the answer: what inspired you make thunderbolts? and how did you broke the idea to the rest of the team?

[Kurt Busiek]

Kurt, I know they probably asked you this a million times before, but I haven't found the answer: what inspired you make thunderbolts? and how did you broke the idea to the rest of the team?

You're right, I have answered this a lot, and I have a Marvel interview I have to answer it for again waiting in my in-box. So rather than type it all out again, I'll point you here:

http://www.popculturecorn.com/print/...ew-busiek.html

...which is one of the places I've told that story earlier.

kdb

[Captain Binary]

Dear Mr Busiek.

Thank you for my two favorite single issue comics from the 90's - Thunderbolts v1e1 and Avengers v3e4. OMG I mean the MoE getting their own comic AND they are posing as heroes - genius...! and my favorite character - Carol Danvers, returning to the Avengers after a long hiatus - starting on her own spiral of redemption that now sees her helming the first female solo film in the MCU (I'm blushing for you! - you should feel SO proud!)

I would like to start with Carol. Can you point me to previous articles, or could you please elaborate newly, on how you came to choose Carol to take that 7th spot in issue 4, how you came up with that whole arc and any other juicy bits you can gush about (that one of her big fans would really enjoy...!) The arc seemed very organic and natural to me, which was part of its genius. I contend if you hadn't laid that groundwork she wouldn't be where she is today, so I dont know what rote questions to ask - what can you share?

Secondly, I may be mis-remembering this, but wasn't Diamondback going to originally be a member of Thunderbolts? She is another fave, so if my premise is correct, can you point me to prev articles, or explain anew how that decison-making process went...

Thank you for using your valuable time to interact with us.!

[Kurt Busiek]

Dear Mr Busiek.

Thank you for my two favorite single issue comics from the 90's - Thunderbolts v1e1 and Avengers v3e4. OMG I mean the MoE getting their own comic AND they are posing as heroes - genius...! and my favorite character - Carol Danvers, returning to the Avengers after a long hiatus - starting on her own spiral of redemption that now sees her helming the first female solo film in the MCU (I'm blushing for you! - you should feel SO proud!)

Hmm. Hadn't thought about it that way.

I would like to start with Carol. Can you point me to previous articles, or could you please elaborate newly, on how you came to choose Carol to take that 7th spot in issue 4, how you came up with that whole arc and any other juicy bits you can gush about (that one of her big fans would really enjoy...!) The arc seemed very organic and natural to me, which was part of its genius. I contend if you hadn't laid that groundwork she wouldn't be where she is today, so I dont know what rote questions to ask - what can you share?

I just like her. So I wanted to put her in the book, because she'd be fun to have as a member and that black costume is awesome.

The alcoholism plot came about because her recent back history was snarled with difficult-to-relate-to stuff: She'd lost her memories, then regained them all but not the emotional connection to them, so it was like she remembered them happening to someone else. I think that's about the shortest I can describe it, and it's completely intellectual -- you can understand it logically, but it's not going to resonate much emotionally.

Plus, if I had to keep explaining that as the source of her problems, then it's going to be two or three indigestible captions every time it comes up.

So I decided that if her experiences with all that left her messed up, and led her into some more approachable emotional trauma, then I'd only need to explain that other stuff once, and after that we'd build on the result of it, something that was simpler and more comprehensible to readers who hadn't thrilled to the STARBLAST crossover.

As for what kind of emotional trauma -- alcoholism worked nicely, because that gave me options as a way to do interaction between her and Tony Stark; maybe Tony could even become her AA sponsor eventually. So it seemed to give me a good place to go from the STARBLAST mess, provide for drama and give some specific character interaction hooks.

And it seems to have worked.

Secondly, I may be mis-remembering this, but wasn't Diamondback going to originally be a member of Thunderbolts? She is another fave, so if my premise is correct, can you point me to prev articles, or explain anew how that decison-making process went...

No, Diamondback was never considered. The originals were all Masters of Evil, and as far as I know she never was one.

You may be thinking of the female Yellowjacket, who I wanted to use, but she was future-dead at the time thanks to THE CROSSING, and I had enough stuff to untangle with other characters; I didn't want to add that, too. So I turned Screaming Mimi into Songbird, which I think was the better choice.

kdb

[Cthulhudrew]

You're right, I have answered this a lot, and I have a Marvel interview I have to answer it for again waiting in my in-box. So rather than type it all out again, I'll point you here: (link snipped)

There is also a really cool story that Kurt posted on his blog several years ago about a similar pitch he'd made to Marvel at one point that I still think would have been interesting as well. I mean, I love the Thunderbolts we got (from Kurt, and, later Fabian), but H.I.T. Squad would have been cool, too!

[Cmbmool]

Mr. Busiek,

You wrote for Spider-man correct and if that is true, then weren't you offered a chance to write for the Spider-verse event ?

[Kurt Busiek]

Mr. Busiek,

You wrote for Spider-man correct and if that is true, then weren't you offered a chance to write for the Spider-verse event ?

I barely know what the Spider-Verse event is. But the people at Marvel know I'm trying to focus on creator-owned work at present, so I figure they knew I wasn't available. I'd already passed on doing a 75th Anniversary story.

kdb

[Doomuniverse]

What's your favorite Magneto story?