Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

Mr. Busiek, I got a few questions if that's ok:
1) Did you have plans on re-visiting the Octessence and the Exemplars? I thought they were a cool idea and expanded the Juggernaut and magical side of the universe.

Not specific plans, but yes, we'd have gotten around to them again. Building something new, that could become a recurring thing, on the foundation of the Juggernaut's origin was the idea.

2) Were there any set plans you had with Ultimo regarding his origins? I loved that Iron Man story where he deactivated and targets Sapper as that was the first bit of origin story I had ever seen from him.

Yes, we were going to reveal that he was built as an anti-Celestials weapon, but I don't remember much more than that at this point.

3) Did you envision more of a role for Rumiko Fujikawa and her family in Iron Man? Rumiko was killed off which is a shame as I liked her character.

Yes, lots of plans, particularly after the Mandarin took over the Fujikawa businesses.

4) This is more of a DC question but were there big plans for the Order of the Thorny Crown and Knights of Tethys? The mythos building in Aquaman then was very interesting.

Yep -- we had big, spawning plans for a all kinds of epic stuff in that book. But, well...

5) Did you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year?

A quiet holidays, but fun.

Thanks for answering questions, you are the best!

This is true. I am!

kdb

[Cthulhudrew]

She joined sometime before then -- it's not a story we've shown. But then, we've never shown when Samaritan joined, either, or the new Hummingbird, or most other members. We did just recently (like, this week) show how Quarrel joined, but in most cases that's not the kind of detail we've really covered.

Gotcha. I just seem to recall during the course of vol.2 you mentioning that she hadn't joined, but worked with them a lot for various reasons (dating Samaritan being one), but then in Through Open Doors she was even appearing with them at special events, which seemed very much more a team thing than just an ally. So I guess I was just looking to clarify that she was a member or not, which you've done.

In any event, really enjoyed this. It was like going home. I especially liked the Sideliners story.

[Kurt Busiek]

Gotcha. I just seem to recall during the course of vol.2 you mentioning that she hadn't joined, but worked with them a lot for various reasons (dating Samaritan being one), but then in Through Open Doors she was even appearing with them at special events, which seemed very much more a team thing than just an ally. So I guess I was just looking to clarify that she was a member or not, which you've done.

Yep, she's a member now. When you read VICTORY, you'll see that addressed a bit more.

In any event, really enjoyed this. It was like going home. I especially liked the Sideliners story.

Thanks!

kdb

[Sandals]

Mr. Busiek,

Thank you for all of the wonderful stories. I started reading comics in the last few years and during my catch-up, books like Superman Secret Identity and Astro City: Life in the Big City convinced me I was looking in the right places.

Before submitting my question I checked Busiek.com and saw the news about the Confession hardcover, so that answers that! Now I'll up the ante and pray each night for oversized hardcovers.

I worry at times that fans get so caught up in being fans of the finished product they forget to say thank you for doing all the work that makes telling your stories possible. There's a writer named Jim Zubkovich who writes tirelessly about what it takes for creator-owned works to come to fruition. The idea that creators put themselves out there financially and professionally to tell the stories that we enjoy is incredible. Thank you for that.

[Kurt Busiek]

Mr. Busiek,

Thank you for all of the wonderful stories. I started reading comics in the last few years and during my catch-up, books like Superman Secret Identity and Astro City: Life in the Big City convinced me I was looking in the right places.

Before submitting my question I checked Busiek.com and saw the news about the Confession hardcover, so that answers that! Now I'll up the ante and pray each night for oversized hardcovers.

I worry at times that fans get so caught up in being fans of the finished product they forget to say thank you for doing all the work that makes telling your stories possible. There's a writer named Jim Zubkovich who writes tirelessly about what it takes for creator-owned works to come to fruition. The idea that creators put themselves out there financially and professionally to tell the stories that we enjoy is incredible. Thank you for that.

Thanks for supporting the result!

kdb

[Monkey Joe]

Dear Mr. Busiek,

What are your thoughts/feelings about companywide reboots, a la Convergence and Secret Wars?

[Kurt Busiek]

Dear Mr. Busiek,

What are your thoughts/feelings about companywide reboots, a la Convergence and Secret Wars?

Good ones are good. Bad ones aren't good.

That's about as deep as my thoughts go on the subject. I think that just about anything can be done well, and conversely can be done poorly. So it depends on the actual reboot.

CONVERGENCE and SECRET WARS may not even be reboots, for all we know at this point, and neither one's out yet, so I can't judge either. I read so little of Marvel and DC's in-universe output these days that I doubt I'm going to have any great sense of what they accomplish even when they do come out, so I probably won't be able to judge them after they come out either.

kdb

[Monkey Joe]

Thank you for the response, much appreciated. I loved Avengers Forever, Thunderbolts, Arrowsmith, and Power Company. Oh, and Conan, definitely love your Conan. Thanks for all the great reads

[Kurt Busiek]

Thank you for the response, much appreciated. I loved Avengers Forever, Thunderbolts, Arrowsmith, and Power Company. Oh, and Conan, definitely love your Conan. Thanks for all the great reads

My pleasure. Thanks for supporting 'em!

kdb

[Michael P]

Just curious: If/when Arrowsmith returns, would it be through Vertigo, Image, or other?

[Kurt Busiek]

Just curious: If/when Arrowsmith returns, would it be through Vertigo, Image, or other?

At present, Vertigo. But if current plans don't come to fruition, who knows?

kdb

[resipsaloquitur]

Hi Kurt,

Did you get to see the Astro City parody in Multiversity yet? I can't find an image of it online, but if you haven't seen it, it's a DC "reversal" of your characters. Samaritan is now "Savior," a guy who traveled from the past to the present. Winged Victory is "Herculina," who I guess is modeled on male archetypes instead of female. I'm curious what your reaction is to being homaged or reinterpreted like that.

Edit: found a picture.

[Marvell2100]

Ahhhh, Mr Busiek.

I just finished reading Astro City: Life In the City and it was a pleasure. I enjoyed the nod to former greats and the just down to earth feel of the stories. I can't quite describe it but it read like a book full of action but without a lot of action if that makes sense somehow. The stories being told through the first person point of view really draws you in.

Surprisingly, one of the simple things I liked was the design of Samaritan's suit. It kind of reminds me of a Roman Senator in his toga. It really gives him a majestic like. Did you design his costume?

As you can probably tell, this is my first time reading any Astro City title. I still have the Dark Ages II to read and I look forward to getting more.

[Kurt Busiek]

Hi Kurt,

Did you get to see the Astro City parody in Multiversity yet? I can't find an image of it online, but if you haven't seen it, it's a DC "reversal" of your characters. Samaritan is now "Savior," a guy who traveled from the past to the present. Winged Victory is "Herculina," who I guess is modeled on male archetypes instead of female. I'm curious what your reaction is to being homaged or reinterpreted like that.

I thought it was cute, and laughed at the names. Grant does this sort of thing well.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Ahhhh, Mr Busiek.

I just finished reading Astro City: Life In the City and it was a pleasure. I enjoyed the nod to former greats and the just down to earth feel of the stories. I can't quite describe it but it read like a book full of action but without a lot of action if that makes sense somehow. The stories being told through the first person point of view really draws you in.

Surprisingly, one of the simple things I liked was the design of Samaritan's suit. It kind of reminds me of a Roman Senator in his toga. It really gives him a majestic like. Did you design his costume?

As you can probably tell, this is my first time reading any Astro City title. I still have the Dark Ages II to read and I look forward to getting more.

Samaritan was largely Alex's design, but I gave him blue hair and came up with the idea for his toga-like cape. Alex made it all work, though.

Very glad you liked it, and hope you like the next volume you read...!

kdb