Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

Hello Mr Busiek, how many issue of "The Marvels" have been plan?

It's an ongoing series, so we hope to keep going for a while...

Moreover, is Hawkeye will play a role in an issue?

Not yet, but considering who's writing it, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned up...

kdb

[DigiCom]

Hey Kurt... this came up in another thread, so I thought I'd ask the source:

What made you pick the term "chaos magic" for Wanda's powers? The random effects? The real-world occult practice? Too many Michael Moorcock novels?

[Kurt Busiek]

Hey Kurt... this came up in another thread, so I thought I'd ask the source:

What made you pick the term "chaos magic" for Wanda's powers? The random effects? The real-world occult practice? Too many Michael Moorcock novels?

The random effects, mostly. Not any real-world occult practice.

I was looking for, essentially, a "unified field theory" of Wanda's powers, something that would explain all the stuff she'd done in the past without contradicting them, as earlier explanations often did. She'd gone from "point and something bad happens" to "alter probability" to "reorder reality," and it seemed to me that everything she did was essentially chaotic and disruptive. So that, with the Chthon connection, suggested she was channeling and shaping some sort of chaotic force -- it would serve as an underlying explanation for all of that stuff.

And that would also let me essentially unify her powers -- rather than having a mutant power and magical skill, the mutant power could be to channel a particular flavor of magic, and the magical skill could help her in how she channels it. That way, instead of having two unrelated powers/skills that largely involve casting weird energy from her hands, she'd be using the power and the skill in tandem, wielding magic with her mutant power, shaping her mutant-channeled magic with her learned magic skills.

I thought it made her more coherent, less muddy in what she could do.

So when people talk about real-world occult beliefs, as if the idea is to reject all the stuff she did before and give her a new set of abilities, that's not what I meant at all. I wanted to embrace all the stuff she did before, and provide a context that united it.

Chthonic power, chaos magic, is (in my intent, at least) inherently disruptive and chaotic, and supports everything she'd been shown to do, whether it was the hex-spheres (chaos grenades), making bricks fly out of a fireplace to strike at someone (not probability-shifting because that's not probable at all, but still chaotic), to make a meteor veer out of its orbit (disruptive) to remaking reality (waaaay disruptive).

That was the intent. I thought it fit her very well, but it's been the subject of contradiction and reassertion since. Which is kind of chaotic itself, so maybe that fits.

I discussed it in a few posts recently, including:

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post5406479

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post5408594

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post5408607

kdb

[DigiCom]

The random effects, mostly. Not any real-world occult practice.

kdb

Thanks, Kurt.

[PLG1962]

I guess this is more of a What If? Question

If you were asked to take over Avengers and/or JLA who would you want on each team?

[Kurt Busiek]

I guess this is more of a What If? Question

If you were asked to take over Avengers and/or JLA who would you want on each team?

I really don’t know. I’d have to figure it out if I was offered either gig and actually accepted them.

In the case of the JLA it’d be a lot of the classics, I’m sure, with maybe a fresh face or two for contrast. With the Avengers I already did a classics-heavy team, so maybe a few classic and some of the characters who could use a little spotlight. But I don’t know who specifically; I think there’s a lot of balancing to it, to make sure you have the right mix of personalities. It would depend a lot on what shape the universe was in, who was available, who the artist was and even piddly little stuff like whether characters I might want to use currently had costumes I disliked, or whatever.

I wouldn’t have a pre-set list.

kdb

[ARkadelphia]

Mr Busiek,

Any truth to the rumour, that I’m totally making up in this very post, that you’ll be writing Avengers Forever II in 2022?

Thanks,
ARK

[Winghead77]

Hi Kurt

I’m a long time fan of your work. Aside from the “Marvels” series do you have any other projects (creator owned etc) coming out in the next year?

[Kurt Busiek]

Any truth to the rumour, that I’m totally making up in this very post, that you’ll be writing Avengers Forever II in 2022?

This is likely true in some timeline, but I'm not sure the gap between the two can be bridged without causing cosmic disaster...

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

I’m a long time fan of your work. Aside from the “Marvels” series do you have any other projects (creator owned etc) coming out in the next year?

Yes, and I expect we'll be announcing them real soon now.

kdb

[ARkadelphia]

This is likely true in some timeline, but I'm not sure the gap between the two can be bridged without causing cosmic disaster...

kdb

Brilliant! Thank you for that!

[Winghead77]

Kurt are you open to interviews with blogs? I tried to contact you with the PM system here but I don’t think it went through as my sent mail shows nothing was sent. I run a blog geared mainly toward fantasy and Sci-Fi novels but I’ve ventured into occasional comics territory (I interviewed Jamie Delano) it would be brilliant and an honor to interview you.

[Kurt Busiek]

Kurt are you open to interviews with blogs? I tried to contact you with the PM system here but I don’t think it went through as my sent mail shows nothing was sent. I run a blog geared mainly toward fantasy and Sci-Fi novels but I’ve ventured into occasional comics territory (I interviewed Jamie Delano) it would be brilliant and an honor to interview you.

Not at present, sorry.

Between deadlines, health and family stuff, I'm trying not to take on new work -- even little stuff -- if I can manage it. Not until I'm in much better shape.

Apologies!

kdb

[CJStriker]

Mr. Busiek, just a Fun 2 Questions, Your Avatar is familiar but I can't Remember who it is in the yellow hat, who is that again?

Also what made you choose him as your avatar?

[MaximoffTrash]

Since CJ asked about the CBR avatar, I also want to ask where the bear(Your Twitter avatar) comes from. I think it's an excellent choice BTW, really give off that wise elder vibe.