Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

Okay i've been holding on on marvels because i been reading this thread and i don't want to come off as offensive or anything and i am being sincere and sometimes my mind just needs that dot to click but i read issue 1-4 and it is well written, no doubt, the story is very well written and engaging for the issue it is in but i just don't get the statement. I don't get where it's going. Why are these the marvels?

They're all marvels.

All the heroes, villain, mutants, monsters, mad scientists and so on of the Marvel Universe.

The series is about any of them.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Forgive me if this question has been asked before, but do you get free reign of the characters that you want to feature, or is there an established protocol/pecking order, where certain characters are off limits?

I'm a freelancer, so if I'm writing characters for Marvel, Marvel gets final say. The pecking order is: I tell my editor what I want to do, and the editor either says yes, no, or let me check on that.

There have been instances where I've been told no, we can't use those characters -- I wanted to use one of Team America/the Thunderriders in issue 3, for instance, and was told that Marvel doesn't want to use them for legal reasons, so I used Crash Simpson instead.

So it goes.

My follow up question: Are there any characters out there that you'd love to write -- or even better, create -- but haven't?

Sure, lots. I've got a gazillion ideas for stories, series and more, and there's only 24 hours in a day. I doubt I'll ever get to all the stories I want to tell, because for every idea I use, I come up with a bunch more.

I think most writers would tell you the same. It's not a bad situation, because it means we'll never run out of stories to tell.

kdb

[marhawkman]

I know the Auctioneer story was something you wrote many years ago, but... did you have a long term plan behind how you used Leslie Willis in it?

Also, was this story a foreshadow to the story with Karsta Wor-ul?

[JudicatorPrime]

I'm a freelancer, so if I'm writing characters for Marvel, Marvel gets final say. The pecking order is: I tell my editor what I want to do, and the editor either says yes, no, or let me check on that.

There have been instances where I've been told no, we can't use those characters -- I wanted to use one of Team America/the Thunderriders in issue 3, for instance, and was told that Marvel doesn't want to use them for legal reasons, so I used Crash Simpson instead.

So it goes.



Sure, lots. I've got a gazillion ideas for stories, series and more, and there's only 24 hours in a day. I doubt I'll ever get to all the stories I want to tell, because for every idea I use, I come up with a bunch more.

I think most writers would tell you the same. It's not a bad situation, because it means we'll never run out of stories to tell.

kdb

Awesome, thanks for the insights. I'll continue to read Marvels and maybe see the birth of some of those as yet unrealized creations. Keep 'em coming.

[jwatson]

They're all marvels.

All the heroes, villain, mutants, monsters, mad scientists and so on of the Marvel Universe.

The series is about any of them.

kdb

Fair enough. I can work with that. Look forward to next issue.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

If you were approached by Marvel Studios to write and direct a movie about any character/team of your choosing, who would it be?

I'm tempted to say the Thunderbolts.

YES!! The ORIGINAL Thunderbolts please

But the FF would be a lot of fun, too,

YES!! Stan and Jack's or John Byrne's?

as would a new take on the X-Men.

YES!! Which of the women to be the leader?

[Kurt Busiek]

YES!! The ORIGINAL Thunderbolts please

Well, that's the version I co-created, so that'd be my preference too.

YES!! Stan and Jack's or John Byrne's?

Something that drew from their overall history but didn't try to replicate one specific approach.

YES!! Which of the women to be the leader?

I assume that would be something that'd come up in development, rather than something the screenwriter would decide solo, but I would lean toward Xavier and Cyclops being the leaders...just maybe not the traditional takes on either.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

I know the Auctioneer story was something you wrote many years ago, but... did you have a long term plan behind how you used Leslie Willis in it?

Not that I recall. I had ideas for a Livewire story, but I don't remember whether I hinted at anything during that story.

Also, was this story a foreshadow to the story with Karsta Wor-ul?

I don't remember. There was a story where we hinted at there being another Kryptonian on Earth, but I don't remember which story that was.

kdb

[marhawkman]

Not that I recall. I had ideas for a Livewire story, but I don't remember whether I hinted at anything during that story.

I was wondering about that because of just how deep it goes into having Superman and Livewire work together... and also has her become friends with Nightwing.

I don't remember. There was a story where we hinted at there being another Kryptonian on Earth, but I don't remember which story that was.

kdb

In the Auctioneer story the Auctioneer states that he found "three Kryptonians" on Earth and Superman is like "wait... who's #3?" Since in this version of things Powergirl doesn't count properly since she's not from this Krypton.

[LAWtoyoto 432]

Busiek, may i know how long the first arc for the "Marvels". Cause I can't wait to see your next arc after that.

[Kurt Busiek]

I was wondering about that because of just how deep it goes into having Superman and Livewire work together... and also has her become friends with Nightwing.

That just came up organically -- arising out of character and plot.

In the Auctioneer story the Auctioneer states that he found "three Kryptonians" on Earth and Superman is like "wait... who's #3?" Since in this version of things Powergirl doesn't count properly since she's not from this Krypton.

Yes, that was foreshadowing.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Busiek, may i know how long the first arc for the "Marvels". Cause I can't wait to see your next arc after that.

Looks like it'll be 12 issues.

kdb

[Gaastra]

If you were asked to write a hero team up book or a villain team up book and you could pick any marvel owned hero or villain as the book lead like spidey and thing and dr doom did who would you pick to team up with the other heroes and bad guys each issue as the main star?


Also if you could pick one 2099 hero to bring into the main universe like strange 2099 or hulk 2099 who would you pick? (have a soft spot for strange 2099 myself. Wish marvel would use her more.)

Is there one unfinished old story plot from marvel or dc you wish you could finish in a story?

[marhawkman]

So if you were to write a non-JL super-team with Superman and other characters like Livewire, what sort of thing might you do?

[Kurt Busiek]

If you were asked to write a hero team up book or a villain team up book and you could pick any marvel owned hero or villain as the book lead like spidey and thing and dr doom did who would you pick to team up with the other heroes and bad guys each issue as the main star?

I have no idea.

I haven't ever thought about doing a book like that, so I don't have an answer. If I thought about it for a while, I might come up with somebody, but I have to think about stuff that I'm writing at the moment, to make my deadlines.

Also if you could pick one 2099 hero to bring into the main universe like strange 2099 or hulk 2099 who would you pick? (have a soft spot for strange 2099 myself. Wish marvel would use her more.)

I never read much of the 2099 line, so I've got no opinion there.

Is there one unfinished old story plot from marvel or dc you wish you could finish in a story?

There were a bunch of things I had set up in SUPERMAN and THE POWER COMPANY that were leading to stories I never got to write, so probably one of those. The mystery of who and what Witchfire really was, and the story behind the giant Ugly Mannheim and why he vanished...

kdb