Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

Mr. Busiek, your story with the Dodsons in Amazing Fantasy #1000 was a lot of fun! No one in comics can do retro\art deco quite like Terry.

What was the writing experience like? How collaborative are the Dodsons when it comes to plotting, layouts, etc?

I wrote it just as the pandemic was kicking into gear, and at that point it was going to be drawn by someone else. So it wasn't plotted with the Dodsons in mind, but they did a beautiful job with it. So I dialogued it from what they gave back, and it was just plain fun to do.

I'd been wanting to work with Terry for many years -- I proposed him for the 1998 IRON MAN revival, before Sean Chen was involved, and if Marvel had gone with that, Kevin Nowlan would have inked Terry on that. So it was a treat to finally have him draw one of my stories.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Just wanted to say thanks Mr. Busiek for your story in Iron Man #25. It was a damn good story and really took me back to earlier Iron Man comics.

Thanks. That was an odd story to do, and I don't think anyone's noticed what other story it's a sequel to.

But it was fun, and Ben did great stuff on it. I did have to marinate in Stan Lee issues to try to get the voice right...

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Why won't marvel give us the marvel's volume 2?

Didn't it come out in October?

I see it for sale at Amazon...

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

I remember reading a comic called Astro City that pays homage to superhero comics. I really like that book as it reconstructs the superhero genre but what I would like to know what you of superheroes and comics as a medium?

I love comics as a medium, and I have a blast writing superheroes.

If I didn't, I wouldn't have been writing them for the past 41 years...

kdb

[MichaelC]

Thanks. That was an odd story to do, and I don't think anyone's noticed what other story it's a sequel to.

But it was fun, and Ben did great stuff on it. I did have to marinate in Stan Lee issues to try to get the voice right...

kdb

Yeah, I liked that story as well. I loved that it restored Mandarin to using spies and henchman and technology and devious scheming. Too many recent writers have stopped doing that and instead boosted and focused on the power-level of the rings, transforming Mandarin from this cool schemer villain into something like a ranged version of the Juggernaut. That is to say, this very straightforward powerhouse who doesn't scheme because his straightforward power renders scheming superfluous.

You seem to GET that the Mandarin is supposed to be a moderately powerful schemer, not a straight-forward Herald of Galactus or Juggernaut type. So many other writers don't. I wonder why? Anyway, thank you for the excellent story.

[jwatson]

Didn't it come out in October?

I see it for sale at Amazon...

kdb

I guess i should be more clear as i'm not really up on volumes and things. like i got issue 1- 12 so to me that is volume one and the story feels like there is more to tell so i meant vol 2 as in a continuation but i can see how there is a volume 2 of the first set of issues but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to get "vol 2" of issues i already got unless it's like a hardcover or something.

[jwatson]

I guess i should be more clear as i'm not really up on volumes and things. like i got issue 1- 12 so to me that is volume one and the story feels like there is more to tell so i meant vol 2 as in a continuation but i can see how there is a volume 2 of the first set of issues but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to get "vol 2" of issues i already got unless it's like a hardcover or something.

No no let me clarify because it does make sense in some instances like the X-book tpbs because i like how they put all the stories together for you which is different than the same book put together.

[Marvell2100]

Hi Kurt, it's good to see that your creation The Thunderbolts will make it to the big screen although with different characters.

Have you been approached about having your name in the credits for the movie?

[Kurt Busiek]

I guess i should be more clear as i'm not really up on volumes and things. like i got issue 1- 12 so to me that is volume one and the story feels like there is more to tell so i meant vol 2 as in a continuation but i can see how there is a volume 2 of the first set of issues but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to get "vol 2" of issues i already got unless it's like a hardcover or something.

Issues 1-12 were collected in two volumes. So vol 2, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, had issues 7-12, or something like that.

There won't be any more because Marvel decided to end the series. So that's all there is.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Hi Kurt, it's good to see that your creation The Thunderbolts will make it to the big screen although with different characters.

Have you been approached about having your name in the credits for the movie?

They don't need to approach me about that; they can just go ahead and do it.

I expect there'll be a credit like saying the Thunderbolts were created by me and Mark Bagley.

kdb

[Gaastra]

Blonde phantom in marvel 1000 got de-aged and in shape again and still friends with she-hulk. Any chance of using her in the future in something now that she is young again?

[IMG][/IMG]

[Kurt Busiek]

Blonde phantom in marvel 1000 got de-aged and in shape again and still friends with she-hulk. Any chance of using her in the future in something now that she is young again?

Not on my part, at least.

Maybe whoever de-aged her has plans for her?

kdb

[Gaastra]

Speaking of ww2 heroes' mutants are getting reborn in x-men. Miss america and whizzar are mutants! Any chance at them coming back? Marvel needs its first big female hero in comics back and this would be the big chance to bring her back.

Maybe a new liberty legion limited series with them?

[Phoenixx9]

Speaking of ww2 heroes' mutants are getting reborn in x-men. Miss america and whizzar are mutants! Any chance at them coming back? Marvel needs its first big female hero in comics back and this would be the big chance to bring her back.

Maybe a new liberty legion limited series with them?

I agree.

Plus, the Invisible Woman formed an association along with her modern friends such as Black Widow (Natasha), Wasp (Jan), Spider-Woman (Jessica) and others, honoring Miss America Madeline Joyce as the first female superheroine.

It would be great to see her back.

[strathcona]

Thanks. That was an odd story to do, and I don't think anyone's noticed what other story it's a sequel to.

But it was fun, and Ben did great stuff on it. I did have to marinate in Stan Lee issues to try to get the voice right...

kdb

Will you let us in on the secret of which story it was a sequel to?