Ask Kurt Busiek

[Kurt Busiek]

- Aspects of the DC Universe you'd like to explore. For instance like the Planet of the Apes, was there a globe for Gleeks?

I'd like to do more with the plans I had in SUPERMAN, which involved interesting revelations about Intergang, for one, and Daxam, to boot.

Lots of stuff in the Legion world I'd have fun exploring, also the Amazons and their world.

And plenty more, of course.

- On that fun note on Super Friends, what were your memories of the toon? Just like Scott Snyder brought back the Hall of Justice; what aspects or characters of that fun toon, you'd like to write?

I must have watched it a few times, but don't have any memories of liking it. So I'd leave it to others.

kdb

[manwhohaseverything]

If you had plans for superman, how would you incorporate your plans in the current status quo (or any for that matter ) with superman as a father and a legion with his son jon? Also, one of the many problems with legacy is them having to strike the right balance between differences and similarities with their predecessors. How do you maintain that balance?

[Johnny Thunders!]

Hey Kurt!

Why Superheroes? Do you care about Superheroes? Why do you care about Superheroes?Why should we care about them/ Should we? What do you wish you could tell everyone about comic books?

THANKS! Also... what do you consider your best work. I looked back, I love the Superman, I love the Avengers, I love the Thundersbolts, all that and Astro City!

[Kurt Busiek]

If you had plans for superman, how would you incorporate your plans in the current status quo (or any for that matter ) with superman as a father and a legion with his son jon?

I haven't made any plans on how to incorporate any plans into the current status quo, because I'm not writing Superman at present.

If they offered me the book (unlikely) and convinced me to do it (also unlikely, at present), I'd have to make some plans, and figure out how to work with whatever the status quo was at that point, unless it was a non-canon Black Label book or something, and I could make up my own status quo.

But I don't need to incorporate anything into the current status quo, so I haven't made any plans on how to do it.

Also, one of the many problems with legacy is them having to strike the right balance between differences and similarities with their predecessors. How do you maintain that balance?

I'm not writing the book, so I don't need to figure that out.

If I was, I'd figure something out, based on what was in the books at the time.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Hey Kurt!

Why Superheroes? Do you care about Superheroes? Why do you care about Superheroes?Why should we care about them/ Should we? What do you wish you could tell everyone about comic books?

I like superheroes because I like the adventure, I like the texture of superhero worlds full of SF and fantasy and horror and more, all at once. It's fun stuff.

Other people don't have to care about superheroes; it's really up to them. If they like murder mysteries instead, or Regency romances, that's cool. But there are lots of people who do like superheroes and that's cool too -- that's why we keep getting to make superhero stories.

Mostly, what I'd like to tell everyone about comic books is that comics are a medium, capable of telling any kind of story -- superheroes, sure, but also Westerns or war stories or horror or comedy or biography or even educational works about philosophy or genetics. Comics can do just about anything, except maybe musicals, and there's probably a way around that, too.

THANKS! Also... what do you consider your best work. I looked back, I love the Superman, I love the Avengers, I love the Thundersbolts, all that and Astro City!

Thanks. I'm very glad you like them.

I don't like to rank my work, because I really think that sort of thing is up to the reader. But I'm happy with ASTRO CITY and SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY and BATMAN: CREATURE OF THE NIGHT and ARROWSMITH and AUTUMNLANDS, for sure, and I'm generally of the opinion that most of what I've done is at least solid and decently-crafted.

I'm just hoping to make the next stuff even better.

kdb

[Vordan]

I'd like to do more with the plans I had in SUPERMAN, which involved interesting revelations about Intergang, for one, and Daxam, to boot.

Lots of stuff in the Legion world I'd have fun exploring, also the Amazons and their world.

And plenty more, of course.



I must have watched it a few times, but don't have any memories of liking it. So I'd leave it to others.

kdb

Just get more and more crushed your Superman run wasn’t longer. Loved what we got but I can’t helping wanting more.

For the Justice League, given I believe you wrote some JLA issues during the 00’s, what’s your ideal JL lineup? Would you go with classic Big 7 (Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, GL, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman), or bring in some B and C-Listers since they give you more freedom as a writer?

Also do you prefer the Watchtower or the Hall of Justice as the main League base? I guess there was Mount Justice as well.

[Drexelhand]

Hi Kurt, I wondering if you could give some thought on what went into developing the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship like it was ultimately in Kingdom Come. It's an interesting aspect because whereas in the New 52, Superman/Wonder Woman was positioned to be a stepping stone before they moved on to their separate loves, here it was like an after Lois Lane/(was it Steve Trevor?). Were there times when it was supposed to be more of a two broken people coming together type thing than it came off as? I know it may be a weird parallel, because in a way it reminded me of Franklin Richards becoming Galactus in Earth X and Mr. Fantastic being fated not to tell him. Because it's something poetic and bright for the future but sad when you consider what came before.

And if you could develop that version of Superman after everything you did with the character post-Kingdom Come, how do you think you would have done it?

[comradepitrovsky]

Oh, and this isn’t really a question, and more of a “saying nice things about Kurt Busiek,” but you know that moment in Trinity, when you find out that Triumph and Tomorrow Woman learned that they’re dead in the ‘real world,’ and go ahead and fight to save the world anyway? It’s one of my all time favorite dc comics moments. Love it.

[Kurt Busiek]

Just get more and more crushed your Superman run wasn’t longer. Loved what we got but I can’t helping wanting more.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

For the Justice League, given I believe you wrote some JLA issues during the 00’s, what’s your ideal JL lineup? Would you go with classic Big 7 (Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, GL, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman), or bring in some B and C-Listers since they give you more freedom as a writer?

I don’t think there is such a thing as an ideal JLA lineup. I think it needs enough classic characters to feel like the JLA, but not only classics, because you want a mix of experience levels and attitudes and such, for interpersonal drama. But it should still feel like a league of solo champions gathered together and not like a conventional team.

Also do you prefer the Watchtower or the Hall of Justice as the main League base? I guess there was Mount Justice as well.

I like the satellite, but redesign it...

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Hi Kurt, I wondering if you could give some thought on what went into developing the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship like it was ultimately in Kingdom Come.

I can’t. Mark Waid and Alex Ross did KINGDOM COME, not me.

And if you could develop that version of Superman after everything you did with the character post-Kingdom Come, how do you think you would have done it?

No offense, and setting aside the fact that I didn’t write that book — but I’m just not going to answer any “what would you have done” questions satisfactorily.

Either I haven’t thought about it, and so haven’t worked up any ideas, or I have, and won’t tell you what they are because I might get to use them someday. Telling stories is what I do for a living, so I’m not going to give out my ideas for free.

Sorry.

kdb

[Kurt Busiek]

Oh, and this isn’t really a question, and more of a “saying nice things about Kurt Busiek,” but you know that moment in Trinity, when you find out that Triumph and Tomorrow Woman learned that they’re dead in the ‘real world,’ and go ahead and fight to save the world anyway? It’s one of my all time favorite dc comics moments. Love it.

Thanks. Those characters were fun to write, and Fabian and I (and Mike Norton, I think?) enjoyed doing that chapter.

kdb

[Ra-El]

Hi Kurt,

Very few characters in the DC universe (in Marvel universe too), get to have a complete and mostly satisfying ending. The ones that come to my mind are Jack Knight(Starman) and Tommy Monaghan(Hitman), those characters were moslty handled by their creators and they got end their story the way they liked and the most fans loved how these characters went into the sunset. But at the same time, a lot of us would like to read more about them.
If DC asked you to bring one of those characters back would you do it?

[DrNewGod]

...Mostly, what I'd like to tell everyone about comic books is that comics are a medium, capable of telling any kind of story -- superheroes, sure, but also Westerns or war stories or horror or comedy or biography or even educational works about philosophy or genetics. Comics can do just about anything, except maybe musicals, and there's probably a way around that, too.

Now you've done it. I won't be content until you've adapted Oklahoma to comics.

[Johnny Thunders!]

Do you have a desert island list of DC Comics? I mean, if you were forced to live on a desert island and you had to choose 5 single issue DC comics to live with for the rest of your life, what would you choose. Why them?

Bonus question: What's your soundtrack for each of the above comics?

Bonus Bonus Question: In Astro City, who is the Phil Sheldon?

[Kurt Busiek]

Very few characters in the DC universe (in Marvel universe too), get to have a complete and mostly satisfying ending. The ones that come to my mind are Jack Knight(Starman) and Tommy Monaghan(Hitman), those characters were moslty handled by their creators and they got end their story the way they liked and the most fans loved how these characters went into the sunset. But at the same time, a lot of us would like to read more about them.
If DC asked you to bring one of those characters back would you do it?

No, I wouldn't. I'm not the guy to write Tommy Monaghan stories, for one, and people who want Jack Knight stories probably want James Robinson's sensibility.

Creating a new legacy Starman, who has some of the flavor of Jack, but stands on his own, would probably be a better way of handling it. I mean, I know there's Stargirl, but she has a rather different flavor. Unless you took her in a different direction and used some of the STARMAN supporting characters in a series.

But really, it'd probably be more fun to just make up a new character and a new world and tell stories with them outside the DCU, rather than get tangled in ownership issues and audiences with very particular expectations. When you take over a character who has been done one particular way for the vast majority of their appearances, then you can kinda do an imitation of someone else's style, which readers will probably think isn't good enough, or you can do something different, which readers will probably think is "doing it wrong." It's lose-lose.

With, say, Superman, there are so many different takes on him that there isn't just one particular ideal. And with some characters, like, maybe, the New Gods or something, they're strongly identified with Kirby, but people know you can't just do Kirby (only one guy ever could), so if you take it in a different direction, they'll follow if it's interesting enough.

But I think that's a lot harder to do with Jack Knight, and virtually impossible to do with Tommy Monaghan.

kdb