An "Astro" interview with Kurt Busiek
by Matt Osterberg


CC: Everyone one had a starting point so I want to ask you about yours, how did you get into comics? Did you read them a lot as a kid? Can you remember the first comic you ever read because IMHO that is the most influential, what do you think??

KB: I didn't read comics very often as a kid, largely because my parents didn't allow them in the house. They did buy European graphic albums, like ASTERIX and TINTIN, and I read those. I read American comics at friends' houses, and I don't remember what the first of them would be; I remember piles and piles of SAD SACK and HOT STUFF and RICHIE RICH. The first superhero stuff I read (unless you count ASTERIX) was probably Batman stories. I vividly remember one story in which Robin is strapped to the lead pin in a giant bowling alley, and Batman has to roll this humongous bowling ball down the alley and knock over all the pins but the lead one before they explode, killing Robin. Man, that was suspense! In any case, I didn't start reading comics regularly until DAREDEVIL #120, which I picked up on a whim when I was 13 or 14. It was part one of a 4-part story, and it made references to earlier events, and I wanted to knowmore. By the time the story finished, I'd found a comics specialty shop, picked up back issues of X-MEN, DAREDEVIL and THOR, and was on my way to being hooked for life.

CC: I get it, so you read them behind you parent's backs! Normal kid stuff. I was wondering, why didn't they let you read them? If it was because of violence they must DETEST comics today!

KB: No, they don't have a problem with the today--of course, they only read my stuff. But they were just reacting to the general sensibility that comics were bad for kids -- the whole post-Wertham Backlash. They didn't have any real idea what was in those comics, just they had a bad reputation. Once I was 14 or so, I was old enough to ignore the "rules," and I guess they figured that they'd instilled about as much of a critical sense I was going to get. They didn't allow us TV or candy, either, and I still tend to pick up a book rather than turn on the TV, so I think the plan worked out okay.

CC: How did you get the idea for Astro City? Does it truly embody what you believe to be the superheroic ideal or is it more a creation to the current trend of "Shoot-first-ask-later" heroes?

KB: I've always been interested in what it's like for the other people in superhero universes, and as a comics reader I used to wonder about weird stuff like whether there were superhero characters on "General Hospital" in the Marvel Universe, or whether the Human Torch had his own line of posters, like the teenybopper stars in our world do. I got to do a couple of stories exploring the world beyond the superheroes at Marvel, and then I got to do MARVELS, which gave me the clout to launch a series all about what it's like to live in such a world.
And ASTRO CITY isn't intended to embody an ideal -- it's meant to explore the genre. There are all kinds of superheroes in ASTRO CITY, including those who kill, and we'll get to them in time. ASTRO CITY isn't a reaction to the current trends in comics, it's a celebration and an exploration of the vast sweep of cool stuff that the superhero genre is capable of. I wouldn't want to limit it to an "ideal."

CC: What is the basic storyline of this title? What happens?

KB: There is no basic storyline. And everything happens. ASTRO CITY is not a series that follows a regular cast of characters; it's a series about a city with a lot of superheroes and everything else that superheroes entail in it, and what it's like to live there. From issue to issue, we tell a wide variety of stories, examining the lives of the heroes, the crooks, the reporters, the bystanders ... anyone who's got an interesting story to tell might wind up the focus of an ASTRO CITY story. Our focus is not "What happens next?" it's "What does it feel like?" What's it like to be there? What's it like to see (or do) that kind of thing? What stories can we tell in the genre that connect to real human experience in the real world? It's been a lot of fun so far, and I'm glad readers are enjoying it, because there's not end in sight.

CC: Call me stupid but...I STILL don't get it. Is it what happens when the heroes aren't out fighting crime, but what they do in normal life or am I still WAY off?

KB: No, it's partly a question of what else goes on in the world; what are the TV shows like, what is it like for lawyers to deal with a court system in a world where evil dopplegangers and death-like comas occur with seeming regularity; what's the world like beyond the superheroes, and what does it feel like to live in a world like that, whether you're a hero or an ordinary person.

Also, I think that it's all, to some degree, metaphor -- that superhero stories gain their power from taping into emotions or ideas that exist in the real world, but they're expressed in these symbolic, larger than life forms. So I try to use that in Astro City; I'm not interested in trying to detail all the rules and facts of a superhero world, just in trying to use situations that could happen over there to explore, in a metaphoric manner, something that connects to real life. For instance, Samaritans frustration in #1 is expressed in superheroic terms, but it's something anyone who's ever been overworked at a job he'd love if he just had the time to enjoy it can feel.

CC: Is this the only thing you've been working on lately? If not what are some other things?

KB: Judging from the fact that you mention UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN in a later question, I think you've got some idea that ASTRO CITY's not the only thing I'm working on. In any case, I'm currently writing four monthly series: ASTRO CITY, UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN (which tells stories about Spider-Man back in his early days, stories that fit in between the already-chronicled adventures), NINJAK (a series for Acclaim, about a teenage boy who gains the power to turn into a video game hero, which would be cool if the villains from the game weren't starting to appear in the real world; he's got to figure out what's going on before the master villain behind it all wins the game and takes over the world), and THUNDERBOLTS (a new series debuting in February from Marvel, about a new group of heroes that arises after the Fantastic Four and the Avengers have vanished and are presumed dead).

CC: WOW! Those sound REALY neat, especially Thunderbolts, I'm looking forward to that! Can you give us a brief summary of number one or are you going to keep us in suspense?

KB: Well, the suspense won't last long; the book comes out in February. I can't tell you too much about T-BOLTS without giving away important secrets-- suffice it to say that #1 deals with post-Onslaught New York, as it's still dealing with the damage and the loss of the heroes. The Rat Pack, an elite group of professional looters, are scavenging in the ruined neighborhoods, stealing the belongings of the dead (and kidnapping the homeless orphans left by Onslaught), and the T-Bolts show up to stop them. This sets off intense media interest, and the T-Bolts find themselves very much in the public spotlight. When they battle the Wrecking Crew, who are working for the same guy the Rat Pack were, it's broadcast coast-to-coast. After that ... well, you'll have to read the book to find out.

CC: What is the general reaction from the comics-buying public since you created your 1st multi-part story for Astro City? Up until now everything has been single issue self-contained with plenty of hidden extras for us to guess at.

KB: So far, the reaction is extremely positive. I get lots of positive reviews and letters, and sales are going up. So I've got to figure we're doing something right.

CC: What was it like working with Mike Allred?

KB: Fun. He's got an enormous enthusiasm for the early Marvel characters, so when I asked him if he'd be up to draw an Annual featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Sub-Mariner, set back in the early days, he was glad to do it -- especially after we lined up classic Marvel inker Joe Sinnott to ink the book. Mike brought a lot of energy and affection to the story, and it really shows.

CC: Do you plan on having any spin-off titles from Astro City or do you plan to keep the integrity of the book by staying away from that? Also, have you considered movies, cartoons, novels or any other media besides comics to introduce it to?

KB: I don't want to do any spin-off titles; ASTRO CITY was conceived so that any kind of superhero story I wanted to tell could happen in the main book. I'm not interested in doing a line of ASTRO CITY comics; I'd burn out. One comic that's as good as I can make it is enough for me. We might do the occasional special or one-shot if we have the time (and the story), but for the most part, it'll be just the one book. As for movies, cartoons and such, I don't relish the idea of other writers doing ASTRO CITY stories, in any media. Maybe after I've done several years' worth of stories, I'll feel that ASTRO CITY is established enough to license an adaptation in another medium, but right now I think it's too young. And it's too personal to me.

CC: You say you don't want someone else to write it, have you considered writing a script?

KB: Not really. For one thing, I don't have the time. For another, an ASTRO CITY movie would be hellaciously expensive, considering all the special effects it would need -- and it's not even an action movie, since the FX would be in the service of the little characters stories I do. So if an ASTRO CITY movie got made, I bet it wouldn't get a large enough budget to be any good, and if it did get a huge budget, it wouldn't make the money back. I think ASTRO CITY is ideal as comics, where we can have all the special effects Brent can draw, for no more money than it takes to draw a living room scene. I think it would be hard to translate.

CC: Do you have any plans for doing some more Marvel books? I thought your Untold Tales of Spider-Man was great!!!

KB: Thanks. I'm doing two Marvel books now, and I'd have to drop something to do any more. So right now, that's enough for me.

CC: Is there any particular character out there that you just wanna get your hands on? Also, anyone you want to work with?

KB: I'd love to write IRON MAN someday. Especially if I could have Hawkeye show up a lot; those two are my favorite Marvel characters. Over at DC, I'd like to do Green Lantern, but only if he was Hal Jordan. The new kid may be great, for all I know, but it's Hal I have an emotional connection with. As for other creators I'd like to work with -- how much time do you have? I'd love to work with Alan Davis, Stuart Immonen, Walt Simonson, John Romita (Senior and Junior), Gil Kane, Alex Toth, George Perez, John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Lee Weeks, Barry Windsor-Smith ... the list goes on and on. There are tons of talented people out there, and if I get to work with even half of the guys I'd love to work with, I'll be busy for decades...

CC: What do you think would be the GREATEST comic of all time and who would you have working on it? Or is Astro City what I just described?

KB: I think the greatest comics of all time is Milton Caniff's run on TERRY AND THE PIRATES, from 1934 to 1946. They're wonderful stuff, full of intrigue and humor and romance and character drama and action and clever plotting…wonderful stuff. There have been a lot of great comics published, but TERRY is my favorite of all time. As for what would my "dream comic" be, well, ASTRO CITY is it. It's the book I'd like to do more than any other, and I think I'm working with a fabulous group of creators -- Brent Anderson, Will Blyberg, Alex Ross, John Roshell, Alex Sinclair -- everybody puts their best efforts into the book, and I'm delighted to be working with them.

CC: Have you ever considered possibly writing a Terry and the Pirates comic? I, for one, think it would be GREAT because I can tell how much you love the title.

KB: I'd love to write a TERRY story sometime, if someone -- Kitchen Sink, maybe -- could get the rights to do new TERRY material based on the original continuity, not the revived strip with the transforming junks and such. But rather than write a TERRY book regularly, I'd rather do a new series that had the same kind of freewheeling high-adventure spirit, so that I could take that character anywhere I wanted, instead of trying to fit into the continuity Milt Caniff established. He told great stories about those characters, and I think it would be more fun to have as much freedom as he did with new characters than to do UNTOLD TALES OF TERRY, braiding stories into what he did. I also think he's the only guy who ever did TERRY right, or ever will, so no matter how hard I tried, I'd probably be getting 'em wrong. So I wouldn't mind doing it once, for the thrill of putting words in those characters' mouths, but on an ongoing basis I think it would be a mistake.

CC: Do you consider AC a major success? If you could go back and improve anything in it what would that be?

KB: I consider ASTRO CITY to be a success -- it accomplishes pretty much what I wanted to, and the readers enjoy it and are supporting it well enough for us to keep going, and that's what counts. As to going back, well, there are some spelling mistakes I'd like to fix, but I'd rather look to the future and try to make the next issue better instead of wishing I'd done last issue differently.

CC: What do you think is the essence of a PERFECT comic? Would you give any current titles from any company right now that status?

KB: I don't think there's such a thing as perfection in art. For one thing, I like variety too much, so a book that might benefit from realistic art doesn't mean that realistic art is better; another book might be great with very cartoony art. For another thing, it's all subjective - different people get different things for the stuff they read, and I'd rather see lots of different books and lots of different approaches than try to define one approach as "perfect." That said, I'm really enjoying KANE, by Paul Grist, and LEAVE IT TO CHANCE, by James Robinson and Paul Smith. Something about them just feels elegant, as if they're making comics in a way that really makes the medium sing.

CC: Do you think that nudity, violence, and swearing are a problem in comics? Also, do you think the PRICE is?

KB: Comics are a medium. Some comics shouldn't have nudity, swearing or violence, but some should, just like some books shouldn't and some should, or some movies shouldn't and some should. There's no one way to do good comics. I do think that comics are too expensive, but I don't see that so much as a price issue, but instead as a value issue. Two dollars or so for about twenty pages of comics is just not a good bargain. But if you drop the price, news dealers don't want to sell them, since they don't make enough profit. So how do you make it a good deal for the money while still making it worth retailers' while to sell them? Well, back in the Forties, comics were big, thick anthologies that sold for the same price other magazines do -- they may have been only a dime, but that's what TIME cost back then, so it didn't make any difference to a retailer; he was as happy selling CAPTAIN AMERICA as THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. I'd like to get back to that, to see thick comics with enough stuff in them to last all afternoon. If we could do that, then I don't think it would be considered "too expensive," even if it cost five bucks. It's value for money, not just price, that matters.

CC: Of all the comic conventions you've been to which was the most fun and why?

KB: Probably an Ithacon, in Ithaca, New York, back in 1983. It was small enough to be relaxed and friendly, and big enough to have a lot of interesting stuff going on. I've never been able to make it back to another Ithacon, but I'll be going in 1997, and I'm looking forward to it. Of course, going to San Diego in '94 and '96 and winning a bunch of awards for MARVELS and ASTRO CITY was a lot of fun, too...

CC: As a final word to all your readers, does an education help and ALSO what about a tip for writers/artists?

KB: An education always helps. You can't write well about things you don't know about, so a writer needs to know about all kinds of things, from science to psychology to foreign cultures and more. Having a diploma won't help you if you're not a good writer, but developing good study and research habits and learning a lot about whatever interests you will serve you well. As for tips for would be pros, here's my best advice:

  1. Read UNDERSTANDING COMICS, by Scott McCloud.
  2. Read Lurene Haines's books, A GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS OF COMICS and A WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS OF COMICS.
  3. Read ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE, by William Goldman, which isn't about comics specifically but is an invaluable book about storytelling in a collaborative medium, and fun to read besides.
  4. Practice, practice, practice.


That's it!


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