Kurt Busiek: The Hero’s Premium Epic Legacy

Kurt Busiek is a notable name going around lately. On social media he speaks up about difficult things during immense conflict like Covid-19 and how people handle them. Because a hero is needed in such chaotic times, and somebody has to spread the message of being that hero.

Kurt Busiek Discovering Heroes

Busiek was actually denied reading comics for most of his childhood due to stigma against them. But an issue of Daredevil changes this; to read too deep into things this issue goes into how two parties try to find common ground. So for the young Kurt Busiek, this sets off how he tries to give the medium ground for understanding. Having spent his high school and college years with Scott McCloud, this is kind of a given. Heck some of his earliest work was writing fan fiction for comic book letter columns. Ever wonder who came up with the idea involving Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force? Busiek is where it started.

With this platform, Busiek got the opportunity to pitch ideas to DC which lead to his first stories. Starting with Green Lantern, he would spend his writing career freelancing between DC and its rival Marvel. Unfortunately despite trying to keep the fun times, the Big Two were trying to move away from Silver Age influences. This is probably what convinces Busiek to write one of Marvel’s biggest series.

For All The Marvels

Marvels is the brainchild of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross who spent their first collaborations adapting the work of Jack Kirby like Silver Star. Published 7 years after Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, this series serves as a message of fandoms, publishers, and how casual people see comics. To quote Busiek (and Matt Draper): “to illuminate the superhero clearly and believably. Where public impression would be striking and credible”.

Busiek’s message resonates with fans and creators so well, people like Mark Waid follow it up with Kingdom Come. Even if times and attitudes change, comics and superheroes remain in their immortal glory. It just takes people to see the value of the old and new. Something Busiek continues with arguably the biggest twist of 90s comics.

Busiek, Assemble The Heroes!

Between all of the side gigs of burgeoning studios like Topps and Image Comics, Kurt Busiek never really left Marvel. In fact the people who left that company over disputes with Marvel inspire the original Thunderbolts. Coming off of Marvel’s failed attempts at reboots with Onslaught and Heroes Reborn, introduces a new team of heroes. Complete with the artists giving designs worthy of Rob Liefeld with shoulder pads and guns; this series is a subversion of the growing trend of gritty heroes. Because this team begins as straight-up villains in disguise. Yet it’s their acts of doing good and their downtime as supportive teammates that cause them to ditch villainy altogether. With a boss like Baron Zemo who could blame them?

But much like the eternal nature of superheroes, the classics have to return. In celebration of the return of the Avengers, Busiek brings in every notable character to find what works. Because such a large ensemble requires exploration to see what bounces off one another. From Carol Danvers‘ drinking problem to company mandates in personification. Some of those things age well and some don’t. Comic Tropes can explain more.

Kurt Busiek and Secret Identities

Kurt Busiek goes back into solo series between these team series with the likes Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Superman. In the fittingly titled, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, Busiek has the wall crawler go into his younger days. One where the most ideal state of web head is, trying to find where he fits into everything. A message some creatives misinterpret as regressing character progress and playing karaoke. Or even having Spider-Man be the only thing interesting about Peter Parker.

Compare that to his Iron Man run, Ton Stark is a character people tend to have difficulties with in development. Stan Lee even created him to be the kind of person that people love to hate. But also one who would grow on people. For Busiek this includes helping a teammate deal with her drinking problem, recalling his Demon in a Bottle days. But also recognizing how his superhero lifestyle puts pressure on his relationships and company. It’s a struggle about addiction Stark fears will be as bad as his alcoholism. But Busiek doesn’t stick around for a resolution as he trades iron for steel.

The Super Needs More Man

Superman much like the above two series deals with his secret identity. His life as Clark Kent is looking up with him spending time with his wife Lois Lane. In fact, his time as Clark shows how he’s more than willing to ask for help from other heroes. If that doesn’t work out, he’s still willing to help people, even at a cost. When his powers do return however, reviews suggest that they’re more of a burden. Fortunately that’s not the case with Superman: Secret Identity one where the name of Superman is a source of embarrassment for this alternate Clark Kent. But the power of the man of steel he receives is empowering and keeps to the lessons of humility.

Busiek would later follow this series up a decade later with Batman: Creature of the Night. In this series Bruce Wainwright is a comic fan who finds himself living Batman’s origin. But the identity of Batman is unlike the hopeful Superman whose powers are a form of expression. Batman is a product of tragedy, an almost mythological manifestation of survival in the dark times. One that needs an anchor to reality otherwise both Bruce and the Bat are lost. But it’s those interpretations that can have people look at something with a new perspective and appreciation for the original.

How Superheroes Live

Astro City by Kurt Busiek

Kurt Busiek is a superhero fan but he really enjoys the human side and how worlds build around them. Some can have the absurd but mythical nature like in DC’s Trinity. One where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman serve as the foundations of DC. Sometimes you have to compare how DC and Marvel handle their characters like in JLA/Avengers. But for Busiek, the ultimate culmination is in his magnum opus, Astro City.

In this universe, Busiek channels the essence of both universes as an anthology. Rather than make it a mythic epic, this series focuses on the different sides of superheroes and their world. Naturally you also have characters who are pastiches of recognizable characters. The Samaritan for example is essentially Superman who struggles with his day-to-day life because he never allows himself to relax. Not to mention there are loads of other characters who spend less time fighting villains and more time just living.

A similar thing happens in Kirby: Genesis, where Astro City combines with Jack Kirby’s shorthand characters for a space epic. It’s almost as if Busiek invites the reader to meet Jack Kirby long after his passing. As the 17 year old Kirby finds his inspirations however, his creations take a life of their own. Just the concept of Kirby’s Kamandi inspires Busiek’s Autumnlands. Because much like mythological figures they are in the process of developing.

Kurt Busiek: The Nature of Epics

Conan by the scribe Kurt Busiek

Epic series however aren’t just stories in the longest form like Jonathan Hickman series suggest. Busiek’s take on Conan The Barbarian tell the other definition. Even long after the legend of Conan, eager followers of his tales still exist and are fascinated by him. Busiek attempts to retell some of the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. This includes the “Tower of The Elephant”. Having never seen the original works, this interpretation is my default version of that story. As such I do not really know what Busiek brings or how different it is. Given its pulp origins, this is likely how Busiek does a less filtered version as Howard wanted. All while moving away from the racism of the original.

Even after Kurt Busiek leaves Conan behind, this retelling of stories starts to focus less on Howard’s work and more on Busiek’s. With Dark Horse getting new creative teams, the legends of Conan go through similar beats. This is how myths, folktales, and franchises like Star Wars are constantly retold as they expand/distill for a new audience while remaining coherent. Scholars like Barbara Graziosi and Johannes Haubold call this “resonance”. To this day, Conan remains an epic character whose legend continues. One that he on occasion shares with his publishers/fandoms/cults.

Kurt Busiek: The Moderator

With all of this in mind, be mindful enough to show respect not just towards Kurt Busiek for his stories that age differently. Your favorite stories can come from unlikely places, some of which continue by others. They change, they try to fit in, some of them just don’t have the space to unless the rules change. It can even communicate with others across time. These characters are your myths and their greatest struggle is trying to find an audience. Some people grow out of them, other times the stories grow out of creators.

Busiek certainly hasn’t grown out of his work, friends like Ross even bring him into Marvel. Even Busiek wishes to recapture these times by curating Marvels Snapshots with new creatives taking the helm. So the next time you look at a character, know that they aren’t just one person but the result of many.

Are you part of that audience? Or do you just want to stick to how you see things? In any case thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.