Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''

Marvels ''Marvels'' is a four-issue Limited series (comics), miniseries comic book written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus McLaurin. It was published by Marvel Comics in 1994. Set in the 1939 to 1974 time period, the series ex ...

'' limited series, his own series titled ''

Astro City ''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'' is an American superhero anthology comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Created and written by Kurt Busiek, the series is mostly illustrated by Brent Anderson, with character designs and ...

'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts'' and ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

.''

Early life

Busiek was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts. He grew up in various towns in the Boston area, including Lexington, where he befriended future comic book creator

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and ''Making Comics'' (200 ...

. Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of '' Daredevil'' #120 (April 1975). This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and McCloud practiced making comics. The pair also contributed to comics hobbyist publications like NMP's ''

Comics Feature ''Comics Feature'' was an American magazine of news, criticism, and commentary pertaining to comic books, comic strips, and animation. Published by New Media Publishing, it produced 57 issues (and a number of specials) between 1980 and 1987. S ...

''. During this time, Busiek had many letters published in

comic book letter column A comic book letter column is a section of an American comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns (or lettercols), letter pages, letters of comment (LOCs), o ...

s, and originated the theory that the

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

was a separate being who had impersonated

Jean Grey Jean Elaine Grey is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack K ...

, and that therefore Grey had not died — a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics. Busiek explains, "A couple of years later, after I’d broken in, I attended my first convention as a pro, in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

, and I stayed at

Roger Stern Roger Stern (born September 17, 1950) is an American comic book author and novelist. Biography Early career In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine ''CPL'' (''Contemporary Pictorial Literature''), one of the first platfor ...

's house. And we were talking about how much we liked the new ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

'', and he said, 'It's just a pity there's no way to bring Jean Grey back,' and I said, 'Sure there's a way, there's always a way.'"

Career

During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early li ...

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in ''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

'' #162 (March 1983). After writing four fill-in issues of ''

Power Man and Iron Fist ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' (originally ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' then ''Luke Cage, Power Man'') was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the superheroes Power Man and Iron Fist. Publication history ''He ...

'', he was given the series as his first regular assignment. Busiek was a fan of the work his predecessor, Mary Jo Duffy, had done on ''Power Man and Iron Fist'', and emulated her lighthearted, humorous approach, not knowing that the editorial staff disapproved of this approach and had taken Duffy off the series because of it. He was fired from the series for the same reasons as Duffy, after only six issues as its regular writer. In 1985, he wrote a ''

Red Tornado Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

. In 1993, Busiek and artist

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

produced the ''

'' limited series which, as comics historian Matthew K. Manning notes, "reinvigorated painted comics as a genre, went on to become an acclaimed masterpiece, and spawned more than its own fair share of imitators." Busiek and

Pat Olliffe Patrick Olliffe is an American comic book artist and penciller. His most notable clients include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Disney Publishing, and Aftershock Comics. Career Olliffe is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on ''Untold Tales of ...

crafted the ''

Untold Tales of Spider-Man ''Untold Tales of Spider-Man'' is an American comic book series starring Spider-Man published by Marvel Comics for 26 issues (#1–25, with a #-1 issue (July 1997) added between issues #22 (June 1997) and 23 (August 1997)) and two ''Annual''s (''A ...

'' series beginning in September 1995. He created the '' Thunderbolts'', a group of super-villains disguised as super-heroes, with the final page of the first issue of the series revealing that the Thunderbolts were actually the

Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publicatio ...

, a surprise twist carefully guarded by Marvel. In February 1998, Busiek launched '' The Avengers'' vol. 3 with penciler

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...

and ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...

'' vol. 3 with artist Sean Chen. Busiek and

Carlos Pacheco Carlos Pacheco Perujo (14 November 1961 – 9 November 2022) was a Spanish comics penciller. After breaking into the European market doing cover work for Planeta De Agostini, he gained recognition doing work for Marvel UK, the England-based bra ...

collaborated on the ''

Avengers Forever ''Avengers Forever'' is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. It follows the storyline of Rick Jones and his quest to build a team of Avengers from the past, present, and future ...

'' limited series in 1998–1999. This replaced the ''Avengers: World in Chains'' series which the two had previously planned to work on. Busiek continued as writer of ''The Avengers'' through 2002, collaborating with artists such as

Alan Davis Alan Davis (born 18 June 1956) is an English artist and writer of comic books, known for his work on titles such as ''Captain Britain'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''ClanDestine'', ''Detective Comics'', ''Excalibur'', '' JLA: The Nail'' and '' JLA: ...

and

Kieron Dwyer Kieron Dwyer (born March 6, 1967) is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as for his creator-owned projects. Biography During his career, Dwyer has worked on such comic book titles as ...

. His tenure culminated with the "

Kang Dynasty "Kang Dynasty", sometimes called "Kang War", is a 16 part comic book storyline which ran through ''Avengers'' (vol. 3) #41-55 and ''Avengers Annual 2001'' between June, 2001 and August, 2002. It was written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by a numb ...

" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Pérez to create the ''

JLA/Avengers ''JLA/Avengers'' (issues #2 and 4 are titled ''Avengers/JLA'') is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to March 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with ...

'' limited series. Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including '' Arrowsmith'', ''

The Liberty Project ''The Liberty Project'' is an American comic book series created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist James W. Fry. Publication history ''The Liberty Project'' was published by Eclipse Comics in 1987. It ran for eight issues until 1988 before its c ...

'', ''The

Power Company An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major pr ...

'', ''Shockrockets'', '' Superman: Secret Identity'', '' JLA'', and the award-winning ''Kurt Busiek's

''. In the 1990s, work on some of Busiek's more challenging, less mainstream projects, most notably ''Astro City'', was repeatedly delayed by health problems brought about by

mercury poisoning Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashe ...

. In 2004, Busiek began a new '' Conan'' series for

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

. In December 2005, he signed a two-year exclusive contract with

. Following DC's "

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...

" storyline, he teamed with

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He serve ...

on the eight-part story arc " Up, Up and Away!" that ran in both

titles as part of DC's company-wide "

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through books published by DC Comics. It involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, to explore ...

" storyline. In addition, he began writing the DC title ''

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...

: Sword of Atlantis'' from issues #40–49. Busiek became the sole writer of the ''

'' series with issue #654 (Sept. 2006) and Carlos Pacheco became the series' artist. Busiek and Pacheco developed an extended storyline featuring

Arion Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

coming into conflict with Superman. The plotline concluded in ''Superman Annual'' #13. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries titled ''

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

'', starring

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, Superman and

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

. Each issue except for the first featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by

Mark Bagley Mark Bagley (; born August 7, 1957) is an American comics artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics on such titles as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', '' Thunderbolts'', ''New Warriors'', ''Venom'' and ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' and for DC Comics on ''Justic ...

, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and

Fabian Nicieza Fabian Nicieza (born December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', ''X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', ''Cable'', ''Deadpool'' and '' Thunderbolts ...

, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick,

Mike Norton Mike Norton is an American comic book artist and writer, known for his work on '' Battlepug''. Early life Mike Norton first discovered comics as a child when his father gave him a copy of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #163, before he was old enoug ...

and

Scott McDaniel Scott McDaniel (born 1965) is an American comics artist who has drawn numerous books, including Marvel Comics' " Fall from Grace" storyline for the '' Daredevil'' series. Notable artwork for DC Comics include a long run on '' Batman'' as regular ...

. Busiek teamed with Alex Ross on

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...

's '' Kirby: Genesis'', an eight-issue miniseries which debuted in 2011. The series, which was their first full collaboration since ''Marvels'' 17 years previous, featured a large group of Jack Kirby's creator-owned characters, the rights to which were acquired by Dynamite, such as

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, Captain Victory, Galaxy Green, Tiger 21 and the Ninth Men. Ross co-plotted, handled designs, and oversaw the series overall with Busiek, who scripted the story. In June 2013, Busiek relaunched his ''Astro City'' series as part of DC's

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

line. Busiek commented that "''Astro City's'' always been aimed at a more sophisticated reader, which I think suits Vertigo. Plus our backlist sales are closer to a Vertigo pattern than DCU." The ongoing ''Astro City'' series concluded as of issue #52 in 2018. In April 2022, Busiek was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to

Operation USA Operation USA (also known as OpUSA, Operation California, or OpCal) is a non profit humanitarian organization supporting health, education and relief programs at home and abroad in order to help children and families recover and thrive in the wak ...

's benefit anthology book, ''Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds'', a project spearheaded by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

Special Projects Editor

Scott Dunbier Scott Dunbier is an American comic book editor, best known as the Special Projects Editor at IDW Publishing. Career Dunbier rose to prominence in the comic book industry as executive editor of the Wildstorm comic book line. After several years a ...

, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. Busiek and

Brent Anderson Brent Anderson may refer to: * Brent Anderson (comics) (born 1955), American comics artist * Brent Anderson (singer) Brent Anderson (born in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American country music singer. He has charted on Hot Country Songs with t ...

teamed up to contribute a new ''

'' story to the anthology, which will harbor themes relevant to the events in Ukraine.

Awards

Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

for Best Writer in 1998 and the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with ''Marvels'', he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for ''Marvels'' #4) in 1995. In 1996, with ''Astro City'', Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998 for ''Astro City'', and for ''Conan: The Legend'' #0 in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, ''Astro City'' was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series. Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The public ...

'' Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. In 2010, Busiek was awarded the

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual c ...

Personal life

Busiek is married to Ann Busiek. Both Kurt and Ann Busiek were rendered by Alex Ross as New Yorkers who react to the invasion of

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

and

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of ...

on page 17 of ''Marvels'' #3. Kurt is later used as the model for a wandering drunk on page 33 of the same issue. In June 2022, Busiek revealed in the final issue of '' Arrowsmith: Behind Enemy Lines'' that the follow-up series '' Arrowsmith: Beyond Borders'', would be delayed due to health issues. Specifically, Busiek related that he had been suffering from persistent

migraine Migraine (, ) is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headaches. Typically, the associated headache affects one side of the head, is pulsating in nature, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and could last from a few hou ...

s for over a year, for which he was receiving

Botox Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neurom ...

treatments every three months, which reduced his productivity, and that he was searching for a hospital with an advanced headache program into which he could be placed.

Bibliography

Dark Horse Comics

*''

Army of Darkness ''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American comedy horror film directed, co-written and co-edited by Sam Raimi, co-produced by Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell and co-written by Ivan Raimi. Starring Campbell and Embeth Davidtz, it is the third i ...

'' #1–3 (text articles) (1992–1993) *'' Conan'' #1–28, 32, 39, 45–46 (2004–2007) *''Conan: The Frost-Giant's Daughter and Other Stories'' #1 (2005) *''Conan: Book of Thoth'' #1–4 (2006) *''Jonny Demon'' #1–3 (1994) *''

Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' is an American television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" bookend segme ...

'' #1–8, 11 (1992–1993)

DC Comics

*''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics ...

'' #837–843, 850, 852–854 (2006–2007) *''

: Sword of Atlantis'' #40–49 (2006–2007) *''

'' vol. 3 #1–52 (2013-2018) *'' Batman: Creature of the Night'' #1–4 (2018-2020) *''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring back ...

: Hawkman'' (2004) *''DCU Secret Files & Origins'' #1 *''

'' #162, 185 (backup stories) (1983–1985) *''

Iron Lantern The following is a list of fictional characters that appear or are only mentioned in the comic books of Amalgam Comics. They are listed by comic book and a team section is also provided. The amalgamations of characters or the Amalgam versions of o ...

'' #1 *'' JLA'' #61 (backup story), #107–114 (2002–2005) *''JLA Secret Files & Origins'' #1 (2004) *''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

of America'' #224, 231–232, 240 (1984–1985) *''Legend of Wonder Woman'' #1–4 (1986) *'' 9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember, Volume Two'' ("Astro City" story) (2002) *''

'': **''Power Company'' #1–18 (2002–2003) **''Power Company: Bork'' (2002) **''Power Company: Josiah Power'' (2002) **''Power Company: Manhunter'' (2002) **''Power Company: Sapphire'' (2002) **''Power Company: Skyrocket'' (2002) **''Power Company: Striker Z'' (2002) **''Power Company: Witchfire'' (2002) *''

'' #1–4 (1985) *'' Showcase '94'' #7 (1994) *'' Silver Age: Green Lantern'' #1 (2000) *''

'' #650–675, 712, ''Annual'' #13 (2006–2011) *'' Superman: Secret Identity'' #1–4 (2004) *'' Superman: The Man of Steel Annual'' #5 (1996) *'' Tales of The Green Lantern Corps Annual'' #3 (1987) *''

Tangent Comics Tangent Comics is a DC Comics imprint created in 1997, developed from ideas by Dan Jurgens. The line, formed from various one-shots, focused on creating all-new characters using established DC names, such as the Joker, Superman, and the Flash. ...

: Sea Devils'' #1 (1997) *''

'' #1–52 (2008–2009) *''

Valor Valor, valour, or valorous may mean: * Courage, a similar meaning * Virtue ethics, roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause" Entertainment * Valor (band), a Christian gospel music group * Valor Kand, a member of the band Christian Death * ' ...

'' #20–23 (1994) *''

Wednesday Comics ''Wednesday Comics'' was a weekly anthology comic book launched by DC Comics on July 8, 2009. The twelve issues of the title were published in 14" x 20" broadsheet format, deliberately similar to Sunday newspaper comics sections. Each edition f ...

'' #1–12 (2009) *''

'' #318 (1984) *''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' #308–309 (1984)

DC Comics and Marvel Comics

*''

'' #1–4 (2003–2004)

Milestone Media

* ''

Icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

'' #11 * ''

Static Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States * Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming **Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...

'' #12

Wildstorm

*'' Arrowsmith'' #1–6 (2003–2004) *

: **''Astro City: A Visitor’s Guide'' #1 (2004) **''Astro City: Local Heroes'' #1–5 (2003–2004) **''Astro City: The Dark Age Book One'' #1–4 (2005) **''Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two'' #1–4 (2007) **''Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three'' #1–4 (2009) **''Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four'' #1–4 (2010) **''Astro City: Samaritan'' (2006) **''Astro City: Beautie'' #1 (2008) **''Astro City: Astra'' #1–2 (2009) **''Astro City: Silver Agent #1–2 (2010) **''Astro City/Arrowsmith'' #1 (2004) **''Astro City Special'' #1 (2004)

Dynamite Entertainment

* ''Darkman vs. The Army of Darkness'' #1–5 (2006–2007) * '' Kirby: Genesis'' #0, 1–8 (2011–2012) * ''Vampirella Masters Series'' #4–5 (2011)

Eclipse Comics

* ''Airboy-Mr. Monster Special'' #1 (1987) (''Liberty Project'' house ad) * ''

'' #1–8 (1987–1988) * ''Merchants Of Death'' #1–4 (1988) * '' Miracleman: Apocrypha'' #2 (1992) * ''Mr. Monster's Super Duper Special'' #7 (1987) (''Liberty Project'' house ad) * '' Total Eclipse Special: The Seraphim Objective'' #1 * ''

Zot! ''Zot!'' is a comic book created by Scott McCloud in 1984 and published by Eclipse Comics until 1990 as a lighthearted alternative to the darker and more violent comics that dominated the industry during that period.Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of ''Creepy'' ...

'' vol. 2 #2–4 (1992) * ''Vampirella: Morning In America'' #1–4 (1991–1993)

Image Comics

*''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'' #1–6 (1995–1996) *''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'' vol. 2 #1/2, #1–22 (1996–1998) *'' New Shadowhawk'' #1–7 (1995–1996) *''Regulators'' #1–3 (1995) * ''Shockrockets'' #1–6 (2000) *'' Spartan: Warrior Spirit'' #1–4 (1995) * ''Superstar: As Seen On TV'' #1 (2001) *''Shadowhawk Special'' #1 (1994) *''Shadowhawks Of Legend'' #1 (1995) *''Shattered Image'' #1-4 (1996) *''Tooth & Claw'' (renamed ''The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw'') #1- (2014-) *'' Velocity: Thrill Of The Chase'' #1–3 (1995–1996) *''The Wizard's Tale'' (1997) *'' Youngblood Strikefile'' #8 (1994)

Marvel Comics

*''

Amazing Fantasy ''Amazing Adult Fantasy'', retitled ''Amazing Fantasy'' in its final issue, is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, with the latter title revived with superhero features in 1995 and in the 2000 ...

'' #16–18 (1995–1996) *''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

Annual '97'' (1997) *

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

: **''Avengers'' #0 (1999) **'' The Avengers'' vol. 3 #1–15, 19–56 (1998–2002) **''Avengers Annual'' #19 (backup story) (1990) **''Avengers/Squadron Supreme'' '98 **''Avengers 1999'' **''Avengers 2000'' **''Avengers 2001'' **''Avengers Forever'' #1–12 (1998–1999) **''Avengers: The Ultron Imperative'' (2001) *''

Darkman ''Darkman'' is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. Based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s, the film stars Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake, who is br ...

'' #1–6 (1993) *'' The Defenders'' vol. 2 #1–12 (2001–2002) *

: **''Iron Man'' vol. 3 #1–25 (#14–25 co-plot) (1998–2000) **''Iron Man/Captain America '98'' (1998) **''Iron Man 1999'' **''Iron Man: The Iron Age'' #1–2 (1998) *''

Marvel Age ''Marvel Age'' was a promotional comic book-sized magazine from Marvel Comics published from 1983 to 1994. Basically a comic-length edition of the Bullpen Bulletins page, ''Marvel Age'' contained previews of upcoming Marvel comics, as well as in ...

Annual'' #1 (1985) *''Marvel Holiday Special'' #4 (1995) *'' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #9, 12–13 (1992–1993) *''Marvel Year-In-Review'' '92 (1992) *''

'' #0, 1–4 (1993–1994) *''Marvels: Eye Of The Camera'' #1–6 (2009–2010) *''

Maximum Security Maximum Security may refer to: * Supermax, "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons * Maximum Security (comics), a comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics * ''Maximum Security'' (Tony MacAlpine album), 1987 * ''Maximum Security'' ...

'' #1–3 (2000–2001) *''Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet'' #1 (2000) *''Night Thrasher'' #15–18, 20–21 (1994–1995) *''Open Space'' #1 (1989) *''The Order: Defenders Against The Earth'' #1–6 (2002) *''

'' #90, 92–100, 102, 105 (1983–1984) *''

The Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...

'' #176–177 (1991) *''Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil'' #1 (1996) *''Spider-Man Team-Up'' #7 (1997) (featuring the Thunderbolts) *''Spider-Man Unlimited'' #2–5 (1993–1994) *''Spider-Man and X-Factor'' #1-3 (1994) *''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics comics anthology, anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their d ...

'' vol. 3 #1 (1994) *''Tales of the Marvel Universe'' #1 (1997) (Thunderbolts story) *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

(Vol. 1)'' #378 (1991, with

Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

) *''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

: Godstorm'' #1–3 (2001–2002) * Thunderbolts: **''Thunderbolts'' Vol. 1 #-1, 0, 1–33 (1997–2000) **''Thunderbolts'' Annual '97 **''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

Citizen V Citizen Vee is the codename of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The original incarnation (John Watkins) first appeared in ''Daring Mystery Comics'' (Jan 1942), during the Golden ...

Annual '98'' (1998) **''Thunderbolts'' Annual 2000 (co-written by

) **''Avengers/Thunderbolts'' #1–6 (2004) **''Thunderbolts'' Vol. 3 #10 (backup story) *

: **''Untold Tales of Spider-Man'' #1–25 (1995–1997) **''Untold Tales of Spider-Man '96'' **''Untold Tales of Spider-Man '97'' **''Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounter'' #1 (1998) **''Amazing Spider-Man Annual 37'' B Story *''

Web of Spider-Man ''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran f ...

'' #81–83 (1991) *''

What If What If may refer to: Film * ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy * ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film * ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film * ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film Telev ...

'' #13, 23, 26, 44, 46, 47, 60–62 (1990–1994) *''

What The--?! ''What The--?!'' is a Marvel Comics comic book series self-parodying the Marvel Universe, similar in vein to the 1960s series '' Not Brand Echh''. It was billed as "The Marvel mag of mirth and mayhem!" The series ran for 26 issues, from August 19 ...

'' #3–4, 8, 17 (1988–1992) *''

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...

Annual'' #1 (1992)

Topps Comics

* '' Jack Kirby's Silver Star'' #1 (1993) * ''Jack Kirby's Teenagents'' #1–4 (1994) * ''Satan's Six'' #4 (1993) * ''

Topps Comics Topps Comics was a division of Topps, Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993 to 1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies. It was based in New York City, at ...

Presents'' #0 (1993) * ''

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...

'' #1 (1994)

References

External links

*
Sampling of Busiek's comic book fan letters, 1977–1981
*
Kurt Busiek
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{DEFAULTSORT:Busiek, Kurt 1960 births American comics writers Eisner Award winners for Best Writer Harvey Award winners for Best Writer Living people Writers from Boston Marvel Comics people Inkpot Award winners