Kurt Busiek on "Valor" and "End of an Era"

We just wrapped up the Valor series with issue 23, which was part 5 (of 6) of End of an Era. I asked Kurt about his time on writing Valor.

I was invited to write the last four issues of VALOR when Mark Waid moved over to writing whichever Legion book he took over, and I’m a big Legion fan, so of course I said yes. And I’m a fan of Colleen Doran’s work, too, so that made it a very easy book to say yes to.

The first two parts, pre-End of an Era, needed to wrap up Valor’s present-day mission (I think; it’s been a long time). My main memory of those two issues was that ever since I was in high school, I thought it would be cool to have some present-day DC hero have to deal with an army of Braalians — essentially a mass invasion of Magnetos. So when I needed someone to build this story around, I suggested we see Braalians, but somewhat more primitive Braalians than were in the 30th century. More of a warrior culture, like Space Conan or something. Colleen fastened on that to decide they’d be bare chested with great hair, and for the duration of that story we called them the Super-Fabios of Space. And they looked great.

As far as End of An Era goes, the story had been conceived before I got there, but I got to be part of the plotting sessions with Mark and Tom (and KC and/or Mike McAvennie was on the calls, too, I think, but mainly I remember Mark and Tom).

My big contributions were (a) how to defeat Mordru, by bringing in the Infinite Man (one of my favorite Legion foes from when I was reading the book) and having Mordru take his power, so Mordru’s claustrophobia was triggered by the Infinite Man’s infinite consciousness — if his consciousness is infinite, then there’s nothing beyond it, so it’s psychologically the same as being buried, (b) the explanation for where the SW6ers had come from, and (c) the idea that the adult Legion and the kid Legionnaires should shake hands and merge at the end, to answer the question “Which ones were ‘real’?” by saying, “They both were.”

I also really wanted to make it clear that as the time/crisis/whatever-wave washed over them, that they had a sense of continuation, that it wasn’t that these characters were being destroyed and other characters would replace them, but that these characters’ spirits would live on, embodied in revised versions of the continuity — so the post-Zero Hour Legion could be seen as the originals in a new form, rather than replacements for the originals.

I don’t think a lot of readers saw it that way, but hey, I wanted to try for that, at least.

It’s the one chance I’ve really had (so far, at least) to write the Legion, and I had a good time doing it, particularly writing Valor and Shady, writing a version of Superboy, and getting to write a lot of other favorites along the way.

It didn’t get the Legion out of my system or anything — I'd still like to write them someday — but it was a thrill to do those couple of issues, and to be involved in a big story, even if it was a farewell.

Hope that helps!