DC interviews Greg Pak about CITY BOY #1

Panel from CITY BOY #1 showing Cameron Kim looking down at the street and seeing into the infrastructure of the city, rendered in glowing blue lines, while saying "I got no idea what you're talking about." Art by Minkyu Jung, colors by Sunny Gho, letters by Wes Abbott.

DC.com interviewed yours truly about CITY BOY #1 — check it out here! Here’s an excerpt:

I’m such a huge fan of heroes with more off-the-wall abilities and powers and I think Cameron definitely fits the bill. Can you give us a rundown of how his city-speaking powers work and what fans should expect from him?

Cameron has the ability to tap into the consciousness of any city he’s in, which gives him access to all the city’s secrets and sometimes even control the infrastructure of the city in spectacular ways. I don’t want to spoil all of the ways Cameron uses his powers, but I can say that he starts small, basically scrounging for little lost treasures to pawn, but things amp up pretty quickly and the stakes will get enormously high. I’ll also note that the cities have their own consciousness and free will, so exactly what Cameron is able to do at any given moment may depend on the nature of his bond with any given city. Lots of room for interesting dynamics!

The interview also teased an appearance by Superman in issue #3 of the series. I’m ridiculously excited about this — I wrote Superman in ACTION COMICS and BATMAN/SUPERMAN for two years and absolutely love the character. It’s been great having the chance to spend time with him again, especially with City Boy in the mix.

Are there other characters you’d like him to team-up with in the future?

One of the biggest on my list is coming up in issue #3: Superman! In terms of powers, I love that Cameron and Clark both have access to more information about what’s going on around them than is probably good for anyone’s mental health—and both have to consider all kinds of moral and ethical questions as a result. At the same time, I love that Clark’s basically lawful good and Cameron is deeply, instinctively chaotic, so their ways of dealing with the world and their responsibilities are very different. That’s all solid gold for storytelling, and I can’t wait till we can share that issue with folks!

So to complete the tease, here’s Minkyu Jung’s gorgeous, uncolored cover for CITY BOY #3, featuring the big blue boy scout himself!

Uncolored cover for CITY BOY #3 by Minkyu Jung featuring Superman descending over City Boy as City Boy tips his hat and disappears into the shadows between the bricks on the ground.

CITY BOY is written by Greg Pak (hey, that’s me!) with interior art by Minkyu Jung, colors by Sunny Gho, letters by Wes Abbott, and editing by Jessica Chen. Ask your local comics shop to hold copies for you today!

CITY BOY #1 gets rave reviews!

City Boy #1 cover by Minkyu Jung and Sunny Gho, featuring the titular character standing on the street as the city warps behind him.

Launching a brand new character in a superhero universe can be incredibly hard, so I’m thrilled to report that CITY BOY #1 is getting rave reviews in its first day of release!

CITY BOY is written by yours truly with art by Minkyu Jung, colors by Sunny Gho, letters by Wes Abbott, and editing by Jessica Chen. The book is part of Jessica’s amazing We Are Legends imprint of Asian American stories at DC Comics, and it tells the tale of Cameron Kim, a Korean American kid with the ability to tap into the consciousness of the city he’s in.

Comic Watch writes, “With great characterization, solid heart, and natural connection to the DCU, City Boy #1 is the start of something really great.”

Weird Science says, “Pak’s writing is tight, efficient, and almost melodic in its delivery. Minkyu Jung’s art presents memorable characters, dramatic composition, and gritty action.”

ComicsBeat says, “We get a solid main character, a cool new powers concept, and all the basics done right — we get a great new superhero debut comic.”

Ask your local comic shop to hold a copy of CITY BOY #1 for you today!

And feel free to check out the extensive interview AIPT did with me!

New MECH CADETS comic book series coming this August!

MECH CADETS #1 cover by Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring. Featuring the heroes of the MECH CADET YU series posed before the Hero Force 2 robo against a starry sky.

Big comics news, friends! I’m thrilled to report that we’re launching a new MECH CADETS comic book series, a sequel to MECH CADET YU! MECH CADETS #1 hits comic shops on August 9, the day before the MECH CADETS animated show debuts on Netflix!

MECH CADET YU is one of my favorite of all the comics I’ve ever worked on, and I’m thrilled to be coming back for new stories about these characters with artist and co-creator Tak Miyazawa, colorist Ian Herring, and letterer Simon Bowland.

For more info about the series and a preview of the first four pages of the first issue, check out the ScreenRant article. Here’s my quote from the article:

Tak’s bringing all his magic to every page and every panel, with that special combination of incredible genre thrills, amazing humor, and fantastic emotional subtlety. And all of our characters are a bit older and the world has gotten a bit more complex, with some shocking twists and challenges. I’m biased, of course, but it feels vital and real and just as fun as ever, and I can’t wait for y’all to see it!

Please do ask your local comics shop to pre-order MECH CADETS #1 for you! And check out the glorious Sonny Liew variant cover for issue #1, featuring Olivia Park and her father, General Park, whose contentious relationship will play a huge role in the series!

Sonny Liew variant cover for MECH CADETS #1 featuring Olivia Park and her father, General Park, with Olivia's Hero Force 2 robo in the middle!

Love and cactus on Mothers’ Day

35mm color photograph by Greg Pak of his mother, Jane Pak, beaming as she looks at cactus in the American Southwest, circa 1992.
 

Sending much love to anyone who’s missing their mom today.

I found this photo last month of my mother, Jane Pak, around 1992, just having an absolutely fantastic time looking at some cactus.

I love this picture so much because Jane Pak knew how to ENJOY things. A lesson I’m trying to remember every day.

Shot with a Canon FTb or Canon New F-1, probably with a Canon FD 28mm f2.8 BL, Kodak Gold 200.

2023-05-17 – MECH CADETS BOOK ONE in comic shops!

Mech Cadets Book One cover featuring line art by Takeshi Miyazawa

MECH CADETS BOOK ONE, a collection of MECH CADET YU issues #1 to #12, hits comic book shops on May 17! The MECH CADET YU series has been made into an animated television series that will debut on Netflix on August 10 – see what the fuss is all about by reading the comics now!

MECH CADETS BOOK ONE was written by Greg Pak with line art by Takeshi Miyazawa, colors by Triona Farrell, Jessica Kholinne, and Raul Angulo, and letters by Simon Bowland.

Here’s the official solicit:

Every four years, giant sentient robots from outer space come to Earth and bond forever with a brand new crop of Sky Corps Academy cadets.

But this time, instead of a cadet, one mech bonds with Stanford Yu, a young kid working with his mom as a janitor at Sky Corps.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Stanford, but first he’ll have to earn the trust of his classmates and survive an uncompromising enemy…the Sharg!

Bestselling author Greg Pak (Ronin Island, Planet Hulk) and fan-favorite artist Takeshi Miyazawa (Runaways, Ms. Marvel) bring to life this underdog story as Stanford and the newest team of Cadets and Robos face relentless training, an alien invasion, and the threat of losing themselves and human existence.

They’ll realize the true sacrifice that comes with duty and service and what makes a hero in this full collection of Mech Cadets perfect as a jumping on point ahead of the animated series on Netflix!

Ask your local comic shop to hold a copy for you today!

2023-05-10 – DARTH VADER #34 hits comic shops!

Leinil Yu cover for Darth Vader #34 featuring Vader with an electrostaff facing off against a group of rebels while standing on a wrecked ship

DARTH VADER #34 hits comic book shops this Wednesday! The book was written by Greg Pak (hey, that’s me!) with line art by Adam Gorham, colors by Federico Blee, and letters by Joe Caramagna, with a cover by Leinil Yu and Sunny Gho.

Here’s the official solicit:

UNBOUND FORCE – Part TWO!
According to the JEDI, fear leads to anger, and anger leads to hate. But does hate lead to suffering…or power? As DARTH VADER’S Force abilities spiral out of control, his lieutenant Sabe is caught in the maelstrom – and finally must confront the horrifying consequences of her choice to serve him. Will she choose darkness over light?

If you’ve been following the saga of Sabé, former handmaiden of Padmé Amidala, you do not want to miss this book!

Check out a lettered preview here and ask your local comic book shop to hold a copy of the book for you!

Writer of over 500 comic books, including PLANET HULK, MECH CADET YU, FIREFLY, and DARTH VADER