Magneto Testament

Comic Book Resources interviews Greg Pak

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Robert Taylor has interviewed writer Greg Pak for the “Reflections” column at Comic Book Resources. The interview covers all of Pak’s current books, including “Incredible Hercules,” “Skaar,” “Magneto: Testament,” and “War Machine.” Here’s an excerpt about “Skaar”:

How much has the character evolved from your first idea of him back when you created him in “World War Hulk?”
From the beginning, I knew that Skaar would be born in fire and raised by monsters before heading out into a savage world where society and government have been swept away by cataclysm and war. That’s all stayed the same—as have the big themes of exploring what heroism means in a world gone mad. But there are some elements of Skaar’s look and personality that have evolved. Originally, I envisioned the adult Skaar roaming the deserts wearing a metal faceplate. Joe pretty reasonably pointed out that we might be able to identify with the character more if we could see his face. At one point, I’d also toyed with the idea of Skaar as a more spiritual, mystic figure—someone who is consciously on a sort of dreamquest. But as we developed the book, I realized the richer dynamic would be for the people around Skaar to be pushing him on that dreamquest—while the savage Son of Hulk himself might have totally different motivations for doing what he does.

Click here to read the full interview, which also includes six page previews of “Incredible Hercules” #122 and “Skaar: Son of Hulk” #4, both of which hit comic book stores tomorrow.

Marvel interviews Greg Pak about “Magneto: Testament”

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Marvel.com has posted an interview with writer Greg Pak about the “Magneto: Testament” miniseries, which follows young Magneto and his family as they struggle to survive against the Nazi menace from 1935 to 1945. Here’s an excerpt:

“The key decision was to make our hero and his family German Jews living in Nuremberg in 1935,” [Pak] says. “That made it possible for us to include things like the Nuremberg Laws, the Berlin Olympics, and Kristallnacht while staying completely within Max’s point of view. These events were important to depict because they help show the gradual but inexorable ways the Nazis’ persecution of the Jews developed. In pure story terms, that works for building compelling character arcs and drama. In historical and even moral terms, it’s critical because it makes it harder to dismiss the Nazis’ atrocities as some kind of unstoppable cataclysm—the Nazi state and the Final Solution arose through horrifically evil but utterly human means.”

Click here to read the whole thing.
And feel free to ask your local comic book store to pre-order a copy of “Magneto: Testament” #3 for you today.
“Magneto: Testament” #3 hits comic book stores on November 12.

2008.11.12 – “Magneto: Testament” #3

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“Magneto: Testament” #3, written by Greg Pak with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, hits comic book stores on November 12. Here’s the solicitation from Marvel.com:

The harrowing saga of young Magneto’s struggle to save his family from the Nazi onslaught continues as the German army invades Poland–and our hero learns brutal new lessons and discovers new strength within himself. But even with all of his hard-won smarts and developing skills, how can one boy fight against the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto and the killing winter of 1941? It’s a poignant Marvel Knights take on the life of a young Magneto, by Greg Pak (WORLD WAR HULK) and Carmine Di Giandomenico (DAREDEVIL: BATTLIN’ JACK MURDOCK).

JVibe interviews Greg Pak about “Magneto: Testament”

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Michele Pinczuk has interviewed Greg Pak about his Marvel Comics miniseries “Magneto: Testament” for JVibe.com. Here’s an excerpt:

What kind of message do you want people to get from your comic books?
I want people to be so totally consumed by the characters and story that they don’t even think about what message is in there; they just want to find out what happens next because they care so much about the characters’ conflicts and struggles. But since more often than not I find myself writing about outsiders and outcasts—from racial and religious minorities to robots, cyborgs, mutants and monsters—maybe that’s just another way of saying one of my central themes is that we’re all human.

Read the whole thing — and check out the rave reviews for “Magneto: Testament” #2, which hit comic book stores on October 8.

Rave reviews for “Magneto: Testament” #2

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“Magneto: Testament” #2, written by Greg Pak with art by Carmine DiGiandomenico, has scored rave reviews after hitting comic book stores on October 8.
From IGN:

Even though Magneto’s history as a holocaust survivor has been referenced on many occasions, it’s never been brought to life with this sort of precision. Testament is both touching and revelatory, providing an unprecedented look into one of Marvel’s strongest characters. If Pak continues to produce at this level, he’ll leave an indelible mark on Magneto in a way few have in his forty-plus years of his existence.

From Comixtreme:

A fantastic book, really deep and heady with regards to the material that is analyzed and engaged in. But it’s really worthwhile, and when this series is completed, you’re going to end up with a truly beautiful, full origin of Magneto. Highly Recommended!

2008.10.08 – “Magneto: Testament” #2

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“Magneto: Testament” #2, written by Greg Pak with art by Carlo Di Giandomenico, hit comic book stores on October 8. Here’s the solicitation from Marvel.com:

The definitive origin story of one of Marvel’s greatest icons continues as young Magneto, a Jewish boy in Hitler’s Germany, travels to Berlin with his father in a desperate attempt to secure protection from the Nazi menace. What new rules and skills must father and son learn to survive in this insane new world? And will those lessons be enough to save their family on the Night of Broken Glass?

X-fans interview Greg Pak about “Magneto: Testament” at CBR

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“Magneto: Testament” writer Greg Pak answers fan questions in this weeks “X-Position” column at Comic Book Resources. Here’s an excerpt:

Will we actually see Magneto enter a concentration camp (as this has been shown in some versions of his origin)?
Yes. This wasn’t a decision we made lightly. But when we undertook this project, we made a commitment to do justice to the material. As I wrote in the afterward to the first issue, we’re doing our best to tell this story in a way that’s “honest, unflinching, human, and humane.” And Max’s experiences in Auschwitz aren’t just critical to his development as a character – they’re an essential part of telling the story of this time period.

Click here to read the whole thing.

IGN raves about “Magneto: Testament” #1

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Richard George has posted a rave review of “Magneto: Testament” #1 at IGN. Here’s an excerpt:

With its reserved but powerful nature, Magneto: Testament is easily one of the best books of the week, month… and quite possibly year.

“Magneto: Testament” #1 hit comic book stores yesterday — ask your local shop to hold a copy for you today! The book was written by Greg Pak with art by Carlo Di Giandomenico.

Comic Pants loves “Magneto: Testament” #1

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Dan Grendell has posted a review of “Magneto: Testament” #1 at ComicPants.com. Here’s an excerpt:

Pak does a great job of taking all the various bits of Magneto’s history tossed out over the years and trying to make a cohesive whole of them, as well as a moving tale, and di Giadomenico brings it to life with brilliant emotion. I have to give credit to Marko Djurdjevic, too, for a striking cover that really sets the tone of the story before even the first page. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of this series.

“Magneto: Testament” #1 hit comic book stores yesterday. The book was written by Greg Pak with art by Carlo Di Giandomenico.

Geeks of Doom posts massive interview with Greg Pak

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GeeksofDoom.com has posted a big interview with comic book writer and filmmaker Greg Pak about everything from Texas politics to “Robot Stories” to Asian American themes to Skaar, Son of Hulk! Here’s an excerpt:

GoD: Your early film work seems to have focused on Asian American themes, such as Fighting Grandpa and Asian Pride Porn. Without necessarily connecting the two (which would seem, on the surface, awkward), you obviously have a deep influence from your heritage. Tell us a little about your early film work and where you drew your inspiration.

GP: I’m half Korean and half white. These days, people usually think I’m the same ethnicity as whomever I’m standing next to — Latino or Arab or Jewish or Native American or Dutch or whatever — I’ve heard it all. But I’ve always identified strongly as Asian American. When I was a kid I looked pretty much straight up Asian and got my share of racist taunts. But my parents taught me to be proud of my heritage and the Boy Scouts taught me that America was all about liberty and justice for all. The upshot is that I think a big motivating factor for me in becoming a storyteller was this desire to break down the barriers that separate people, to do my little bit to humanize different kinds of people.

“Fighting Grandpa” was my thesis film at NYU — it’s a documentary that asks whether my Korean grandparents ever really loved each other. It’s an incredibly specific story, rooted in one Korean American family’s unique quirks and history. But after screenings, people of all different backgrounds would come up to me and say that that was the story of their grandparents. That meant a great deal to me on a personal level, of course. But it also made me happy because it meant that folks of all different backgrounds had bonded with these Asian American people on the screen in a way that they might never have before. And in a world in which Asians are still horribly stereotyped and ridiculed in the most repellently racist ways in all kinds of media, that felt like a good thing.

In a kind of crazy way, those same impulses have probably helped me write the Hulk. On one level, “Planet Hulk” is about how what we think we know about a person can be completely wrong. Everyone knows the Hulk and his Warbound companions are monsters. But by the end of the story, we realize they may just be heroes. People are always deeper and usually better than the stereotypes would have us believe.

Click here to read the whole thing.