Question Time

Open Thread – Question Time!

17 Comments

Hey, friends. I’m taking a little break, so I’m opening up another thread for Q&A.

As usual, I’ll just ask everyone to avoid spoilers and to please not pitch projects or stories – I can’t read or respond to those!

Also, life is short, so nastiness or personal attacks against anyone automatically get deleted.

Thanks a ton, and fire away!

17 thoughts on “Open Thread – Question Time!”

  1. if there were one character in any medium you could write, which and why?

    1. In terms of mainstream comics, I’ve actually had most of those dreams come true, which is crazy. Hulk, Strange, Silver Surfer, Storm, Magneto, Batman, Superman… it’s a little mind-blowing if I really think about it.

      But in any medium? I’d love to write Hulk, Hercules, and Amadeus Cho in feature films. Not necessarily all together.

      And of course there are a number of creator-owned characters that I’m dying to get out in the world. But I can’t say too much about them just yet. 😉

      Who else…

      I’d write a Jeremy Lin comic book in a heartbeat.

  2. Any plans on doing Fan Expo in Toronto at some point? FVL was there a year or two ago. He said mean things about you (no he didn’t).

    1. Hee! I did it back in 2007 when “World War Hulk” was coming out and had a great time. If you know anyone there, tell ’em to invite me! 😉

      1. I know no one who can facilitate such a request, sadly. That they weren’t calling you is their mistake.

  3. Are you as disappointed as I am that Dazzler has yet to make a movie appearance?

  4. You’re a huge inspiration. Doing film and comics, how much do the two languages intertwine? Also, did you have a lot of financial support to fallback on? Thanks for taking questions!

    1. Thanks for the kind words! I addressed some of the similarities and differences between screenplays and comics in an essay for Script Frenzy a couple of years ago — check it out: http://gregpak.com/the-five-minute-graphic-novel-writing-primer/

      I did all kinds of things to keep going in the early years — shot wedding videos, taught improv and directing, designed websites. I also had very supportive parents who are just amazing. And then at a few key moments, I got some amazing support from some different film institutions at just the right time — the first of which was finishing funds for my short film “Mouse” from the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund, whom I’ll always be grateful to as a result.

      I had two big strategies at the time. First, I tried to take money gigs that related in some way to the work I eventually wanted to do. Wedding videos were actually great training for documentary shooting, for example. Second, I applied for every single grant or other interesting opportunity I saw. I got rejected by 90 percent of the things I applied for. But if you get one out of ten things, you can still stay in business.

  5. If you could see a musical of anything you have ever written, what of your work would you like to see re-created in song?

    1. Well, it’d be pretty easy to do with “Code Monkey Save World,” which was inspired by Jonathan Coulton’s songs in the first place. 😉

      The other obvious answer would be some of the “X-Treme X-Men” stories I did, which star Dazzler and actually include her singing various songs.

      But somehow Hercules feels like the most musical-theater-y of the characters I’ve written. I could imagine a pretty fantastic buddy song with Amadeus. And a drinking song with Thor.

      1. …

        I would pay SO MUCH MONEY to see a drinking song with Thor. Let alone X-Treme X-Men: The X-Musical. : |

        There is killer opportunity for a duet with Howlett and Hercules. Even have a shot at a possible remix feat. Civil War Cyclops and X-Force Dazzler.

        (And besides, CMSW would be too easy. ;).)

  6. Hi Greg. Big fan of your work, especially the Hulk stuff.

    What is your take on the different interpretations Hulk’s psychology? The two big schools of thought are that he is either the embodiment of blind rage and thus a violent mindless rampaging monster (as many people with anger issues are) or a distinct personality to the extent that he and Banner can communicate with each other inside their head. Your Green Scar interpretation was a mix of both, but if you had to favour one or the other which would it be?

    Also, what did you think of the Hulk’s portrayal in The Avengers?

    Thanks.

    1. Loved Hulk in the Avengers. Loved loved loved.

      My take on the different incarnations of the Hulk is pretty simple. I think different versions of the Hulk emerge based on the emotional state Banner is in during any given time period. I personally had a huge amount of fun with the Green Scar version of the Hulk because he was smart enough to be able to grow emotionally, which was key for the stories I was telling. But at the same time, I loved writing the Savage Hulk when he briefly appeared during my “Skaar” run. The Hulk’s one of those characters that lends himself to all kinds of different takes and different stories — one of the reasons he’s been such an iconic character for so many decades.

      1. Thanks for the answer. Because I’m greedy I have another (and it’s a longshot): Has there been any word from anyone at Marvel about collecting your run in an omnibus (or four)?

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