“Incredible Hercules” co-writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente will appear tonight at the live Comic Book Club talk/comedy show in New York City! The show starts at 8 pm at the People’s Improv Theater at 154 W. 29th St. between 6th and 7th and costs a mere five bucks. See you there!
Broken Frontier interviews Greg Pak about his new “Incredible Hulk” run
Greg Pak returns to the “Incredible Hulk” with issue #601 in August. Broken Frontier has interviewed Pak about his upcoming run. An excerpt:
BF: Some readers have expressed their fears over having to read at least two, perhaps three titles to get the complete Hulk story. Will their fears be proven correct?
GP: Incredible Hulk, Hulk, and Son of Hulk will each tell their own distinct stories that can be fully appreciated on their own. Rest assured — you won’t be cheated out of a story if you’re only reading one or two of the books. But at a certain point, our nefarious master plan connecting the stories will become more evident, and those who are following all the titles will definitely get massive bang for their buck. Or, to coin a phrase, stupendous smash for their cash.
BF: How does the working relationship between you, Paul and Jeph Loeb work? Are you now the Hulk Architect Supreme?
GP: Heh. Jeph’s the Hulk Architect Supreme. I’m the Incredible Hulk Architect Supreme. We’re going on tour next year with Diana Ross.
It’s been a great collaboration. We’re constantly exchanging emails and jokes and ideas. I can’t tell you how excited I am for what’s coming next.
BF: Any final teasers on where you’re taking Hulk over the long term?
GP: If all goes as planned, we’ll take him places you’d never guess, but when we get there, it’ll be exactly where you always wanted to go.
Marvel.com interviews Pak and Van Lente about Hercuthor!
Marvel.com has interviewed writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente about the “Replacement Thor” storyline that begins with “Incredible Hercules” #132 in August. An excerpt:
“Every decade or so, the Marvel Universe needs a big Herc/Thor smash up,” Pak acknowledges. “This time we decided to start with a mash up, because we hear that’s what all the cool kids are into these days.
“We just thought that Herc having to fill in for Thor would be a great way to get to the heart of the rivalry between these two big lugs,” he elaborates. “Herc’s always ready to talk smack about the Odinson. But when Herc dons the Thunder God’s costume and has to really ponder what Thor would do, he might just learn something. Then again, this being Herc, he might not.”
“Incredible Hercules” #131 preview
Marvel.com has posted a preview of “Incredible Hercules” #131, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente with pencils by Ryan Stegman.
Check it out!
The book goes on sale July 22.
CBR recaps the Asian American Comicon
Last Saturday, Greg Pak moderated three panels at the first ever Asian American ComiCon in New York City. Steve Sunu interviewed Pak and a number of the other organizers of the event for Comic Book Resources. Here’s an excerpt:
“I had an absolute blast moderating three of the ‘Making Comics’ panels at the Asian American ComiCon,†Pak told CBR. “The rooms were packed with eager audience members and the panelists were in fine form – funny, fresh, and frank. There was a relaxed, unguarded vibe among both panelists and audience members that made for great conversations. Just a few of the highlights include legendary writer Larry Hama revealing the shocking truth about his original pitch for the latest G.I. Joe series, colorist Christina Strain begging artists not to draw every individual snowflake, and Bernard Chang, Cliff Chiang, and Khoi Pham discussing the dangers of riffing off representations of things rather than the things themselves. I laughed, I learned, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.â€
2009.07.15 – “Incredible Hercules: Smash of the Titans” hardcover
The “Incredible Hercules: Smash of the Titans” hardcover hits comic book stores on July 15. The book features “Incredible Hulk” #106 to 110, written by Greg Pak, “Incredible Hulk” #111, written by Greg Pak and Jeff Parker, and “Incredible Hercules” #112 to 115, written by Pak and Fred Van Lente. Here’s more from Comixology:
2009.07.15 – “War Machine: Iron Heart” hardcover
The “War Machine: Iron Heart” hardcover, written by Greg Pak with art by Leonardo Manco, hits comic book stores on Wednesday, July 15. Here’s the scoop from Comixology:
Pak Talks Comics: Reader Q&A
Welcome to Pak Talks Comics, wherein comics writer and filmmaker Greg Pak answers your questions. Click here to submit your own questions — and read on for the latest answers!
Taimur Dar: Hey Greg, as always great to see the return of this column and your continuing awesome work at Marvel. It’s been almost two years since the launch of “Incredible Herc” and the title is still as good as ever. Really hoping for a Thor/Herc reunion when Hercules comes to Asgard this summer, but any chance of another face off against Ragnarok, the newly returned clone of Thor?
Greg Pak: He’s wearing some funny togs, but that might just be the Odinson on the cover to “Incredible Hercules” #136… Add it to your pull list, amigos!
TD: Were there ever any plans of Herc meeting California’s Initiative Team The Order especially since they’re ripping off his family names?
GP: Funny you should ask! Way back when we were planning the first story for the book, my co-writer Fred Van Lente and I talked a lot about a showdown with the Order, but the timing didn’t work out and soon we had a big storyline underway that took us in another direction. And as I’ve teased above, we do have an upcoming storyline involving characters stealing other characters names — don’t ya dare miss “Incredible Hercules” #132, #134, and #136 for the “Replacement Thor” storyline.
Greg Pak at the Asian American ComiCon this Saturday!
Comics writer Greg Pak is curating the “Making Comics” programming at the Asian American ComiCon, which takes place from 10 am to 5 pm Saturday, July 11, at the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. The AACC features a slew of amazing guests including Cliff Chiang, Khoi Pham, Misako Rocks!, Derek Kirk Kim, Christina Strain, and Kiyama Award recipient Larry Hama.
Click here to preregister for the event (highly recommended) and click here for program information.
Here’s the latest scoop on the panels curated by Greg Pak:
Making Comics
This track focuses on the art and business of making comics–from alt-comics and literary graphic fiction to mainstream superhero books and syndicated strips. Featured workshops will include a hands-on demonstration by leading creators; explorations of the business side of comics; and other sessions highlighting comics as a profession, a discipline, an art form and a commercial landscape.
Sessions Include:
Visual Storytelling–Hands-On! (10:00-11:00 am, Classroom): A diverse group of acclaimed artists sketch in real time as they discuss their different approaches in making creative choices.
Moderator: Greg Pak, writer, The Incredible Hulk and War Machine Panelists: Bernard Chang, artist, Wonder Woman; Cliff Chiang, artist, Green Arrow/Black Canary; Khoi Pham, artist, Mighty Avengers.
Visual Storytelling–The Art of Collaboration (11:00 am-12:00 pm, Exhibit Hall): Top graphical storytellers share their experiences and tips for making the most of the challenges and opportunities of collaboration between pencillers, inkers, colorists, and writers.
Moderator: Greg Pak, writer, The Incredible Hulk and War Machine Panelists: Derek Kirk Kim, artist/writer, Same Difference; Daniel Ketchum, editor, Marvel Comics; Sean Chen, artist, Iron Man; Khoi Pham, artist, Mighty Avengers; Christine Strain, colorist, Runaways
The Business of Comics (12:00-1:00 pm, Exhibit Hall): For anyone who’s ever dreamed of joining the comics world, here’s your chance to get an insider’s look at the commercial side of graphical storytelling. Comic book pros from every corner of the biz introduce their fields and discuss breaking in, maintaining a career, and keeping up with what the future has in store.
Moderator: Jennifer Lee, former editor, Marvel Comics and DC Comics Panelists: Bernard Chang, artist, Wonder Woman; Fletcher Chu-Fong, manager, Events & Retail, DC Comics; Sharad Devarajan, CEO, Liquid Comics; Kuo-Yu Liang, VP, Sales & Marketing, Diamond Comic Distributors; Christine Norrie, artist/writer, Cheat; Arune Singh, sales coordinator, Marvel Comics; Tak Toyoshima, artist/writer, Secret Asian Man
Writers’ Bloc (1:00-2:00 pm, Exhibit Hall): Writers of indie and superhero comics and a syndicated comic strip discuss the craft of scripting sequential art and their strategies for tackling everyday creative challenges.
Moderator: Greg Pak, writer, The Incredible Hulk and War Machine Panelists: Fred Chao, artist/writer, Johnny Hiro; Larry Hama, creator, G.I. Joe mythology; Christine Norrie, artist/writer, Cheat; Tak Toyoshima, artist/writer, Secret Asian Man
Pak will also sit for a signing session with Cliff Chiang at 12 noon in the lobby.
Newsarama interviews Greg Pak about “War Machine”
Steve Ekstrom has interviewed “War Machine” writer Greg Pak for Newsarama. Here’s an excerpt:
NRAMA: Finally, in your view, how does War Machine standout in the current Dark Reign environment at Marvel? What should readers consider when they casually pick up an issue of War Machine off the shelf?
GP: This is the story of a man who makes the conscious decision to go too far when he’s faced with a world that’s gone too far. It’s the kind of decision that people have been forced to make throughout human history during times of terrible lawlessness and upheaval. In fact, you could say that every Western, samurai movie, and gangster flick ever made trades on these same themes. But there’s no easy answer regarding the emotional and moral consequences of walking this road, which is exactly what makes these kinds of characters and stories so compelling.
This is also the story of a guy who can assimilate any technology from an iPod to an atom bomb into his armor, which provides endless opportunities for insanely explosive mayhem, if that’s your thing. And if you’re reading this far into an interview about a character named War Machine, something tells me it probably is.